翻译学习:什么是地震?

Earthquakes, also called temblors, can be so tremendously destructive, it’s hard to imagine they occur by the thousands every day around the world, usually in the form of small tremors.

地震的另一个表达是“temblors”，是有可能造成极大破坏力的灾难。但其实你知道吗？世界上各个角落每天都在发生着的小型地震多到难以计数。

Some 80 percent of all the planet's earthquakes occur along the rim of the Pacific Ocean, called the "Ring of Fire" because of the preponderance of volcanic activity there as well. Most earthquakes occur at fault zones, where tectonic plates—giant rock slabs that make up the Earth's upper layer—collide or slide against each other. These impacts are usually gradual and unnoticeable on the surface; however, immense stress can build up between plates. When this stress is released quickly, it sends massive vibrations, called seismic waves, often hundreds of miles through the rock and up to the surface. Other quakes can occur far from faults zones when plates are stretched or squeezed.

世界上80%的地震和火山发生在环太平洋火山地震带上。大多数地震发生在断层带——也就是大陆板块的交界处，当两块板块移动相撞的时候就会引发地震或火山爆发这类地质灾害。尽管我们并无法感觉到板块之间碰撞力量的积聚，但是当板块摩擦力量积聚到一定程度的时候就会引起迅速的释放。当地震发生的时候，地震波会通过岩石从数百里外传达到地表引起振动。而不发生在断层带上的地震则属于另一类地震，它们是由板块扩张或压缩所引起的。

Scientists assign a magnitude rating to earthquakes based on the strength and duration of their seismic waves. A quake measuring 3 to 5 is considered minor or light; 5 to 7 is moderate to strong; 7 to 8 is major; and 8 or more is great.

根据地震的强度和地震波的辐射范围，科学家把地震分成不同的级别：3-5级是轻震，5-7级是中级强度，7-8级被定义为大地震，8级以上就是特大地震了。

On average, a magnitude 8 quake strikes somewhere every year and some 10,000 people die in earthquakes annually. Collapsing buildings claim by far the majority of lives, but the destruction is often compounded by mud slides, fires, floods, or tsunamis. Smaller temblors that usually occur in the days following a large earthquake can complicate rescue efforts and cause further death and destruction.

一般来说，每年都会发生一次八级地震，而年均地震死亡人数也会在1万人的样子。地震引起的房屋倒塌通常造成了绝大多数的伤亡，而地震带来的危害却不止于此，还包括由此引发的泥石流、火灾、洪灾和海啸。在一次大地震过后的数日里总是会发生一些规模稍小的余震，有的余震也同样会造成伤亡。

Loss of life can be avoided through emergency planning, education, and the construction of buildings that sway rather than break under the stress of an earthquake.

想要减少地震伤亡，一方面可以通过实施紧急预案和地震知识普及教育，另一方面，提高房屋的抗震系数也显得同样重要：因为高抗震系数的建筑物可以在地震来袭之时摇而不倒。