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美国等国举行地震救灾演习

People around the United States and in dozens of other countries took part last week in an earthquake drill called the Great ShakeOut, an event that teaches them what to do when a real earthquake strikes.

美国等数十个国家民众，日前参加了一次名为“大动员”的地震演习。扩音系统传出“有地震”的警报之际，学生就地卧倒，寻找掩体，原地不动。

Drop, cover, and hold on. Those are the instructions for an earthquake.

这些都是有关应对地震的指导。

In Southern California, the simulated quake had its epicenter at Biola University.

在南加州，模拟的震中位于比奥拉大学。

The drill's goal is education, said Los Angeles County Fire Captain Tom Richards.

洛杉矶县消防队长汤姆·理查德斯说，活动的目的在于进行教育。

“We're training today to prepare for a major earthquake, and our goal is to stress to the citizens of the county of Los Angeles, and everywhere for that matter, to prepare," Richards said.

他说：“我们今天进行训练的目的是为了应对大地震，目标是向洛杉矶县各地居民强调，为应对地震应该做好充分准备。”

Casualties

Students played the injured and the dead in the emergency drill, which has been conducted for seven years. Nursing students helped first-responders manage the casualties.

学生们了化妆，胳膊，大腿和脸上涂了红色，他们扮演伤员和死者；参与护理的学生协助那些最先赶到现场的人处理伤亡状况。

It was a realistic scenario¹ for students who entered an earthquake simulator, a truck with hydraulic² lifts that create violent shaking.

学生们进入了一台地震模拟装置，这是一台带有液压升降装置的卡车，液压装置能够制造剧烈的震动，情景非常逼真。

Student Jenna Golden said it was scarier than she expected.

名叫珍娜·格尔登的学生说，情况比她预想得可怕。

“It was really surprising. I didn't think it was going to be that scary or that violent at all, or last for that long," Golden said.

她说：“真的意想不到，没想到会这么可怕，震动如此剧烈，持续这么长时间。”

The simulated 6.7-magnitude earthquake was the same strength as the deadly quake that shook the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge 20 years ago.

这次模拟地震为6·7级，震级与20年前那场袭击洛杉矶郊区诺斯里奇伤亡惨重的地震一样。

But most of these students are too young to remember it.

不过，大部分学生太年轻，记不得那场地震。

Desiree Sanchez, 17, got a close-up look at a frightening scenario that she more often sees on newscasts.

当地一名高中生，17岁的迪斯里·桑切斯，得以近距离观察这种可怕场景，而平时她只是经常在新闻中见到。

“We always hear about it everywhere else, but we never hear about it here," Sanchez said.

她说:“我们总是听到别的地方地震，从来没有听说这里发生地震。”

What causes earthquake

Geologist³ Dale Schneeberger of Biola University explained that earthquakes are caused by a region's setting on the boundary of two plates of the earth's crust, which press against each other.

比奥拉大学的地质学家代尔·施尼伯说，导致地震的原因是地区位于地壳两大板块交界处，而板块是相互挤压的。

“And as a result, that energy builds up into the crust. And eventually, the strength of the rock will fail because it can't take any more energy put into it. It breaks, and we call that an earthquake," Schneeberger said.

他说: “板块挤压导致能量在地壳内聚集，而地壳岩石的应力最终承受不了外部负荷，因为岩石受力已经饱和，地壳于是发生破裂，我们称其为地震。”

Greg Renick of the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said the dramatic re-enactment is a reminder⁴ of the many hazards of nature.

加州州长紧急事务办公室的格里格·里尼克说，有关的真实场景告诫我们，大自然有许多危害。

“We also have a high fire risk. When winter does come, we have the risk of flooding," Renick said.

他说：“我们还面临很高的大火威胁。冬季到来时，还有洪水风险。”

The emergency drill shows that rescue efforts are never easy, but the Great ShakeOut is helping⁵ students know what to expect in a real earthquake.

紧急指挥中心的最新报告显示，救援工作从来没有那么容易，不过，这次的“大动员行动”有助于学生了解真实地震时可能出现的情况。