原文视听

They came to town and they set up shop with instruments,
他们来到镇上 设立起工作室设置好设备
and they're sort of hidden away and tucked away
他们算是隐居其中
so they're not that obvious
所以并不显眼
but there's a lot of them out there.
但人数确实很多
And the idea was to have the instruments ready
而目的就是准备好设备
to catch the next earthquake red-handed.
收集下次地震的第一手资料
Well, what you're hoping to see,
这些地质学家所希望看到的
the analogy is a stick breaking,
就好比是折断一根棍子
so in the long term you're bending the stick,
你长时间弯曲这根棍子
you see it, er, deform
看着它一点点变形
and then maybe just before the stick actually goes snap
然后也许棍子断裂前的那一刹那
you'll hear "Crack crack crack" Or something like that.
你会听到 咔咔咔 或类似的声音
Now that they had narrowed down the time window
现在既然已经缩小了时间范围
and knew where it was going to strike,
而且知道哪里会发生地震
this was science's best chance yet to see an earthquake in action
这可谓科学史上实时观测地震的最好时机
Millions of dollars flooded in to fund the research.
数百万美元的资金涌入来资助这项研究
All they had to do now was just sit and wait.
他们现在只需耐心等待

重点解释

They came to town and they set up shop with instruments,他们来到镇上，设立起工作室设置好设备

set up:建立

It is now our aim to set up a factory.

我们现在的目的是创办一座工厂。

they're sort of hidden away and tucked away他们算是隐居其中

sort of:有几分地

That would sort of ruin the point.

那会有几分破坏的意图。

hide away:藏起

Why you hide away so much inside.

为何你把自己藏这么深。

tuck away:隐居

The farm was tucked away in the hills.

那个农场隐蔽在群山之中。

Now that they had narrowed down the time window现在既然已经缩小了时间范围

narrow down:减少； 限制； 缩小； 变窄

The river has narrow down over the past 20 years.

这条河在过去的二十年变窄了许多。

I cannot narrow down the rules for this game.

我不能限制这场比赛的规则。