动物变身南京市地震预报员

 　　Chinese scientists are using animals to try to predict when an earthquake may strike, it's reported.

　　据报道，中国科学家正在尝试用动物预报地震。

　　Seismologists in Nanjing, the capital of eastern Jiangsu province, have set up seven observation centres at zoos and animal parks in the region, the Modern Express website reports. They'll be watching for changes in behaviour among thousands of animals, which might be a sign of an imminent¹ tremor². An ecological³ park in the city's Yuhuatai district has become one of the seismic⁴ monitoring sites, with 2,000 chickens, 200 pigs and 2 sq km (0.8 sq miles) of fish ponds, the report says. Cameras have been installed around the park, and staff will report back to the seismological bureau on the animals' behaviour twice a day.

　　南京是中国东部的江苏省的省会，据《现代快报》报道，那里的地震学家在动物园里开设了7个观测中心。他们将对数千动物的行为进行观测，这些行为可能为即将到来的地震提供线索。记者报道，这些地震观测点之一的南京雨花台区一座生态公园里有2000只鸡、200只猪以及2平方公里的鱼塘。公园里到处都装上了摄像头，工作人员每天将向地震局汇报两次动物的行为。

　　"Animals sometimes become stressed before an earthquake," says Zhao Bing, Nanjing Seismological Bureau's chief of scientific monitoring. But the occasional bit of oddness from one chicken doesn't necessarily spell trouble, so groups of animals are being observed, "so that their behaviour can be cross-checked", he explains. A member of staff at Hongshan Forest Zoo, another monitoring site, says animals can be just as effective as specialist technology when trying to predict a quake. "Birds can become 'nervous' - if their tails are wagging like a dog's, you should pay attention," Shen Zhijun tells the paper.

　　南京地震局科技监测处处长赵兵说：“有时地震前动物会变得紧张”。但是，一只鸡偶尔的反常不足以预报地震，因此需要对大量动物进行观测，“以便彼此应证”。另一个观测站位于红山森林公园，那里的一名工作人员称，在预测地震上，动物可以和专业科技一样有效。沈志军告诉《现代快报》，“鸟类会变得紧张。如果它们的尾巴像狗一样摆动，就要加以注意了。”

　　It has long been thought that animal behaviour could provide an early warning of seismic activity. In 2011, scientists said animals may be able to detect chemical changes in groundwater which precede a quake. Their study was prompted by a colony of toads⁵ abandoning its pond in the Italian city of L'Aquila days before it was devastated⁶ by a 6.3magnitude quake. Another study observed changes in wild animal behaviour in the three weeks before Peru's 7.0 magnitude earthquake in 2011.

　　很久以来，人们就认为动物的行为能够为地震提供早期预警。2011年，一些科学家称动物或许能够察觉到地震前地下水里化学物质的变化。一场6.3级的地震摧毁了意大利拉奎拉地区的一座城市，那里的一群蟾蜍在地震前离开了它们栖息的池塘。这一现象推动了这些科学家们的研究。另一项研究发现，秘鲁7级地震前三周里，野生动物的行为发生了变化。

1 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

2 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

3 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

4 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

5 toads   

n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All toads blink when they swallow. 所有的癞蛤蟆吞食东西时都会眨眼皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Toads have shorter legs and are generally more clumsy than frogs. 蟾蜍比青蛙脚短，一般说来没有青蛙灵活。 来自辞典例句

6 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。