新西兰英语 534 Christchurch had more earthquakes

 　　Christchurch had a number of earthquakes today. The first big one was 5.8 on the Richter scale¹ just before 2pm. It was 20km north-east of the city and 8km deep. Then this was followed by another big one which was 6.0 on the Richter scale. This was closer to the city and only 6km deep. There was some damage to buildings but most of the tall buildings in the city are in the red zone where people are not allowed to go. About 20 people were taken to hospital but nobody had serious injuries.

　　There was liquefaction in eastern parts of the city again and some damage to water, sewerage and electricity.

　　The airport closed for three hours while people checked that there was no damage. All the shopping malls closed to check for damage. They will open again tomorrow. This is the busiest time of year for shopping, just two days before Christmas.

　　Scientists say that we can expect more earthquakes in the future as the earth settles² down after the big earthquake in September 2010. This is bad news for anyone who plans to build a new house or shop. It will be hard to get insurance while there are more after-shocks.

　　For more about the earthquakes in Christchurch, type “earthquake” in the search box.

　　Grammar: Comparatives³ –

　　The first earthquake was deeper than the second one; the second earthquake was shallower⁴ than the first one; the … was not as deep as …; … was not as close as …; was stronger than …

　　Can you make other comparatives using “–er” and “not as … as”?

1 scale   

n.比例；程度；范围

参考例句：

• The scale of this map is an inch to a mile.这张地图的比例尺是一英寸代表一英里。
• He's in business on a small scale.他做的是小本生意。

2 settles   

安排( settle的第三人称单数 )； 安放； 安家； （使）安定

参考例句：

• Some movement in the building will occur as It'settles into the subsoil. 楼房沉到下层土时，楼里就会有动静。
• 'It's the damp, sir, what settles on my chest and voice,'said Jerry. “我这胸口和嗓子都是叫湿气害的，先生，”杰瑞说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

3 comparatives   

n.（形容词或副词的）比较级形式( comparative的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In this unit, are many adjectives. Please write their comparatives. 在这一单元中，有许多形容词，请依据前面所讲，写出他们的比较级。 来自互联网
• Comparatives, superlatives, hedges, numerals, quantifiers and pronouns are also used in advertisements. 比较级、最高级、模糊限制语、数词、量词和代词也出现在广告中。 来自互联网

4 shallower   

浅的( shallow的比较级 )； 人、观点、评论等肤浅的； 浅薄的； （呼吸）浅的

参考例句：

• As a result, the craters will become shallower and broader. 结果，弹坑会变得比较宽和比较浅。
• A stream is smaller and generally shallower than a river. 小溪比河流小，而且一般也比较浅。