2013年自考英語(二)課文譯文:預報地震

　　預報地震

　　Can earthquakes be predicted? Scientists are working on programs to predict where and when an earthquake will occur. They hope to develop an early warning system that can be used to forecast earthquakes so that lives can be saved.

　　地震可以預報嗎?科學家們正在對預報地震在何時何地發(fā)生進行研究。他們希望開發(fā)一套早期報警系統(tǒng)來預報地震，挽救生命。

　　Earthquakes are the most dangerous and deadly of all natural events. They occur in many parts of the world. Giant earthquakes have been recorded in Iran, China, Guatemala, Chile, India, and Alaska. Two of the biggest earthquakes that were ever recorded took place in China and Alaska. These earthquakes measured about 8.5 on the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale was devised by Charles Richter in 1935, and compares the energy level of earthquakes. An earthquake that measures a 2 on the scale can be felt hut causes little damage. One that measures 4.5 on the scale can cause slight damage, and an earthquake that has a reading of over 7 can cause major damage. It is important to note that a reading of 4 indicates an earthquake ten times as strong as one with a reading of 3.Scientists want to be able to predict those earthquakes that have a reading of over 4 on the Richter Scale.

　　地震是最危險、最致命的自然界的活動。它們發(fā)生在世界的許多地方。伊朗、中國、危地馬拉、智利、印度和阿拉斯加都有發(fā)生大地震的記錄。有記錄的兩次最強的地震分別發(fā)生在中國和阿拉斯加，震級都在里氏8.5級左右。里氏震級是1935年由查爾斯?里克特創(chuàng)制的，用以表達地震產生的能量級。里氏震級測定為2級的地震，人們可以感覺到，但幾乎造不成破壞。里氏4.5級地震能造成破壞，但比較輕。里氏7級地震造成的破壞就很大了。有一點值得注意：如果一次地震的里氏震級定為4級，那么該地震的強度比定為里氏3級的地震大九倍?？茖W家們希望能預報里氏4級以上的地震。

　　How do earthquakes occur? Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of rocks along cracks, or faults, in the earth's crust. The fault is produced when rocks near each other are pulled in different directions. The best-known fault in North America is the San Andreasfault in the state of California in the United States.

　　地震是怎樣發(fā)生的呢?地震是由沿著地殼中的裂縫，或稱斷層處的巖石發(fā)生位移而引起的。當相鄰的巖石被拉向相反方向時，就產生了斷層。眾所周知的北美洲的斷層是位于美國加利福尼亞的圣安德里亞斯斷層。

　　The nations that are actively involved in earthquake prediction programs include Japan, China, Russia, and the United States. These countries have set up seismic networks in areas of their countries where earthquakes are known to occur. These networks are on the alert for warning signs that show the weakening of rock layers that can precede an earthquake. Many kinds of seismic instruments are used by the networks to monitor the movements of the earth's crust. The scientists also check water in deep wells. They watch for changes in the water level and temperature that are associated with movement along faults.

　　致力于地震預報研究的國家有日本、中國、俄國和美國。這些國家在認為可能發(fā)生地震的地區(qū)建起了地震臺網(wǎng)。這些地震臺網(wǎng)一直處于戒備狀態(tài)，搜尋著震發(fā)前巖層松動的跡象。地震臺網(wǎng)使用多種地震儀來監(jiān)視地殼的活動?？茖W家們還檢測深井里的水，觀察與斷層移動相關的水位及溫度的變化。

　　Scientists in China, Russia, and the United States measure radon in ground water. Radon is a gas that comes from the radioactive decay of radium in rocks. The gas flows through the ground and dissolves in underground streams and wells. Scientists speculate that the amount of radon increases in the ground when rocks layers shift, exposing new rock, and thus more radon. Chinese and Russian scientists have reported that in places where stress is building up, the radon levels of the water build up too. When the radon levels of the water subside and drop back to normal readings, an earthquake may occur. United States scientists have also placed radon monitoring stations in earthquake zones, particularly California. However, all the scientists agree that more data is necessary to prove that radon levels in water are associated with the possible birth of an earthquake.

　　中、俄、美三國的科學家還測定地下水中氡的含量。氡是巖石中放射性元素鐳衰變時產生的氣體。這些氣體從地層中逸出，在地下水流和井水中溶解。科學家們認為，當巖層移動時，地下氡的含量就會增加。有新巖層露出時，氡會增加更多。中俄科學家曾報告說：地下壓力增加時，水中氡的含量也會增加;當水中氡的含量下降并恢復到正常水平時，就可能發(fā)生地震。美國科學家已在地震帶，尤其在加利福尼亞建立了氡監(jiān)測站。不過，科學家們都一致認為，需要有更多的資料才能證明：水中氡的含量是否真與可能發(fā)生的地震有聯(lián)系。

　　Earthquake prediction is still a young science. Everyone agrees that earthquakes cannot be predicted with any reliability. Scientists have only a partial understanding of the physical processes that cause earthquakes. Much more research has to be done. New and more up-to-date methods have to be found for collecting earthquake data and analyzing it. However, scientists have had some success in predicting earthquakes. Several small earthquakes were predicted in New York State, in the eastern part of the United States. Chinese scientists predicted a major one in Haicheng in 1975, and Russian scientists predicted a major one in Garm in 1978. While this is a small start, it is still a beginning.

　　地震預報還是一門年輕科學。大家都認為對地震的預報不可能有把握。原因是科學家們對引發(fā)地震的物理過程遠未充分了解，還需要做大量的研究工作。需要新的更為先進的方法來收集、分析有關地震的數(shù)據(jù)資料。但在地震預測方面，科學家們還是取得了一定的成就。美國東部紐約州發(fā)生的幾次小地震被成功地預報了;中國科學家成功地預報了1975年的海城大地震;1978年，俄國科學家預報了加爾姆大地震。起步雖小，但畢竟是一個開端。

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