纪录片《为何无法预测地震》 第5期:观测地震的最好时机

They came to town and they set up shop with instruments,

他们来到镇上 设立起工作室设置好设备

and they're sort of hidden away and tucked away

他们算是隐居其中

so they're not that obvious

所以并不显眼

but there's a lot of them out there.

但人数确实很多

And the idea was to have the instruments ready

而目的就是准备好设备

to catch the next earthquake red-handed.

收集下次地震的第一手资料

Well, what you're hoping to see,

这些地质学家所希望看到的

the analogy is a stick breaking,

就好比是折断一根棍子

so in the long term you're bending the stick,

你长时间弯曲这根棍子

you see it, er, deform¹

看着它一点点变形

and then maybe just before the stick actually goes snap

然后也许棍子断裂前的那一刹那

you'll hear "Crack crack crack" Or something like that.

你会听到 咔咔咔 或类似的声音

Now that they had narrowed down the time window

现在既然已经缩小了时间范围

and knew where it was going to strike,

而且知道哪里会发生地震

this was science's best chance yet to see an earthquake in action

这可谓科学史上实时观测地震的最好时机

Millions of dollars flooded in to fund the research.

数百万美元的资金涌入来资助这项研究

All they had to do now was just sit and wait.

他们现在只需耐心等待

1 deform   

vt.损坏…的形状；使变形，使变丑；vi.变形

参考例句：

• Shoes that are too tight deform the feet.(穿)太紧的鞋子会使脚变形。
• Ice crystals begin to deform measurably.冰晶就产生某种程度的变形了。