彭蒙惠英语：Newsworthy Clips

Newsworthy Clips

 

1

Sinking Islands Pointed¹ to Danger of Earthquake

 

By Glennda Chui / © 2004, as first appeared

in San Jose Mercury News, Knight² Ridder

Newspapers. Distributed by Tribune Media

Services International.

 

For decades, scientists say, tiny islands off the west coast of Sumatra had been sinking-an ominous³ sign that strain was building toward a great earthquake, which would set off tidal waves that could kill thousands of people.

 

That’s exactly what happened on December 26, 2004. Giant quakes suddenly pushed up the ocean bottom, raising a bulge⁴ of water on the surface that rippled⁵ out in all directions. The resulting waves, or tsunamis⁷, would have been about a foot tall as they raced across the ocean at 500 to 600 mph. But when they hit shallower water near shore, they piled up into walls of water up to 30 feet high, depending on the shape of the coastline and the contours of the

ocean bottom.

 

The first tsunamis might have looked like angry waves or rapidly rising tides. As the first one receded⁸, exposing the ocean bottom, people would have been tempted⁹ to go gather up any fish left behind, only to be trapped by a second wave as powerful as the first, arriving 10 minutes to an hour later. Four or five tsunami⁶ waves may hit in succession, traveling thousands of miles to menace distant shores.

 

The 9.0-magnitude earthquake about 125 miles off the west coast of Sumatra occurred in an area that is marked by a deep underwater trench¹⁰.

 

Based on clues found among the area’s coral reefs and along its beaches, scientists know that this is the fourth giant earthquake to strike the same fault zone, known as the Sumatran subduction zone, since 1797. Here, one giant plate of the Earth’s crust is diving beneath another, pushing the ocean bottom underneath¹¹ Sumatra at a rate of about two inches per year. The plates can become stuck, accumulate strain for decades or centuries, and then suddenly spring loose in an earthquake.

 

Vocabulary Focus

ominous (adj) [5CminEs] suggesting something unpleasant is likely to happen; threatening

contour (n) [5kCntuE] the shape of a mass of land or other object, especially its surface or the shape formed by its outer edge

menace (v) [5menEs] to cause harm to someone or something, or be likely to cause harm

 

Specialized¹² Terms

mph (abbreviation) 每小时里程数 miles per hour: the number of miles a vehicle travels in one hour

trench (n) 地沟 a narrow channel dug deep into the ground

fault zone (n phr) 断层带 an area consisting of numerous cracks in the Earth’s surface where rock has divided into two parts that move against each other

subduction (n) 潜没 a process in which an edge of one of the plates of the Earth’s crust is forced below the edge of another

 

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马励 译

 

1

下沉的小岛预示地震危机

科学家们说，数十年来，苏门答腊西岸外的小岛群一直在下沉，这是导致大地震的压力逐渐在累积的恶兆。地震会引起海啸，让成千上万的人丧命。

这正是2004年12月发生的事。大地震突然将海底向上推升，海面上满溢的海水向四面八方倾注。所产生的海浪，或称为地震海啸，在以每小时2500到3000米的速度奔驰于海上时，原本应只有大约一尺高。但当它们拍击到靠近岸边较浅的海水时，会随着海岸线的地形及海底的结构掀起最高达到30尺的水墙。

第一次发生的地震海啸看起来像是生气的海浪或是快速上升的浪潮。在第一波的浪潮退去时，海底暴露出来，人们可能会被引诱过去采集海水未来得及带走的鱼，却被10分钟到1个小时之后接踵而至的海啸所袭击，其强度丝毫未减的第二波浪潮掳掠而去。横行数千里的地震海啸可能会连续来袭4至5次。

9级大地震发生在苏门答腊西海岸外125里附近，一处标示为深海沟的地区。

根据该区附近的珊瑚礁及海滩沿岸显现的迹象，科学家们发现，这是自1797年以来，同样袭击这个被称为苏门答腊潜没断层带的第四次大地震。地壳的板块就在此处沉到另一个板块之下，将苏门答腊下面的海底以每年约2寸的速度向上推升。地球表层的岩板会被挤压，累积几十年或几世纪的压力，然后在地震的瞬间释放出来。

 

1 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

2 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

3 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

4 bulge   

n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀

参考例句：

• The apple made a bulge in his pocket.苹果把他口袋塞得鼓了起来。
• What's that awkward bulge in your pocket?你口袋里那块鼓鼓囊囊的东西是什么？

5 rippled   

使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
• The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田，泛起一片麦浪。

6 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

7 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

8 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

9 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

10 trench   

n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕

参考例句：

• The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
• The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。

11 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

12 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。