2006年VOA标准英语-San Francisco to Mark Centennial of 1906 E

By Chris Mitchell
Washington
12 April 2006
 
Watch Earthquake report

The city of San Francisco is preparing to mark the 100th anniversary of one of the most devastating¹ natural disasters ever to strike the United States.  VOA's Chris Mitchell has more on the devastating 1906 earthquake.

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San Francisco, California   
  

To the outsider, there is nothing to suggest that, 100 years ago, half of San Francisco was destroyed by an earthquake and the fires that followed.  The quake killed at least 3,000 people and left more than 200,000 homeless, living in tents and whatever shelter they could improvise².

In time, the survivors³ rebuilt, and San Francisco bounced back.

As the city prepares to mark the April 18 centennial of the earthquake, area museums like this one in Oakland are putting the finishing touches on displays commemorating⁴ the disaster.
 

1906 San Francisco earthquake   
  
While some exhibits focus on the earthquake and the recovery, others find art in the chaos⁵.  The arch of a ruined mansion⁶ frames the burned remains⁷ of city hall.  Today, that arch is a memorial of the quake in Golden Gate Park.

 
San Francisco Earthquake devesatation
  
San Francisco has several events planned to commemorate⁸ the quake, including one for about one dozen survivors of the disaster.  They will gather at a landmark⁹ fountain that served as a place where people met to await news on their families and homes after the quake and subsequent fires.  There, they will observe a moment of silence at 5:12 am, the exact moment the quake struck.

After laying a wreath to honor those who perished, they will visit one of the few hotels to survive the disaster.  The Saint Francis hotel plans to serve the same meal it served on the morning of the earthquake 100 years ago -- pancakes and rhubarb stew¹⁰.

Meanwhile, as the commemorations near, the U.S. Geological Survey released 3D animation¹¹ of the 1906 quake.  Using high-tech¹² animation, scientists showed how the quake created a rupture¹³ that traveled 300 kilometers in less than 90 seconds.  USGS geophysicist. 

 
Mary Lou Zobak
  
Mary Lou Zobak says the computer simulation identifies areas of the city hit particularly hard by the quake.

"We hope by making this information available easily the public can become better aware and they need to be asking questions and finding out more about where they live, where they work, that sort of thing." she said.

The San Francisco earthquake registered 7.8 on the Richter scale, making it a major earthquake.  Centered about two miles off the city's coast, the quake and its shock waves leveled thousands of buildings, causing what would amount to tens of billions of U.S. dollars in damage today.

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 improvise   

v.即兴创作；临时准备，临时凑成

参考例句：

• If an actor forgets his words，he has to improvise.演员要是忘记台词，那就只好即兴现编。
• As we've not got the proper materials,we'll just have to improvise.我们没有弄到合适的材料，只好临时凑合了。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

5 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

6 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

9 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

10 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

11 animation   

n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作

参考例句：

• They are full of animation as they talked about their childhood.当他们谈及童年的往事时都非常兴奋。
• The animation of China made a great progress.中国的卡通片制作取得很大发展。

12 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

13 rupture   

n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂

参考例句：

• I can rupture a rule for a friend.我可以为朋友破一次例。
• The rupture of a blood vessel usually cause the mark of a bruise.血管的突然破裂往往会造成外伤的痕迹。