VOA慢速英語:智利遭遇兩次強烈地震

From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.

這里是美國之音慢速英語新聞報道。

A powerful earthquake struck an area near the northern coast of Chile on Wednesday. The earthquake came a day after an even stronger quake hit the area. The earlier quake was blamed for at least six deaths.

周三，一場強震襲擊了智利北部海岸附近的區(qū)域。在此前一天，一場甚至更強的地震襲擊了這個地區(qū)，并造成至少6人死亡。

The United States Geological Survey says a 7.8 magnitude aftershock hit northern Chile late Wednesday night, local time. Magnitude is a measurement of the energy released at the center, or source, of an earthquake. U.S. officials said the aftershock was centered about 23 kilometers south of the port of Iquique. They said it struck at a depth of 20 kilometers below sea level.

美國地質(zhì)調(diào)查局表示，當?shù)貢r間周三深夜，一場7.8級的余震襲擊了智利北部。震級用于衡量震中釋放的能量。美國官員表示，這場余震的震中位于伊基克港以南23公里左右。他們說，這場余震發(fā)生在海平面以下20公里的深處。

The aftershock led Chilean officials to order thousands of people away from coastal areas. It also led to warnings of high tsunami waves in parts of the Pacific Ocean. The orders and tsunami warnings were later canceled.

這場余震使得智利官員下令數(shù)千人遠離沿海地區(qū)，也導致太平洋部分地區(qū)發(fā)出了大海嘯警報。禁令和海嘯警報隨后被解除。

The aftershock struck a day after an even more powerful earthquake hit northern Chile. That quake was centered in an area about 100 kilometers northwest of Iquique. The city is home to nearly 200,000 people.

這場余震襲來的前一天，一場更強的地震襲擊了智利北部。那場地震的震中位于伊基克港西北110公里左右。該市有近20萬居民。

The quake was felt in Bolivia and Peru. It also led to tsunami warnings as far as Japan. The warnings were cancelled hours later.

這場地震在智力和秘魯都有震感，并導致遠到日本的一些國家發(fā)出海嘯警報。這些警報數(shù)小時后才被解除。

Chilean police and soldiers guarded coastal communities to prevent attacks on homes and businesses. Television video showed damaged buildings in Iquique. But officials found surprisingly light damage from the quake.

智利警察和士兵在沿海社區(qū)警戒，以防止對家庭和商戶的沖擊。電視視頻展示了伊基克的受損建筑。但有關(guān)官員驚奇地發(fā)現(xiàn)地震損傷很小。

President Michelle Bachelet visited the affected area. She spoke to the nation about the disaster.

智利總統(tǒng)米歇爾·巴切萊特(Michelle Bachelet)走訪了受地震影響地區(qū)。她對智利國民談到了這場災難。

She said appropriate measures have been taken to protect lives and property. And she said the government will continue to work all the time that is necessary to deal with this emergency and protect our citizens.

她說，智利已經(jīng)采取了適當措施保護生命和財產(chǎn)。她還表示政府將繼續(xù)不間斷工作，處理這一突發(fā)事件并保護公民們。

Rafael Abreu is a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Information Center. He says the earthquake activity began with a magnitude 6.7 quake on March 16. More than 100,000 people were told to leave low-lying areas, but returned later.

拉斐爾·阿布雷烏是美國地震信息中心的一位科學家。他說，這場地震活動始以3月16日的一場6.7級地震為開始。超過10萬人被告知遠離低洼地帶，但隨后他們又回去了。

Earthquakes are somewhat common in Chile. They are also a fact of life in the American state of California. Scientists say a quake of magnitude eight or higher could strike along the San Andreas Fault in coming years. The San Andreas Fault extends from north to south through California. Thousands died in its last major rupture, or movement. That took place near the city of San Francisco in 1906.

地震在智利比較常見，它們也是美國加州生活的一部分?？茖W家們說，未來數(shù)年內(nèi)，一場8級甚至更高的地震可能沿圣安地列斯斷層發(fā)生。該斷層最近一次斷裂或運動造成了數(shù)千人遇難，它于1906年發(fā)生在舊金山市附近。

Smaller earthquakes also can be deadly if they strike close to heavily populated areas. Safety experts say every home needs to have a plan of action, supplies food and water, and emergency equipment.

如果逼近人口稠密地區(qū)，較小的地震也可能致命。安全專家說，每個家庭都需要有行動計劃，有食物和水供應，有應急設(shè)備。

Kate Hutton is a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology. She specializes in the study of earthquakes. Kate Hutton admits there is no way to predict earthquakes, so being prepared is the best defense.

凱特·赫頓(Kate Hutton)是加州技術(shù)研究院的一位地震學家。她擅長地震研究。赫頓承認當前無法預測地震，所以有所準備是最好的防御。