VOA慢速英语2016 能发出地震警报的手机应用（在线收听）

App Feels Earthquakes Through Mobile Phones 能发出地震警报的手机应用

A new phone app uses vibrations from smartphones to alert people about earthquakes.

一种新的手机应用使用智能手机的震动来提醒人们地震的发生。

The phone app recognizes sudden shaking of the earth's surface through sensors in smartphones.

这种手机应用能通过智能手机上的感应器识别地球表面的震动。

The new app is called MyShake. It is the work of four researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. They said they created a worldwide warning system that would inform people and give them time to prepare.

这款新应用名叫MyShake，是加州大学伯克利分校4名研究人员的成果，他们称自己创造了一个全球警报系统，能告知人们，让人们有时间做准备。

Other earthquake apps include QuakeFeed, Quakes and Earthquake. They show where earthquakes have happened, at what strength, and the aftershocks. Those use data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

其他的地震应用包括QuakeFeed、Quakes和Earthquake，它们能显示出地震发生的地点、强度和余震，这些数据来自美国地质调查局。

The MyShake app is available only for Android phones.

MyShake这款应用智能用于安卓手机。

How MyShake Works

Smart phones are equipped with accelerometers. These instruments measure movement, like that of a car or airplane. They can also measure the shaking of a machine, building or other structure.

智能手机都配置有加速计，这种仪器能测量出像汽车和飞机等的运动，还能测量出机器、建筑物等其他结构的震动。

Accelerometers are used in activity trackers and apps that count steps or other exercise. They also are used in global positioning system apps, also called GPS.

加速计并用在活动追踪器和能算出步伐等运动的应用上，还用在全球定位系统(GPS)上。

MyShake uses phone accelerometers to measure seismic activity. It has been programmed to know the difference between normal activity and earthquake movement. The software developers say their app is right 93 percent of the time.

MyShake使用手机加速计来测量地震活动，设定的程序使之能区分正常活动和地震运动。软件开发者称其应用的准确率是93%。

A smartphone sends seismic information to the app developers. If the developers receive several notifications from one area, it recognizes that an earthquake may be taking place or will take place soon.

智能手机将地震信息发送给应用开发者，如果开发者收到一个地区的几条通知，那就可以判断可能会发生地震或立即发生地震。

Using information sent from the app, the network then estimates the location and strength of the quake in real time. MyShake can record magnitude 5.0 earthquakes at distances of 10 kilometers or less.

使用应用发送的数据，网络就能估算出地震实时发生的位置和强度。MyShake可以检测出10公里左右的五级地震。

MyShake uses very little power, according to its developers. Only when seismic activity is sensed by the app does it become active and sends data to the network.

开发者称MyShake耗电极少，只有当地震活动被应用感知到后才会被激活并向网络发送数据。这段视频显示MyShake是如何工作的：

The app works best when your phone is resting on a flat surface, like a table.

当你的手机放置在桌子等平面时最管用。

The developers hope that MyShake can add to information collected by the U.S. Geological Survey. That U.S. agency has created the Earthquake Early Warning System, also known as the EEW. The EEW has deployed sensors for measuring quakes in many areas. In places where no such equipment exists, MyShake may be the only method of early quake detection. 

开发者希望该应用能给美国地质调查局提供信息，该机构创造了地震早期预警系统(EEW)，该系统在很多地区安置了感应器，在没有安置该设备的地区，MyShake可以作为地震早期检测的唯一办法。

The app also shows ways to stay safer during an earthquake. The developers say it will become more effective as more people use it.

这款应用还提供地震中保持安全的办法，开发者称用的人越多效果就越好。

"Our goal is to build a worldwide seismic network and use the data to reduce the effects of earthquakes on us as individuals and on society as a whole," say the researchers.

“我们的目标是建造全球地震网络，使用这些数据来减少地震对于个人和整个社会的影响。”

The developers say they hope to add a feature that would warn people about a possible tsunami, or the huge waves after an earthquake.

开发者称希望增加一个提醒人们地震后海啸信息的功能。

Words in This Story

vibration - n. movement

alert - v. to inform or warn

data - n. information of facts often used to plan something

detect - v. to discover or notice the presence of (something that is hidden or hard to see, hear, taste, etc.)

network - n. a system of computers and other devices

accelerometer - n. a device that detects its own acceleration and is used in mobile phones to determine the phone's orientation

tracker - n. a device that follows and records the movements of someone or something

seismic - adj. relating to, or caused by an earthquake

program - v.  to give (a computer) a set of instructions to perform a particular action: to create a program for (a computer)

anonymous - adj. not named or identified

location - n. a place or position

table - n. a piece of furniture that has a flat top and one or more legs

magnitude - n. the size, extent, or importance of something

feature - n.  an interesting or important part, quality, ability, etc.

tsunami - n. a very high, large wave usually caused by an earthquake