英语听力精选进阶版 13595

Earthquake science

Summary

5 April 2010

A team of scientists say they can explain why many more people died in the earthquake in Haiti compared to the much larger quake in Chile.

Report

The geophysicists, from the U.S. Geological Survey and from Harvard University, said that strict building regulations in Chile had undoubtedly¹ saved lives. The country has a long history of earthquakes and as a consequence has some of the toughest building codes in the world.

But Doctor Walter Mooney, who's studied dozens of earthquakes around the globe, said there were also other factors behind the relatively² low death toll³.

Walter Mooney:

"First and foremost, people are used to earthquakes in Chile and so they did know that they have to evacuate⁴ from dangerous structures Secondly⁵, this earthquake had a slow and gradual build-up. They had some 20 or 30 seconds to look at each other, realize that the ground shaking was crescendoing, and building up, and they made the right decision in almost all cases by getting out of the dangerous structures and running out into the open area. So, education, and a bit of luck is the answer to why so many people survived."

Doctor Mooney contrasted that with the Haitian quake, which split open the hard rock beneath the capital Port Au Prince within seconds. Buildings collapsed⁶ instantly, giving people no time to escape.

Despite the relatively low loss of life in Chile, Dr Mooney said the country must learn from this disaster, particularly with regards to building along the coast. Many of those who died were killed not by the quake, but by the tsunamis⁷ that followed it, which swept away coastal⁸ villages.

And the geophysicists said that even if Chile took precautions, it would remain highly vulnerable to earthquakes. They said that the north of the country was a particular worry. It hasn't suffered a big quake for around a hundred years and is probably due for one soon, they said.

Gideon Long, BBC, Chile

1 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

2 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

5 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

6 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。

7 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

8 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。