万物简史 第303期:地下的烈火(11)

 　　The most notorious such quakes ever to hit the United States were a series of three in New Madrid, Missouri, in the winter of 1811-12. 在美国经历过的这类地震当中，最著名的要算是1811-1812年冬发生在密苏里州新马德里的一连串三次地震。

　　The adventure started just after midnight on December 16 when people were awakened¹ first by the noise of panicking farm animals 事情始于12月16日午夜刚过，人们先是被家畜的惊慌声所惊醒

　　(the restiveness² of animals before quakes is not an old wives' tale, but is in fact well established, though not at all understood) （地震之前家畜会焦躁不安，这不是无稽之谈，而实际上是大家公认的，虽然原因还搞不清楚），

　　and then by an almighty³ rupturing⁴ noise from deep within the Earth. 接着听到地球深处传出破裂般的巨大声音。

　　Emerging from their houses, locals found the land rolling in waves up to three feet high and opening up in fissures⁵ several feet deep. 当地人连忙走到户外，只见大地翻起一米高波浪，张开的裂口有几米深。

　　A strong smell of sulfur⁶ filled the air. 空气里弥漫着一股浓烈的硫磺味。

　　The shaking lasted for four minutes with the usual devastating⁷ effects to property. 地震持续了四分钟，一如既往地对财产造成了极大的破坏。

　　Among the witnesses was the artist John James Audubon, who happened to be in the area. 目击者当中有画家约翰·詹姆斯·奥杜邦，他当时恰好在这个地区。

　　The quake radiated outward with such force  地震以强大的力量向外辐射，

　　that it knocked down chimneys in Cincinnati four hundred miles away and, according to at least one account,  震塌了600多公里以外辛辛那提的烟囱。据至少有一篇报道说，

　　"wrecked⁸ boats in East Coast harbors and ... even collapsed⁹ scaffolding erected¹⁰ around the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C." 它“毁坏了东海岸港口里的船只……甚至震倒了竖立在华盛顿国会大厦四周的脚手架”。

　　On January 23 and February 4 further quakes of similar magnitude followed. 1月23日和2月4日，又连续发生两次震级相当的地震。

　　New Madrid has been silent ever since—but not surprisingly, since such episodes have never been known to happen in the same place twice. 从那以后，新马德里一直平安无事──这也不足为怪，据悉这类地震从不在同一地点发生两次。

　　As far as we know, they are as random¹¹ as lightning. 就我们所知，它们就像闪电那样毫无规律。

　　The next one could be under Chicago or Paris or Kinshasa. 下一次这类地震可能会发生在芝加哥下面，或巴黎下面，或金沙萨下面。

　　No one can even begin to guess.  大家连猜都懒得去猜。

1 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 restiveness   

n.倔强，难以驾御

参考例句：

• There were signs of restiveness among the younger members. 年轻成员流露出了不满的情绪。 来自辞典例句
• Seeing a faint restiveness in Lincoln's eye, he changed the subject. 他觉察到林肯眼神略带烦躁，便改了话题。 来自互联网

3 almighty   

adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的

参考例句：

• Those rebels did not really challenge Gods almighty power.这些叛徒没有对上帝的全能力量表示怀疑。
• It's almighty cold outside.外面冷得要命。

4 rupturing   

v.（使）破裂( rupture的现在分词 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• The second major method of chemically rupturing cells is solubilization by detergents. 第二种是利用表面活性剂的增溶法。 来自互联网
• Bile salts are unusually effective at rupturing cell walls. 胆汁酸盐对于破坏细胞壁通常很有效。 来自互联网

5 fissures   

n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Rising molten rock flows out on the ocean floor and caps the fissures, trapping the water. 上升熔岩流到海底并堵住了裂隙，结果把海水封在里面。 来自辞典例句
• The French have held two colloquia and an international symposium on rock fissures. 法国已经开了两次岩石裂缝方面的报告会和一个国际会议。 来自辞典例句

6 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

7 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。

8 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

9 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

10 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

11 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。