(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Californians Clean Up After Strongest Earthquake in 20 Years
The strongest earthquake to hit California in 20 years caused minor injuries and damage in a town near the quake's epicenter.
The quake struck Thursday morning in the Mojave Desert, about 240 kilometers northeast of Los Angeles. Scientists say it measured 6.4 in magnitude. The United States Geological Survey defines magnitude as a number that represents the relative size of a quake.
An area near the small town of Ridgecrest was most affected by the quake. But it was felt by people in areas as far away as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in the neighboring state of Nevada.
Officials said more than 80 aftershocks shook the town and nearby areas by Friday. One of them had a magnitude of 4.5. These aftershocks were expected to continue.
The fire chief in California's Kern County, David Witt, told reporters only a few "minor" injuries were reported. He said the injuries came from broken glass and objects falling inside local businesses.
Witt added that some hospital patients were moved from the town's main hospital because it received damage.
Two houses caught fire from broken gas lines. Some power lines went down, leaving thousands of people without electricity. The quake was blamed for some small grass fires and damage to roads.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Kern County, meaning the area can receive state aid and recovery assistance.
Cora Burke is a restaurant worker in Ridgecrest. She told The Associated Press the earthquake "almost gave me a heart attack." She described "a rolling feeling" inside the building. "And all of a sudden everything started falling off the shelf," she said.
Video images of one business showed the floor filled with broken bottles, boxes and food products that fell from shelves.
Lucy Jones is with the California Institute of Technology. She said the earthquake was the strongest to hit California since a 7.1 quake struck the area on October 16, 1999.
"This has been an extremely quiet, abnormal time," Jones said. "This type of earthquake is much more normal...The long-term average is probably once every five or 10 years somewhere in Southern California."
I'm Bryan Lynn.
重点解析
1.falling off 减少；降落
The number of students has been falling off recently.
近来学生数目越来越少了。
2.went down 下跌
I waved goodbye and went down the stone harbour steps.
我挥手告别，然后走下港口石阶。
3.power lines 输电线
The rebels dynamited power lines.
叛乱分子炸毁了输电线。
4.heart attack 心脏病发作
He died of complications from a heart attack.
他死于心脏病发作引起的并发症。
5.Two houses caught fire from broken gas lines.
caught fire 着火
The aircraft caught fire soon after take-off.
飞机起飞后不久就着火了。
The cars caught fire on impact and some of the victims were incinerated.
汽车受撞击起火，一些人被烧死。
6.But it was felt by people in areas as far away as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, in the neighboring state of Nevada.
far away 遥远的
I come from far away.
我来自遥远的地方。
Our future , I know that not far away.
我们的未来，我知道并不遥远。
参考译文
加州遇20年来最强地震
美国加州发生20年来最强烈的地震，导致震中附近一小镇的居民受伤和建筑受损。
周四早上，地震发生在洛杉矶东北部约240公里的莫哈韦沙漠。科学家称震级为6.4级，美国地质调查局用震级数字来表示地震的相对强度。
里奇克莱斯特小镇附近一地区受地震影响最严重。但是远至洛杉矶以及邻近的内华达州拉斯维加斯市等地的人们均有震感。
有关官员表示，截至周五该镇及邻近地区又经历了80多场余震，其中一次余震震级达到4.5级。预计还会有余震发生。
加州克恩县消防局局长大卫·威特（David Witt）告诉记者，目前只有少数轻微伤情的报道。他说，伤者主要是玻璃破碎或当地商店内物体掉落所致。
威特补充说，因为该镇一家主要医院受损，一些住院病人被转移。
有两户民居因天然气管道破裂着火。一些电线断裂导致数千人停电。这场地震还导致小规模植被失火和道路受损。
加州州长加文·纽瑟姆（Gavin Newsom）宣布克恩县进入紧急状态，这意味着该地区可以获得州政府援助以及灾后重建援助。
科拉·伯克（Cora Burke）是里奇克莱斯特镇的一位餐厅工作者。她对美联社表示，这场地震“差点让我心脏病发。”她称，餐厅“突然开始摇晃。”她说：“突然间，货架上的物品开始滚落。”
一家商店的监控录像显示，地板上到处散落着货架上掉落的破损瓶子、盒子和食品。
露西·琼斯（Lucy Jones）就职于加州理工学院。她表示，这是自1999年10月16日发生7.1级地震以来，加州遭遇的最强烈的一场地震。
琼斯表示：“这是一段异常安静的反常期，这类地震其实正常的多。从长期来看，南加州平均每5年或10年就会出现一次。”
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
