2013年自考英语(二)课文译文:预报地震

　　预报地震

　　Can earthquakes be predicted? Scientists are working on programs to predict where and when an earthquake will occur. They hope to develop an early warning system that can be used to forecast earthquakes so that lives can be saved.

　　地震可以预报吗?科学家们正在对预报地震在何时何地发生进行研究。他们希望开发一套早期报警系统来预报地震，挽救生命。

　　Earthquakes are the most dangerous and deadly of all natural events. They occur in many parts of the world. Giant earthquakes have been recorded in Iran, China, Guatemala, Chile, India, and Alaska. Two of the biggest earthquakes that were ever recorded took place in China and Alaska. These earthquakes measured about 8.5 on the Richter Scale. The Richter Scale was devised by Charles Richter in 1935, and compares the energy level of earthquakes. An earthquake that measures a 2 on the scale can be felt hut causes little damage. One that measures 4.5 on the scale can cause slight damage, and an earthquake that has a reading of over 7 can cause major damage. It is important to note that a reading of 4 indicates an earthquake ten times as strong as one with a reading of 3.Scientists want to be able to predict those earthquakes that have a reading of over 4 on the Richter Scale.

　　地震是最危险、最致命的自然界的活动。它们发生在世界的许多地方。伊朗、中国、危地马拉、智利、印度和阿拉斯加都有发生大地震的记录。有记录的两次最强的地震分别发生在中国和阿拉斯加，震级都在里氏8.5级左右。里氏震级是1935年由查尔斯?里克特创制的，用以表达地震产生的能量级。里氏震级测定为2级的地震，人们可以感觉到，但几乎造不成破坏。里氏4.5级地震能造成破坏，但比较轻。里氏7级地震造成的破坏就很大了。有一点值得注意：如果一次地震的里氏震级定为4级，那么该地震的强度比定为里氏3级的地震大九倍。科学家们希望能预报里氏4级以上的地震。

　　How do earthquakes occur? Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of rocks along cracks, or faults, in the earth's crust. The fault is produced when rocks near each other are pulled in different directions. The best-known fault in North America is the San Andreasfault in the state of California in the United States.

　　地震是怎样发生的呢?地震是由沿着地壳中的裂缝，或称断层处的岩石发生位移而引起的。当相邻的岩石被拉向相反方向时，就产生了断层。众所周知的北美洲的断层是位于美国加利福尼亚的圣安德里亚斯断层。

　　The nations that are actively involved in earthquake prediction programs include Japan, China, Russia, and the United States. These countries have set up seismic networks in areas of their countries where earthquakes are known to occur. These networks are on the alert for warning signs that show the weakening of rock layers that can precede an earthquake. Many kinds of seismic instruments are used by the networks to monitor the movements of the earth's crust. The scientists also check water in deep wells. They watch for changes in the water level and temperature that are associated with movement along faults.

　　致力于地震预报研究的国家有日本、中国、俄国和美国。这些国家在认为可能发生地震的地区建起了地震台网。这些地震台网一直处于戒备状态，搜寻着震发前岩层松动的迹象。地震台网使用多种地震仪来监视地壳的活动。科学家们还检测深井里的水，观察与断层移动相关的水位及温度的变化。

　　Scientists in China, Russia, and the United States measure radon in ground water. Radon is a gas that comes from the radioactive decay of radium in rocks. The gas flows through the ground and dissolves in underground streams and wells. Scientists speculate that the amount of radon increases in the ground when rocks layers shift, exposing new rock, and thus more radon. Chinese and Russian scientists have reported that in places where stress is building up, the radon levels of the water build up too. When the radon levels of the water subside and drop back to normal readings, an earthquake may occur. United States scientists have also placed radon monitoring stations in earthquake zones, particularly California. However, all the scientists agree that more data is necessary to prove that radon levels in water are associated with the possible birth of an earthquake.

　　中、俄、美三国的科学家还测定地下水中氡的含量。氡是岩石中放射性元素镭衰变时产生的气体。这些气体从地层中逸出，在地下水流和井水中溶解。科学家们认为，当岩层移动时，地下氡的含量就会增加。有新岩层露出时，氡会增加更多。中俄科学家曾报告说：地下压力增加时，水中氡的含量也会增加;当水中氡的含量下降并恢复到正常水平时，就可能发生地震。美国科学家已在地震带，尤其在加利福尼亚建立了氡监测站。不过，科学家们都一致认为，需要有更多的资料才能证明：水中氡的含量是否真与可能发生的地震有联系。

　　Earthquake prediction is still a young science. Everyone agrees that earthquakes cannot be predicted with any reliability. Scientists have only a partial understanding of the physical processes that cause earthquakes. Much more research has to be done. New and more up-to-date methods have to be found for collecting earthquake data and analyzing it. However, scientists have had some success in predicting earthquakes. Several small earthquakes were predicted in New York State, in the eastern part of the United States. Chinese scientists predicted a major one in Haicheng in 1975, and Russian scientists predicted a major one in Garm in 1978. While this is a small start, it is still a beginning.

　　地震预报还是一门年轻科学。大家都认为对地震的预报不可能有把握。原因是科学家们对引发地震的物理过程远未充分了解，还需要做大量的研究工作。需要新的更为先进的方法来收集、分析有关地震的数据资料。但在地震预测方面，科学家们还是取得了一定的成就。美国东部纽约州发生的几次小地震被成功地预报了;中国科学家成功地预报了1975年的海城大地震;1978年，俄国科学家预报了加尔姆大地震。起步虽小，但毕竟是一个开端。

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