Swellings of the Earth 有地震！
by Matthew Brown
Earthquakes are unpredictable, powerful, and sometimes devastating.
地震不可预测且力量强大，有时还深具毁灭性。
9/1
Outside of war and disease, earthquakes have been the cause of some of the world's most devastating amounts of death and destruction. Earthquakes can hit any country, big or small, rich or poor. And when a country suffers from a major earthquake, it takes a long time to heal.
Why do earthquakes happen? Earthquakes are caused when rock underground suddenly breaks. The part where it breaks is called a fault. When this happens, the ground shakes with seismic waves. The sections of rock shift because of the pressure of the earth, and when they rub against each other, the enormous friction causes the ground above to quake.
When China was hit with a major earthquake just a few months ago, more than 70,000 people were killed and countless more were injured. Thousands upon thousands were left homeless. However, the earthquake affected the country differently than it would have had it taken place a few decades ago. Because of modern technology and international cooperation, some people were helped more quickly than would have been possible in the past. Modern media and the Internet allowed the whole world to see what was happening in China, and many countries were quick to offer support and sympathy.
Taiwan experienced its own major earthquake in 1999. The earthquake mostly affected central Taiwan. Thousands of people were killed, and many more were injured and left homeless. It was a sad time for Taiwan, and for many Taiwanese, the earthquake was the cause of many painful memories.
单字小铺
1. swelling n. 隆起，膨胀
2. destruction n. 破坏；毁灭
3. heal vi. 痊愈
4. underground a. 地下的
5. fault n. 断层
6. seismic wave 地震波（由地震震源向四处传播的振动）
seismic a. 地震引起的
7. section n. 区块；部分
8. shift vi. 移动
9. friction n. 摩擦
10. quake vi. 震动，摇晃 & n. 地震
11. countless a. 数不尽的
12. homeless a. 无家可归的
13. cooperation n. 合作
14. media n. 大众媒体（单数形为 medium）
15. painful a. 痛苦的
词组小铺
1. outside of... 除了……之外
2. rub against... 和……摩擦
3. thousands upon thousands... 成千上万的……
4. allow sb/sth to V 使某人∕某物得以……
文法一点灵
...than it would have had it taken place a few decades ago.
= ...than it would have if it had taken place a few decades ago.
注意:
在假设语气 if 子句中，若有表过去完成式的助动词 had、be 动词过去式的 were 及表 『万一』的助动词 should 出现时，可将上述词类往前移位置于主词前，而将 if 省略，其句型如下：
If + S + had + 过去分词, 主要子句
= Had + S + 过去分词, 主要子句
例: Had Bill told the truth, the police would have solved the case.
（比尔当时要是说出真相，警方早就破案了。）
If + S + were..., 主要子句
= Were + S +..., 主要子句
例: Were it not for you, we would not be in so much trouble.
（要不是你，我们也不会有这么多麻烦。）
If + S + should + V, 主要子句
= Should + S + V, 主要子句
例: Should Mike call for me while I'm out, ask him to leave a message.
（万一麦克在我外出时打电话找我，请他留言。）
精解字词词组
1. devastating a. 令人震惊的；毁灭性的
devastate vt. 破坏，毁灭
= destroy vt.
例: Many buildings collapsed when that devastating earthquake occurred.
（很多大楼在那场毁灭性的地震中倒塌。）
例: The stock market collapse devastated the nation's economy.
（股市崩盘摧毁了该国的经济。）
2. suffer from... 受……之苦；罹患……疾病
例: Ted suffers from migraines a few times a month.
（泰德每个月都会有几次偏头痛。）
3. pressure n. 挤压；压力
under pressure 处于压力之下
例: Under pressure, the president agreed to the terrorists' demands.
（总统在压力下同意恐怖份子提出的要求。）
4. affect vt. 影响
effect n. 影响
have an effect on... 对……有影响
= have an influence/impact on...
例: Lack of sleep can have an effect on your performance at school.
（睡眠不足会影响你在学业上的表现。）
5. take place 发生；举行
例: The demonstration took place in the heart of Seoul.
（那场示威游行发生在首尔的市中心。）
6. sympathy n. 慰问；同情
sympathize vi. 同情；怜悯
have sympathy for... 对……感到同情
= sympathize with...
例: I have no sympathy for those who fall for scams because of their own greed.
（我不同情那些由于自身贪婪而受骗的人。）
中文翻译
9/1
除了战争与疾病，世界上某些巨大的伤亡人数与大规模的破坏是由地震所引起的。任何一个国家，不论大小或贫富，都有可能发生地震。当一个国家因大地震而受苦受难时，都需要很长的一段时间才能恢复正常。
地震为何会发生？地震形成的原因是因为地层突然断裂。断裂的区块称之为断层。当这种情况发生时，地面就会随着地震波而摇动。岩块的移动是由于地壳挤压所引起，当地壳相互挤压时，巨大的摩擦力使得上方的地面摇动。
中国大陆在数个月前发生强烈的大地震。死亡的人数超过 7 万人，更有数不清的受伤民众，成千上万的人无家可归。然而，此次地震对中国大陆造成的伤害，与如果发生在几十年前相比将大不相同。拜现代科技与国际间的合作所赐，有些人所受到的援助比以往来得快速许多。现代传媒与因特网使得全世界都能看到中国大陆所发生的事，许多国家因此迅速地提供援助及表达慰问之意。
台湾本身在 1999 年也经历过大地震。那次的地震影响中台湾甚巨，造成数千人死亡，更多的人因而受伤及无家可归。对台湾而言，那是段相当悲伤难熬的时期，而对许多台湾人来说，那次地震更是痛苦的回忆。
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