VOA慢速英语: 无法预知什么时候会发生地震（双语）

No Way to Know When Earthquake Will Hit

无法预知什么时候会发生地震

Last Sunday, an earthquake struck the Napa Valley area of northern California. Some roads bent, while underground pipes burst. It was the strongest earthquake to strike the Napa Valley in 15 years. No one was killed, but many people were treated in hospitals.

上周日，一场地震袭击了美国加州北部的纳帕谷地区，造成一些道路弯曲，地下管道破裂，这是15年来纳帕谷地区发生的最强大的地震。没有人死亡，但是有很多人受伤，正在医院接受治疗。

Scientists say the earthquake last weekend was a magnitude 6 quake.

科学家说，上周的地震是6级地震。

“The magnitude of the earthquake reflects how much of the Earth’s crust ruptured. It’s really an expression of the total energy that’s released when apart of the Earth’s crust breaks apart.”

“地震的震级高低反映了地壳的破裂程度，这实际上是地壳破裂时所释放出的总能量的一种表现方式”

David Applegate works for the United States Geological Survey. He says Californians are lucky because the earthquake did not cause major damage to water mains – large pipelines that carry water. He notes that a lot of the losses in quakes are from fires because water mains have been broken, and there is no quick way to fix them.

大卫·艾伯盖特在美国地质调查局工作，他称，加州人是幸运的，因为地震没有对自来水总管道(传输水资源的大型管道)造成重大损害。他指出，地震中的很多损失来自火灾，因为自来水管道虽未受到重大损害，但是也已经有损坏，不能很快修复，所以灭火困难。

Mr. Applegate says the timing of the quake in Napa may have saved a lot of lives.

艾伯盖特称，在纳帕谷地区发生地震的时间，可能拯救了很多人的生命。

“It happened in the middle of the night. We saw a lot of cases where old brick buildings collapsed onto sidewalks. Those sidewalks were empty.”

“该地震发生在半夜，我们看到很多建筑倒塌在人行道上，而半夜时人行道是空的。”

He describes that as a stroke of good luck because earthquakes usually come as a surprise.

他称，这次运气很好(发生在半夜)，因为地震总是出人意料的突袭。

“Short-term prediction is not feasible, but what we do know is where large earthquakes occur.”

“短期预测是不可行的，但是我们知道哪里有大地震会发生。”

This means that scientists can predict the likelihood that an earthquake will hit a given area over the next several years. When a quake begins, however, scientists can warn those in its path.

这就意味着，在未来几年，科学家将可以预测出可能发生地震的一定范围内的地区。当地震发生，科学家就可以给予警告。

“Once an earthquake starts in one place, we can actually get the characteristics of the event and get an alert out ahead of the strong shaking.”

“一旦一个地方开始发生地震，我们可以得知该事件发生的特点，并在强震前给予人们警告。”

David Applegate says the warning may not come long before the quake strikes. But he adds that 10 or 20 seconds may be enough to save your life.

大卫·艾伯盖特称，警告可能不会早于地震发生前，但是他补充称，10秒或20秒就足以挽救你的生命。

“Certainly you can get underneath a sturdy piece of furniture. Drop, cover and hold on.”

“当然这就会使你有时间躲到一个坚固的家具下面，蹲下，寻找掩护和抓住固定位置”

Like anything, he says, it is wise to have a plan that includes fresh water and how to find loved ones after the disaster.

他称，就像其他事情一样，有一个关于淡水的储备和灾难后如何寻找亲人的计划是非常明智的。

“Your quality of life after the event is really dependent on what you’ve done to plan before the event.”

“事件发生后你生活的质量，是真的依赖于事件之前你所做的计划的。”

The people of northern California were lucky in what could have been a far more damaging earthquake. But others have cause for celebration. It seems that Napa Valley will continue exporting wine as usual. That is also likely part of the survival plan.

这次地震是可能造成更重大的损害，而并没有，所以说加州北部的人们是幸运的，但是其他人也有理由庆祝。看来，帕纳谷将继续像往常一样出口葡萄酒，这可能也是生存计划的一部分。

I’m Bob Doughty.

我是鲍勃·道格。