Moderate Earthquake Strikes England
A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April 2007, toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several thousand people were left without power1 in Kent County2. One woman suffered minor head and neck injuries.
“It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride,3” said the woman.
The British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake4 struck at 8:19 a. m. and was centered under the English Channel5, about 8.5 miles south of Dover6 and near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel7.
Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the tremor had lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds.
“I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me,” said Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury8 about 60 miles southeast of London. “I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier9. It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down.”
There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but they are rare in Britain. The April 28 quake was the strongest in Britain since 2002 when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the central England city of Birmingham10.
The country’s strongest earthquake took place in the North Sea in 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale11. British Geological Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain, including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France.12 Musson predicted that it was only a matter of time13 before another earthquake struck this part of England. However, people should not be scared too much by this prediction. Musson said, as the modern earthquake warning system of Britain should be able to detect a forthcoming quake and announce it several hours before it takes place. This would allow time for people to evacuate and reduce damage to the minimum.詞匯： moderate /5mCdErit/ adj.中等的 magnitude /5mA^nitju:d/ n. 值，強度量 topple /5tCpl/ v.傾倒，震倒 rouse /rauz/ v. 喚醒 tremor /5tremE/ n.震動 hop /hRp/ v. 齊足跳起 fun-fair n.公共露天游樂場 scale /skeil/ n. 震級 forthcoming /fC:W5kQmiN/ adj.即將來臨的 evacuate /i5vAkjueit/ v. 疏散geological /dViE5lCdVikEl/ adj.地質(zhì)的
注釋:
1. power：電力
2. Kent County：肯特郡(位于英格蘭東南部)
3. It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride：它(地震)給人的感覺是整幢房子就像游樂場的滑行機一樣在滑動。 ride是“游樂場供人玩樂的乘坐式的活動裝置”。as if是“好像……一樣;仿佛”，例如： He treated me as if I were his son. (他待我如同待他的兒子一樣。 )
4. the 4.3-magnitude quake：里氏 4.3級地震
5. English Channel：英吉利海峽
6. Dover：多佛爾(英格蘭東南部港市)
7. Channel Tunnel：海峽隧道。 Channel Tunnel (常簡稱為 Chunnel)是連接英法兩國的海峽隧道。
8. Canterbury：坎特伯雷(英格蘭東南部城市，中世紀(jì)時曾是宗教朝圣圣地)
9. it was getting heavier and heavier：爆裂聲越來越響
10. Birmingham:伯明翰(英格蘭中部城市)
11. the Richter scale：里氏震級表。美國地震學(xué)家 Charles Francis Richter (1900-1985)于 1935年制定了地震震級表。
12. British Geological Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain, including one in 1580 that caused damage in London and was felt in France：英國地質(zhì)勘測所的科學(xué)家 Roger Musson說，這次 4月 28日遭遇地震的地區(qū)就是經(jīng)受過襲擊英
國烈的幾次大地震的同一地區(qū)，其中的一次大地震發(fā)生在 1580年，那次地震蹂躪了倫敦，巴黎也能感到它的震波。
13. a matter of time：時間問題。又如 : It’s not a matter of money.這不是個錢的問題。練習(xí)：
1. During the April 28 earthquake, the whole England was left without power. A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
