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25. Earthquake Precautions
地震防范措施
Bam! The bathroom door slamming against the wall woke me out of a sound sleep.
砰！浴室門重重關(guān)上的聲響驚醒了熟睡中的我。
Groggily wending my way in the dark to the bathroom, I secured the door latch to make sure I would have no further interruptions of much-needed sleep.
我摸黑一路搖搖晃晃地走到浴室將門栓閂好，免得再次打斷我寶貴的睡眠，
I then lumbered back into bed and started to drift off.
然后又蹣跚地回到被窩進(jìn)入夢鄉(xiāng)。
Not for long. My body, the bed and the whole bedroom began shaking.
不一會(huì)兒，我的身體、床和整個(gè)臥室開始搖晃。
After a few confused and frightening seconds, I realized "Earthquake!" "Big one," I added,
在搞不清狀況下害怕了幾秒鐘后，才了解到是“地震”?！岸沂莻€(gè)大地震！”我接著又道，
noting that the neighborhood dogs had joined in the weird sounds the hills around my house were making.
注意到附近的狗狂吠著加入房子四周山丘所發(fā)出的怪聲。
Within moments I was out of bed and on my feet, contemplating leaving the house.
我很快地下床站起來，考慮要不要往屋外移動(dòng)。
"I'll wait," I comforted myself. "Even these big ones pass in a few seconds."
“等一下吧！”我安慰自己?！熬退愦蟮卣鹨膊贿^幾秒鐘就結(jié)束了?！?/div>
This one wouldn't. It kept coming;
但這次不一樣。它不停地?fù)u晃；
everything was shaking and trembling, rattling.
每樣?xùn)|西都在搖動(dòng)而且震得嘎嘎作響。
I heard a pane of glass crash onto the floor.
我聽見一片玻璃掉到地板上摔碎的聲音。
The walls of the house and the things attached to them seemed to heave, not just shudder.
房子的墻壁及附在墻上的東西似乎不只是顫動(dòng)，而是上下猛烈晃動(dòng)。
I then noticed that the street lights had failed and my heart was pounding harder than when I used to lift weights.
然后我注意到路燈都已熄滅，而我的心跳得比我過去舉重時(shí)還劇烈。
I acknowledged my fear.
我承認(rèn)自己很害怕。
Realizing that there was no time to flee the house, I simply waited and waited.
我了解到已經(jīng)來不及逃到室外，便乖乖地等著。
The nearly one-minute long temblor finally subsided, and my reasoning came back to me.
將近一分鐘的地震終于平息，我的理智也逐漸恢復(fù)。
All was well, or well enough.
一切平安，或者說還好吧。
I walked unsteadily to another room and looked outside.
我步履不穩(wěn)地走到另一個(gè)房間往外一瞧。
A neighbor with a flashlight was checking on his and others' homes for damage.
一位鄰居拿著手電筒正在檢查他家及鄰舍有否損壞。
I knew it had been a major quake, though not centered where I lived.
雖然我住的地方并非震中，但我知道這是個(gè)大地震。
The next day I learned that a 7.6 Richter-scale earthquake had devastated the lovely rural communities of central Taiwan.
第二天我得知臺灣中部許多偏遠(yuǎn)而可愛的鄉(xiāng)間都遭到里氏七點(diǎn)六級大地震的蹂躪。
For the next few weeks, everyone's life was centered around the quake due to the constant media coverage and electricity rationing.
接下來的幾個(gè)禮拜，因?yàn)槊襟w報(bào)道及限電措施，每個(gè)人的生活重心都圍繞在地震這件事上。
Taiwan is but one of many places situated along the "Ring of Fire" encircling nearly half the globe around the Pacific Ocean.
臺灣是諸多太平洋邊緣環(huán)繞近半個(gè)地球的“火環(huán)”地區(qū)之一。
Constant volcanic and earthquake action occurs here, sometimes with cataclysmic results.
這地區(qū)頻繁的火山活動(dòng)及地震時(shí)而造成慘重的后果。
In the 20th century alone, major earthquakes have taken more than one million lives.
光是在廿世紀(jì)就有一百多萬人在大地震中喪命；
Many more have been injured and made homeless.
有更多人因地震受傷或無家可歸；
The economic, social, and personal costs are immeasurable.
對經(jīng)濟(jì)、社會(huì)及個(gè)人更造成難以估計(jì)的損失。
Over the past quarter century, many countries in earthquake-prone areas have begun to educate their citizens on how to take appropriate precautions for earthquakes.
過去二十五年來許多位于地震頻繁地區(qū)的國家已開始教育其人民如何采取適當(dāng)?shù)姆勒鸫胧?/div>
The following list has been compiled from experience.
以下是從經(jīng)驗(yàn)中得出來的防震措施。
Before the earthquake:
地震前：
Prepare an "earthquake kit" near everyone's bed;
在每人床邊準(zhǔn)備一個(gè)“地震包”，
these kits should include drinking water, a flashlight with fresh batteries, and dry food.
這個(gè)包內(nèi)有飲水、備有新電池的手電筒及干糧。
Place an extra pillow, blanket, or quilt near the bed to be placed over the head during the earthquake and for warmth if trapped afterwards.
在床邊額外準(zhǔn)備一只枕頭、毛毯或棉被；地震發(fā)生時(shí)可用來保護(hù)頭部，震后若遭困亦可用來保暖
During the earthquake:
地震時(shí)：
If possible, get out of the building you are inside of and into a clear area.
若可能，立即離開室內(nèi)到空曠處。
If escape from a building is impossible, get away from windows and doors;
來不及逃離建筑物時(shí)，應(yīng)遠(yuǎn)離門窗；
try to find shelter under structural beams or under any heavy piece of furniture, like a large table or bed.
并在主梁或較重的家具下尋找掩護(hù)（例如大型桌子或床）。
After the major earthquake (remember that aftershocks will occur):
主震過后（別忘了余震）：
When shaking ends or subsides, turn off gas lines.
地震停止或平息后，關(guān)閉煤氣管道。
Leave the building (never use elevators) quickly but not in a panic.
盡速鎮(zhèn)靜地離開建筑物（不可搭乘電梯）。
If uninjured, be ready to assist rescue workers with information or labor.
若未受傷，隨時(shí)準(zhǔn)備協(xié)助救難人員提供信息或出力援救。
When a Big One happens, there is little anyone can do.
當(dāng)特大地震發(fā)生時(shí)，任何人都無能為力，
The above contingency preparations, however, could make the difference between life and death.
但上述防范措施卻能決定一個(gè)人的生與死。
| 重點(diǎn)單詞 | 查看全部解釋 | |||
| shelter | ['ʃeltə] |
想一想再看 n. 庇護(hù)所，避難所，庇護(hù) |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| pacific | [pə'sifik] |
想一想再看 n. 太平洋 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| constant | ['kɔnstənt] |
想一想再看 adj. 經(jīng)常的，不變的 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| frightening | ['fraitniŋ] |
想一想再看 adj. 令人恐懼的，令人害怕的 動(dòng)詞frighten的 |
||
| quilt | [kwilt] |
想一想再看 n. 被子，被狀物 |
||
| assist | [ə'sist] |
想一想再看 n. 幫助，協(xié)助，協(xié)助的器械 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| appropriate | [ə'prəupriət] |
想一想再看 adj. 適當(dāng)?shù)?，相稱的 |
聯(lián)想記憶 | |
| social | ['səuʃəl] |
想一想再看 adj. 社會(huì)的，社交的 |
||
| drift | [drift] |
想一想再看 vi. 漂流，漂移，漂泊，吹積，偏離 |
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| volcanic | [vɔl'kænik] |
想一想再看 adj. 火山的，猛烈的 |
