VOA标准英语2010年-Major Earthquake Strikes Near Haitian

Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey say the earthquake struck about 10 kilometers from Port-au-Prince,  Tuesday afternoon.  The initial quake registered at magnitude 7 on the Richter Scale and was followed by several other shocks, including one that measured 5.9.

Julie Dutton is a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

"It is a pretty significant earthquake," Dutton said.  "Given the size and location, we are anticipating some significant damage from the region."

Witnesses said a hospital in the capital collapsed¹, a luxury hotel in Petionville had sustained major damage and many other buildings were destroyed. The United Nations said there was serious damage to the headquarters of its mission in Haiti, and a large number of staff were unaccounted for.

Additional information from the island has been slow in coming, as telephone service from abroad has been disrupted.

Geophysicist Julie Dutton says she expects the damage to be severe, in part because many buildings are not designed to withstand earthquakes.

"This is actually the largest earthquake we have seen in the last 200 years in this region," she noted².  "There has not been a earthquake of Magnitude 6 range since the 1970s."

In Washington, President Barack Obama said the country stood ready to assist the people of Haiti and said his thoughts and prayers go out to those affected³ by the quake.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said officials were beginning to assess the disaster and deploy⁴ emergency aid to Haiti.

"The United States is offering our full assistance to Haiti and others in the region. We will be offering both civilian⁵ and military disaster relief and humanitarian⁶ assistance," Clinton said.

Officials with the U.S. Agency for International Development said they were preparing to send a response team that includes 72 people, six search and rescue dogs and 48 tons of rescue equipment.

The quake was also felt in Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti. Residents on the nearby island of Cuba also said they felt the quake, but no damage was reported.

1 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。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。