SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Learning From a Volcano, 25 Years Afte

SCIENCE IN THE NEWS - Learning¹ From a Volcano², 25 Years After Mount³ St. Helen's Exploded
By Paul Thompson and Nancy

Broadcast: Tuesday, May 24, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE TWO:

 
 
And I'm Doug Johnson. Twenty-five years ago this month, a volcano exploded in the American state of Washington. On our program today, we tell about the explosion⁴ at Mount Saint⁵ Helen's and how scientists have improved their knowledge of volcanic⁶ activity.

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VOICE ONE:

May eighteenth, nineteen eighty, was a beautiful Sunday morning in the small town of Ellensburg, Washington. Fifteen-year-old Scott Johnson was reading a book near his home. His twelve-year-old sister Leslie was playing with a basketball.

As Scott read, he looked up to see a huge, black cloud far away to the west. It might rain, he thought. Soon, he heard what sounded like a big gun. The sound seemed to grow louder. He looked up again. This time, he saw a huge cloud moving quickly across the sky.

The two children watched as the sky grew darker. The cloud began to block light from the sun. Scott again looked at his book. He noticed something unusual on the book. It looked like very fine dust. How strange, he thought. It is raining dust!

Scott and Leslie ran into the house and told their parents about what they saw. They turned on the television. They saw the first reports about the explosion of Mount Saint Helen's. The cloud beginning to cover the sky was ash from the volcano. It had quickly reached Ellensburg from the volcano more than three hundred kilometers away.

 
 

VOICE TWO:

The cloud had now almost covered the sky. Scott watched the last small part of blue sky slowly disappear. Within moments, it was as black as night. A strong chemical smell was in the air.

Ash fell very quickly and in huge amounts. Scott, Leslie and their parents continued to watch television reports. Experts said they did not know what would happen.

Scott looked outside the house again. The ash now covered the ground. It was a frightening experience. He wondered, "Will the ash bury us?"

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The ash that fell on Scott and Leslie Johnson in Ellensburg began flying through the air at eight thirty two in the morning, local time. Washington State's beautiful Mount Saint Helen's had exploded. The explosion was about three hundred fifty times more powerful than the explosions⁷ of the first nuclear bombs.

Fire, rock and volcanic gas flew out of the volcano with a force of four hundred eighty kilometers an hour. A cloud of ash went straight up more than twenty kilometers into the air in less than fifteen minutes. Within fifteen days, ash from the volcano traveled around the Earth in the upper atmosphere.

The explosion caused a landslide⁸ on the side of the mountain that became one of the largest such events in recorded history. More than four hundred meters of the top of the mountain disappeared. People near the volcano died immediately. Thousands of animals, birds and fish also were killed.

In just a short period, thirty-five thousand hectares of forest timber¹⁰ was destroyed. The heat was so fierce it killed every living thing in the immediate⁹ area, even bacteria.

VOICE TWO:

The Native American Indians in Washington State still call Mount Saint Helen's by its Indian name: Loowit. It means "Lady of Fire." On the morning of May eighteenth, nineteen eighty, the mountain again became a "Lady of Fire."

The volcano had been giving warnings for three months. These warnings were in the form of many small earthquakes.

On March twenty-seventh, a small explosion blew away the ice and snow at the very top of the mountain. Steam burst from the top of the volcano.

By May seventeenth, more than ten thousand earthquakes had been measured. These earthquakes had caused the north face of the mountain to push out more one hundred forty meters. Volcano experts say this was strong evidence that hot liquid rock had risen high into the volcano. It was the day before the major explosion.

VOICE ONE:

Several weeks earlier, government officials had declared an emergency. They barred people from entering the Mount Saint Helen's area. A special permit was needed to travel near the mountain. Officials also forced people who lived near the mountain to leave their homes. Many were angry, and demanded permission to return.

Some people violated¹¹ government rules and visited the Mount Saint Helen's area. They did not think the volcano represented a real danger. Workers who planted trees near the mountain were given documents that permitted them to continue their work. Scientists also were at the mountain, studying the volcano.

Many of these people were killed when the volcano exploded. Fifty-seven people died as a result of the explosion.

VOICE TWO:

The volcano exploded for more than eight hours. Then the explosions slowly began to decrease in force. But Mount Saint Helen's was not finished. Five smaller explosions followed during the summer and autumn of nineteen eighty. Each explosion produced ash that rose twelve to fourteen kilometers into the sky.

In the twenty-five years since then, small explosions, earthquakes and other volcanic events were reported at the mountain. The most recent began in October of last year. But none of the events is comparable¹² to the May eighteenth explosion. Still, experts say Mount Saint Helen's will explode again sometime in the future.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

 
 
The United States Congress¹³ created the Mount Saint Helen's Monument in nineteen eighty-two. The monument covers a total of forty-four thousand five hundred hectares of the Mount Saint Helen's area. It includes the mountain and much of the land around it.

The United States Forest Service supervises¹⁴ the area. But nature controls it. Trees, animals, fish, flowers and plants were left to a natural recovery¹⁵ process. Humans were not permitted to help.

The natural area around Mount Saint Helen's that was almost completely destroyed is being rebuilt by nature. Many scientists have studied what happened in this natural laboratory¹⁶. They found that nature is very quick to heal¹⁷ the wounds caused by the huge explosion.

VOICE TWO:

Scientists have learned¹⁸ much about volcanic activity since Mount Saint Helen's exploded twenty-five years ago. More than twenty smaller explosions were observed at the volcano between nineteen eighty and nineteen eighty-six. Scientists also have been watching recent activity there.

One thing they have learned is that a volcano can come very close to exploding without giving any warning. They also learned that volcanic activity can continue for years without any explosions taking place.

The United States Geological¹⁹ Survey is responsible for providing warnings of possible volcanic explosions. It operates five volcano observation centers with the help of government agencies²⁰ and universities.

VOICE ONE:

Late last month, scientists with the Geological Survey released²¹ a report on the nation's one hundred sixty-nine active volcanoes²². The report rates the most dangerous volcanoes in the United States. It also discusses problems with current methods of estimating²³ future volcanic activity.

The scientists proposed²⁴ a plan to improve volcano observations and provide better information about volcanic activity. They said the system could help prevent unnecessary and costly²⁵ safety measures when such activity will not result in an explosion. They said it also would help warn airplanes of the possibility of dangerous ash in the atmosphere. Volcanic ash has caused millions of dollars in damage to planes and other aircraft in the past.

(MUSIC)

Earlier, we told how Scott Johnson was concerned twenty-five years ago that the ash from Mount Saint Helen's might cover his home. That did not happen, although the ash was deep in some parts of town. It had to be removed from streets and from tops of houses. Travel was almost impossible for several days.

Today, Scott Johnson is an engineer in Seattle, Washington. Leslie Johnson is a medical doctor in Portland, Oregon. Both say the Mount Saint Helen's explosion was an experience they never will forget.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written by Paul Thompson and Nancy Steinbach. Cynthia Kirk was our producer. I'm Barbara Klein.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Doug Johnson. Join us again next week for another SCIENCE IN THE NEWS, in VOA Special English.

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 volcano   

n.火山

参考例句：

• The volcano unexpectedly blew up early in the morning.火山一早突然爆发了。
• It is most risky to go and examine an active volcano.去探察活火山是非常危险的。

3 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

4 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

5 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

6 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

7 explosions   

爆炸( explosion的名词复数 )； 爆发； 激增； （感情，尤指愤怒的）突然爆发

参考例句：

• Soon afterwards five explosions were heard from the area. 此后不久从那个地方传来五次爆炸声。
• They were monitoring the upper air to collect evidence of atomic explosions. 他们正在检测高空空气以收集原子爆炸的证据。

8 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

9 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

10 timber   

n.木材，原木，大木料，栋木

参考例句：

• These trees need more time to grow into useful timber.这些树不够年头，还没成材呢。
• The timber is graded according to its thickness.木材按厚度分级。

11 violated   

亵渎( violate的过去式和过去分词 )； 违反； 侵犯； 强奸

参考例句：

• Note that thick, strong angles of tibia are not violated. 注意肥厚、结实的胫骨成角部分未受损坏。
• The soldiers violated the church by using it as a stable. 士兵们把教堂当马厩，亵渎了教堂。

12 comparable   

adj.相似的，同类的，可比的，比得上的

参考例句：

• A fire is comparable with the sun,both give light and heat.火可以和太阳相比，两者都可以发光发热。
• No horse has a speed comparable to that of his.没有一匹马的速度能比得上他的马。

13 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

14 supervises   

v.监督，管理( supervise的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The group leader supervises a dozen workers. 组长管十二个工人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He makes the wines and supervises the vineyards. 他酿酒并管理葡萄园。 来自辞典例句

15 recovery   

n.恢复，痊愈；追回，寻回，收复

参考例句：

• The doctors said that his recovery was a miracle. 医生们说他的复原是件奇事。
• The quick recovery was truly in response to medication.这次迅速康复确实是对药物治疗的反应。

16 laboratory   

n.实验室，化验室

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a laboratory.她捐款成立了一个实验室。
• Our laboratory equipment isn't perfect,but we must make do.实验室设备是不够理想，但我们只好因陋就简。

17 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。

18 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

19 geological   

adj.地质（学）的

参考例句：

• aeons of geological history 数以亿万年计的地质史
• The workers skirted the edge of the cliff on a geological survey. 工人们沿着崖壁作了一次地质勘察。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 agencies   

n.代理( agency的名词复数 )；服务机构；（政府的）专门机构；代理（或经销）业务（或关系）

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations. 联合国有许多专门机构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The project is funded by the World Bank and other multilateral agencies. 这项计划由世界银行和其他多国机构资助。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

22 volcanoes   

n.火山( volcano的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Volcanoes and geysers erupt. 火山和间歇喷泉均能喷发。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has been able to tell us more about active volcanoes than any man alive. 他现在比任何人都能更多地向我们讲述有关活火山的情况。 来自《用法词典》

23 estimating   

n.估计v.估计，评价，评估( estimate的现在分词 )；（粗略）估计（…的距离、价值、数目、大小、重量、费用等），估量，预算

参考例句：

• We use nonparametric tests, we lose sharpness in estimating intervals. 使用非常数检验我们失掉了估计区间的灵敏性。 来自辞典例句
• CA986 from San Francisco is estimating in at 22:25. 从旧金山飞来的CA986航班估计22点25分到达。 来自辞典例句

24 proposed   

被提议的

参考例句：

• There is widespread discontent among the staff at the proposed changes to pay and conditions. 员工对改变工资和工作环境的建议普遍不满。
• an outcry over the proposed change 对拟议的改革所发出的强烈抗议

25 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。