VOA标准英语2012--California Earthquake Swarm Rattle Nerves, Teaches Lesson
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(八月)
California Earthquake Swarm 1 Rattle 2 Nerves, Teaches Lesson
Workers in Brawley repair quake damage, as scientists at the California Institute of Technology learn more about the network of fault-lines beneath the desert community.
Since Sunday more than 400 quakes - the highest a major shaker at magnitude 5.5 - have rocked the city of 25,000.
Furniture store owner Mary Lourdes Miller 3 lost two front windows. She went through a major quake here in the 1970s.
“And all of a sudden you have it hit and you are not sure if it is going to be another seven-pointer or it is going to be a three-pointer or a four-pointer. So you are on touch and go for quite a while until they completely stop,” Miller said.
Stocks tumbled from the shelves at Raj Lunagaria's pharmacy 4.
There are cracks in the walls and the stock room is a shambles 5.
Construction worker Jay Robertson says it has been been scary.
“All day long, all night long. You hear thunder. You do not know if it is going to hit again or if it is below us, or what is going on. It is a clear day, so it [is not] thunder from the sky. It is thunder from the ground,” Robertson said.
The town has declared a state of emergency. The quakes have died down and city officials are assessing the impact, says interim 6 fire chief Chuck Peraza.
“We have had some major damage to a mobile home park here in the city of Brawley, where 20-plus units shifted off their foundation. We've had some old businesses dating back to the 1940s, unreinforced masonry 7 that sustained some damage,” Peraza said.
The students are back at school after summer vacation, with a one-day delay, says high school district superintendent 8 Hasmik Danielian.
“One day late, and we made sure that the safety of the kids is not compromised under any circumstances,” Danielian said.
The quakes have taught a lesson, says Katy Miller.
“Do not run outside. Just calm down. And it will pass, hopefully,” Miller said.
San Francisco was hit by a devastating 9 quake a century ago, and the San Andreas fault, which caused it, runs through much of the state.
California Institute of Technology seismologist Kate Hutton says people need to be ready.
“Any earthquake is a reminder 10 that we live in earthquake country and you had better prepare. That involves having your (emergency) kit 11 and your family plan, and having your water heater bolted in, all these safety precautions that people need to take,” Hutton said.
She says, we do not know when, but we know that some day, a big earthquake is coming.
- There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
- A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。
- The baby only shook the rattle and laughed and crowed.孩子只是摇着拨浪鼓，笑着叫着。
- She could hear the rattle of the teacups.她听见茶具叮当响。
- Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
- The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。
- She works at the pharmacy.她在药房工作。
- Modern pharmacy has solved the problem of sleeplessness.现代制药学已经解决了失眠问题。
- My room is a shambles.我房间里乱七八糟。
- The fighting reduced the city to a shambles.这场战斗使这座城市成了一片废墟。
- The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
- It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。
- Masonry is a careful skill.砖石工艺是一种精心的技艺。
- The masonry of the old building began to crumble.旧楼房的砖石结构开始崩落。
- He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
- He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。
- It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
- Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。
- I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
- It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。