VOA双语新闻 Powerful Earthquake Strikes Southern Japan

A powerful earthquake, followed by numerous aftershocks, shook southern Japan Sunday morning. Hundreds of people were injured.

日本南部星期天早上发生强烈地震，随后又发生多次余震，导致数百人受伤。

The magnitude 7 quake was felt as far away as South Korea. In southern Japan, it damaged homes, shattered windows in high-rise office buildings and toppled walls and stone statues.

这次强度为里氏七级的地震，远至韩国都有震感。在日本南部，地震毁坏了房屋，震破高层写字楼的窗户，震倒一些墙壁和石头雕像。

At a kindergarten, a recital¹ by students was getting underway when the quake struck. The tremor² swayed the room, and mothers ran to calm their panicked children.

地震发生时，一个幼儿园的孩子们正在演出节目。强烈地震摇得房间直晃，孩子的母亲们赶紧跑过去安抚受到惊吓的孩子。

Officials say electrical power, gas and water services have been disrupted in many cities on Japan's main southern island of Kyushu.

官员们说，在日本南部的主要岛屿九州岛，很多城市的电力、煤气和自来水的供应受到影响。

Japan's Meteorological Agency says the quake was centered in the Sea of Japan, about 70 kilometers off the coast of Kyushu. Seismologists at the agency say this is the strongest quake to hit Kyushu in nearly 18 years.

日本气象局表示，这次地震的震中在日本海，在九州岛海岸外大约70公里。气象学专家说，这是近18年来九州岛发生的最强烈地震。

Officials say the quake is remarkable³ in that it was extremely shallow, just nine kilometers below the sea surface.

官员们说，这次地震的震感相当强烈，因为地震发生在地表层很浅的地方，仅在海平面以下9公里。

In Fukuoka City, where 1.3 million people reside, roads and sidewalks cracked or swelled⁴. Passenger rail service in many communities was suspended. Airports in Fukuoka and Nagasaki halted flights for a short period, but reopened after inspections⁵ revealed no damage to runways.

在有130万人口的福冈市，公路和人行道被震得断裂和突起。很多线路的客运火车停运。福冈和长崎机场一度停飞，不过在经过检查并没有发现跑道损坏后，机场重新开放。

However, damage is extensive on the tiny island of Genkai at the mouth of Fukuoka Bay. Local government officials requested military helicopters be dispatched to the island to take the injured to hospitals.

但是，位于福冈湾入口处的小岛玄海町受到的破坏相当严重。当地官员要求派遣军用直升机，把受伤的人送到医院。

Both the prime minister's office and the National Police Agency have established crisis centers to gather information and coordinate⁶ relief efforts.

日本首相府和警察厅成立了紧急中心，搜集有关情况，协调救灾努力。

Japan Meteorological Agency official Masahiro Yamamoto is warning of powerful aftershocks. Mr. Yamamoto says tremors⁷ of magnitude 6 are possible. There is concern that further aftershocks could also trigger landslides⁸.

日本气象厅地震海啸监视科长山本雅博警告说，接下来可能还会发生强烈余震。山本雅博说，还可能会发生六级地震，而且他们担心再发生余震的话，可能会导致滑坡。

Authorities are advising people in southern Japan to stay away from the seacoast. The meteorological agency initially⁹ issued a tsunami¹⁰ warning, but it was canceled about an hour after the first tremor.

日本当局提醒南部的居民要远离海岸线。日本气象厅最初曾发布海啸警报，不过在第一次地震发生大约一个小时后取消了海啸警报。
 
 

1 recital   

n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会

参考例句：

• She is going to give a piano recital.她即将举行钢琴独奏会。
• I had their total attention during the thirty-five minutes that my recital took.在我叙述的35分钟内，他们完全被我吸引了。

2 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

5 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

7 tremors   

震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动

参考例句：

• The story was so terrible that It'sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。
• The story was so terrible that it sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。

8 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

9 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

10 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。