新視野大英3(4,5,6課原文加翻譯)

Unit4TheStatueofLiberty<B>自由女神像</B>Inthemid-1870s,FrenchartistFredericAugusteBartholdiwasworkingonanenormousprojectcalledLibertyEnlighteningtheWorld,amonumentcelebratingUSindependenceandtheFrance-Americaalliance.19世紀(jì)70年代中期，法國(guó)藝術(shù)家弗里德里克·奧古斯特·巴托爾迪正在設(shè)計(jì)一個(gè)大項(xiàng)目，名為“自由照耀世界”。這是一座慶祝美國(guó)獨(dú)立和美法聯(lián)盟的紀(jì)念碑。Atthesametime,hewasinlovewithawomanwhomhehadmetinCanada.與此同時(shí)，他愛(ài)上了一位他在加拿大認(rèn)識(shí)的女子。Hismothercouldnotapproveofherson'saffectionforawomanshehadnevermet,butBartholdiwentaheadandmarriedhislovein1876.他母親不贊成自己的兒子和一個(gè)她沒(méi)有見(jiàn)過(guò)的女子戀愛(ài)，然而巴托爾迪不為所動(dòng)，和心中所愛(ài)于1876年結(jié)為伉儷。ThatsameyearBartholdihadassembledthestatue'srightarmandtorch,anddisplayedtheminPhiladelphia.同年，巴托爾迪組裝完雕像的右臂和火炬，并將它們陳列在費(fèi)城。Itissaidthathehadusedhiswife'sarmasthemodel,butfeltherfacewastoobeautifulforthestatue.據(jù)說(shuō)，他用了妻子的手臂為模本，但覺(jué)得她的臉太漂亮，不適合做雕像模本。Heneededsomeonewhosefacerepresentedsufferingyetstrength,someonemoreseverethanbeautiful.Hechosehismother.他需要這樣一個(gè)女人：面容滄桑卻不失堅(jiān)定，莊重多于美麗。他選擇了自己的母親TheStatueofLibertywasdedicatedonanislandinUpperNewYorkBayin1886.1886年，自由女神像在紐約灣北部落成。Ithadhismother'sfaceandhiswife'sbody,butBartholdicalledit"mydaughter,Liberty".雕像綜合了他母親的臉和他妻子的身材，不過(guò)巴托爾迪稱之為“我的女兒，自由之神”。<B>芭比娃娃</B>BarbieBeforeallthedifferenttypesofBarbiedollsforsalenow,therewasjustasingleBarbie.Actually,hernamewasBarbara.在現(xiàn)今銷售的各式各樣的芭比娃娃之前，原本部門只有一種芭比娃娃。實(shí)際上，她的名字叫芭芭拉。BarbaraHandlerwasthedaughterofElliotandRuthHandler,co-foundersoftheMattelToyCompany.芭芭拉·漢德勒是馬特爾玩具公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人艾略特和魯思·漢德勒夫婦的女兒。RuthcameupwiththeideaforBarbieafterwatchingherdaughterplaywithpaperdolls.魯思是在見(jiàn)到女兒玩紙娃娃之后才想到做芭比娃娃的。Thethree-dimensionalmodelforBarbiewasaGermandoll—ajokegiftforadultsdescribedashavingtheappearanceof"awomanwhosoldsex".芭比娃娃的三維模特是一個(gè)德國(guó)洋娃娃，一個(gè)哄成年人開(kāi)心的禮物，被描繪成具有“風(fēng)塵女子”的模樣。Mattelrefashionedthedollintoadecent,all-American—althoughwithanexaggeratedbreastsize—versionandnameditafterBarbara,whowasthenateenager.馬特爾公司將這個(gè)娃娃做了一番改造，變成了體面而地道的美國(guó)版本，盡管胸圍有些夸張。它以當(dāng)時(shí)10多歲的少女芭芭拉的名字命名。Sinceherintroductionin1959,BarbiehasbecometheuniversallyrecognizedQueenoftheDolls.自從1959年面世，芭比娃娃就成了全球公認(rèn)的“娃娃女王”。MattelsaystheaverageAmericangirlownstenBarbiedolls,andtwoaresoldsomewhereintheworldeverysecond.馬特爾公司說(shuō)，一般的美國(guó)女孩擁有10個(gè)芭比娃娃，全球每秒鐘就有兩個(gè)芭比娃娃售出。Nowmorethansixtyyearsold,Barbara—whodeclinesinterviewsbutissaidtohavelovedthedoll—maybethemostfamousunknownfigureontheplanet.如今芭芭拉已有60多歲了，她拒絕接受采訪，但據(jù)說(shuō)她非常喜歡芭比娃娃。她可能是當(dāng)今世上最著名的不為人知的人物了。Barbie'sboyfriend,Ken,wasintroducedin1961andnamedafterBarbara'sbrother.1961年，芭比娃娃的男朋友面世，按芭芭拉的弟弟肯的名字命名。TherealKen,whodiedin1994,wasdisgustedbythedollthatmadehisfamilyfamous."Idon'twantmychildrentoplaywithit,"hesaidin1993.真正的肯于1994年去世。他對(duì)令自己全家名揚(yáng)天下的娃娃極為厭惡。他在1993年說(shuō)：“我可不想讓我的孩子玩這洋娃娃。”<B>《美國(guó)哥特人》</B>AmericanGothicGrantWoodinstantlyrosetofamein1930withhispaintingAmericanGothic,anoften-copiedinterpretationofthesolemnprideofAmericanfarmers.1930年，格蘭特·伍德因其畫(huà)作《美國(guó)哥特人》一舉成名。此畫(huà)體現(xiàn)了美國(guó)農(nóng)民莊嚴(yán)的自豪，常常被人復(fù)制。Thepaintingshowsaserious-lookingmanandawomanstandinginfrontofafarmhouse.畫(huà)面展示了一位神色嚴(yán)肅的男子和一位女子站立在農(nóng)舍之前。HewasstronglyinfluencedbymedievalartistsandinspiredbytheGothicwindowofanoldfarmhouse,butthefacesinhiscompositionwerewhatcapturedtheworld'sattention.伍德深受中世紀(jì)藝術(shù)家的影響，他的靈感來(lái)自于一所古老農(nóng)舍的哥特式窗戶，但最令世界注目的是畫(huà)中人物的臉。Woodlikedtopaintfacesheknewwell.Forthegravefarmerheusedhisdentist,asour-lookingman.Forthewomanstandingalongsidehim,theartistchosehissister,Nan.Hestretchedthemodels'necksabit,buttherewasnodoubtwhoposedfortheportrait.伍德喜歡畫(huà)他熟悉的臉。為畫(huà)神色嚴(yán)肅的農(nóng)夫，他選擇了他那表情木訥的牙醫(yī)，至于站在他身邊的農(nóng)婦，他選擇了自己的姐姐南。他把模特的脖子稍稍畫(huà)長(zhǎng)了一些，但無(wú)疑能看出誰(shuí)是畫(huà)像的原型。NanlaterremarkedthatthefameshegainedfromAmericanGothicsavedherfromaveryboringlife.南后來(lái)說(shuō)道，《美國(guó)哥特人》帶給她的名譽(yù)使她擺脫了一種非常乏味的生活。<B>野牛鎳幣</B>TheBuffaloNickelToday,AmericancoinshonorprominentfiguresoftheUSgovernment—mostlyfamousformerpresidents.今天，美國(guó)的硬幣都用來(lái)紀(jì)念美國(guó)政府的杰出人物，其中大部分是著名的前總統(tǒng)。ButtheBuffalonickel,producedfrom1913to1938,honoredapairofconnectedtragediesfromthesettlementoftheAmericanfrontier—thedestructionofthebuffaloherdsandtheAmericanIndians.但1913至1938年間發(fā)行的野牛鎳幣，卻是為了紀(jì)念由美國(guó)拓居引起的兩起相互關(guān)聯(lián)的悲劇──野牛群的滅絕和美洲印第安人的毀滅。WhilewhitepeoplehadpreviouslybeenusedasmodelsformostAmericancoins,famedartistJamesEarleFraserwentagainsttraditionbyusingthreeactualAmericanIndiansasmodelsforhiscreation.此前一直是白人被用作美國(guó)鎳幣上的模特，而著名的藝術(shù)家詹姆斯·厄爾·弗雷澤卻反傳統(tǒng)而行之，起用了三名真正的美洲印第安人作為自己創(chuàng)作的原型。Forthebuffaloontheotherside,sincebuffalonolongerwanderedaboutthegreatgrasslands,FraserwasforcedtosketchanagingbuffalofromNewYorkCity'sCentralParkZoo.由于大草原上不再有野牛漫步，弗雷澤為了鎳幣另一面上的野牛，只好到紐約中央公園的動(dòng)物園里素描一只老野牛。Twoyearslater,in1915,thisanimalwassoldfor$100andkilledformeat,ahide,andawalldecorationmadefromitshorns.兩年后，即1915年，此牛以100美元的價(jià)格售出，然后被宰殺取肉、剝皮，牛角制成了墻上的裝飾品。<B>山姆大叔</B>UncleSamFourteen-year-oldSamWilsonranawayfromhometojoinhisfatherandolderbrothersinthefighttoliberatetheAmericancoloniesfromtheBritishduringtheAmericanRevolution.美國(guó)獨(dú)立戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)時(shí)期，14歲的山姆·威爾遜離家出走，加入父親和哥哥們的行列，為美國(guó)殖民地獨(dú)立于英國(guó)而戰(zhàn)。Atage23,hestartedameat-packingbusinessandearnedareputationforbeinghonestandhard-working.23歲時(shí)，他開(kāi)始從事肉類加工業(yè)，并因?yàn)槿苏\(chéng)實(shí)、工作勤奮而贏得聲譽(yù)。Duringalaterwarin1812,WilsongainedapositioninspectingmeatforUSArmyforces,workingwithamanwhohadsignedacontractwiththegovernmenttoprovidemeattothearmy.此后在1812年的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中，威爾遜獲得了一個(gè)職位，為美國(guó)軍隊(duì)檢驗(yàn)肉食。他的合伙人和美國(guó)政府簽訂了一份合同，給軍隊(duì)提供肉食。Barrelsofmeatsuppliedtothearmywerestamped"EA-US",identifyingthecompany(EA)andthecountryoforigin(US).送到軍隊(duì)的肉桶上面都印有EA-US標(biāo)志，EA代表公司名，US代表原產(chǎn)國(guó)。Accordingtoonestory,whenagovernmentofficialvisitedtheplantandaskedabouttheletters,acreativeemployeetoldhim"US"wasshortfor"UncleSam"Wilson.SoonsoldiersweresayingallArmysupplieswerefrom"UncleSam".傳說(shuō)有一回，有個(gè)政府官員來(lái)參觀加工廠，問(wèn)及這些字母的含義，一個(gè)想象力豐富的雇員告訴他，“US”是“山姆大叔”威爾遜的縮寫。很快，士兵們都說(shuō)所有的軍需品都來(lái)自“山姆大叔”。Afterthewar,acharactercalledUncleSambeganappearinginpoliticalcartoons,hisformevolvingfromanearliercartooncharactercalledBrotherJonathanthatwaspopularduringtheAmericanRevolution.戰(zhàn)后，政治漫畫(huà)里開(kāi)始出現(xiàn)一個(gè)名叫“山姆大叔”的人物。他的原型是一個(gè)早期漫畫(huà)人物，名叫喬納森大哥，此人在美國(guó)獨(dú)立戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)時(shí)期非常出名。UncleSamsoonreplacedBrotherJonathanasAmerican'smostpopularsymbol.很快，山姆大叔就取代了喬納森大哥，成了最受美國(guó)人歡迎的象征。ThemostenduringportraitofUncleSamwascreatedbyartistJamesMontgomeryFlagginhisfamousarmyrecruitingpostersofWorldWarsIandII.最令人難忘的山姆大叔的畫(huà)像是由畫(huà)家詹姆斯·蒙哥馬利·弗拉格創(chuàng)作的，用在兩次世界大戰(zhàn)期間他畫(huà)的很多著名的征兵招貼畫(huà)上。Thatversion—atallmanwithwhitehairandasmallwhitebeardonhischin,adarkbluecoatandatallhatwithstarsonit—wasaself-portraitofFlagg.山姆大叔的形象是：高個(gè)子，白頭發(fā)，下巴上有一小撮白胡子，身著深藍(lán)色外套，頭戴一頂高帽，上有星星點(diǎn)綴。這模樣其實(shí)就是弗拉格的自畫(huà)像。Unit5

GracefulHands

IhaveneverseenMrs.Clarkbefore,butIknowfromhermedicalchartandthereportIreceived

fromtheprecedingshiftthattonightshewilldie.

我從未見(jiàn)過(guò)克拉克夫人，但看過(guò)她的醫(yī)療記錄和上一位值班醫(yī)生交給我的報(bào)告后，我知道她今晚會(huì)去世。Theonlylightinherroomiscomingfromapieceofmedicalequipment,whichisflashingitsredlightasifinwarning.AsIstandthere,thesmellhitsmynose,andIclosemyeyesasIrememberthesmellofdecayfrompastexperience.InmymouthIhaveasour,vinegartastecomingfromthepitofmystomach.Ireachforthelightswitch,andasitsilentlylightsthescene,Ireturntothebedtoobservethepatientwithanunemotional,medicaleye.她屋里唯一的光線來(lái)自一臺(tái)醫(yī)療設(shè)備，它閃著紅光，似乎在發(fā)出警告。我站在那里，一股怪味刺激著我的鼻子，我想起了過(guò)去聞到過(guò)的腐爛的氣味，我閉上了眼睛。我嘴里有一股從胃里返上來(lái)的酸味。我伸手去開(kāi)燈。燈靜靜地照亮了整個(gè)病房，我走回病床邊，用無(wú)動(dòng)于衷的、醫(yī)生的目光觀察著病人。Mrs.Clarkisdying.Sheliesmotionless:theheadseemsunusuallylargeonaskeletonbody;theskinisdarkyellowandhangslooselyaroundexaggeratedbonesthatnotevenablanketcanhide;therightarmliesstraightoutattheside,tapedcruellytoaboardtosecureaneedlesothatfluidmaydripin;theleftarmisacrossthesunkenchest,whichrisesandfallswiththeunevenbreaths.

克拉克夫人已奄奄一息了。她一動(dòng)不動(dòng)地躺著：骨瘦如柴的身體使她的頭顯得特別大；皮膚呈暗黃色，松松地裹在嶙峋的、連毛毯也遮掩不住的骨骼上；她的右臂平伸在床邊，被無(wú)情地用膠帶固定在一塊板上，以便能固定針頭使液體滴入；左臂橫放在深陷的胸部，胸口隨著不均勻的呼吸一起一伏。

Ireachforthelong,thinfingersthatarelyingonthechest.Theyareicecold,andIquicklymovetothewristandfeelforthefaintpulse.Mrs.Clark'seyesopensomewhatasherheadturnstowardmeslightly.Ibendclosetoherandscarcelyhearasshewhispers,"Water."Takingaglassofwaterfromthetable,Iputmyfingerovertheendofthestrawandallowafewdropsofthecoolmoisturetoslideintohermouthandeaseherthirst.Shemakesnoattempttoswallow;thereisjustnotenoughstrength."More,"thedryvoicesays,andwerepeattheprocedure.Thistimeshedoesmanagetoswallowsomeliquidandweaklysays,"Thank,you."

我伸手去觸摸她放在胸口的細(xì)長(zhǎng)手指。冰涼冰涼的。我忙將手移到她的手腕，去感覺(jué)那微弱的脈搏?？死朔蛉藢㈩^稍稍轉(zhuǎn)向我，微微地睜開(kāi)眼。我俯過(guò)身去，勉強(qiáng)聽(tīng)見(jiàn)她微弱的聲音：“水?！蔽覐淖郎夏闷鹨槐檬种阜庵艿囊欢?，滴了幾滴涼涼的水到她的嘴里，以緩解她的干渴。她沒(méi)有用力去吞咽，因?yàn)榱獠粔颉！斑€要，”那干澀的聲音說(shuō)。于是我們又重復(fù)了一次。這次她終于咽了一些，并輕輕說(shuō)了聲：“謝謝，你?！?/p>

Sheistooweakforconversation,sowithoutasking,Igoaboutprovidingforherneeds.Pickingherupinmyarmslikeachild,Iturnheronherside.Naked,exceptforalighthospitalgown,sheissoverysmallandlightthatsheseemslikeavictimofsometerriblefamine.Iremovethelidfromajarofskincreamandputsomeonthepalmofmyhand.Carefully,toavoidinjuringher,Irubcreamintotheyellowskin,whichrollsfreelyoverthebones,feelingperfectlytheoutlineofeachboneintheback.Placingapillowbetweenherlegs,Inoticethatthesetooareicecold,andnotuntilIrunmyhandupoverherkneesdoIfeelanyofthelife-givingwarmthofblood.

她虛弱得沒(méi)法交談，因此沒(méi)等她要求，我就開(kāi)始做她所需要的。我像抱孩子似的把她抱起來(lái)，給她翻了個(gè)身。除了一件淺色的病號(hào)服，她什么也沒(méi)穿。她又小又輕，像遭受了嚴(yán)重饑荒一樣。我打開(kāi)護(hù)膚霜的瓶蓋，揩了一些在手心。為了不傷著她，我小心翼翼地把護(hù)膚霜擦在她發(fā)黃的皮膚上。她的皮膚松松地在骨頭上滑動(dòng)，背上每塊骨頭的輪廓都能清楚地摸到。當(dāng)我把枕頭放在她兩腿之間時(shí)，發(fā)現(xiàn)它們也是冰涼的，直到把手移到她膝蓋以上的部位，我才感受到血液供給生命的熱度。

WhenIamfinished,Ipullachairupbesidethebedtofaceherand,takingherfreehandbetween

mine,againnoticethelong,thinfingers.Graceful.Iwonderbrieflyifshehasanyfamily,andthenIseethatthereareneitherflowers,norpicturesofrainbowsandbutterfliesdrawnbychildren,norcards.Thereisnohintintheroomanywherethatthisisapersonwhoisloved.Asthoughsheisamindreader,Mrs.Clarkanswersmythoughtsandquietlytellsme,"Isent...myfamily...home...tonight...didn'twant...them...tosee..."Havingspentherlastounceofstrengthshecannotgoon,butIhaveunderstoodwhatshehasdone.Notknowingwhattosay,Isaynothing.Againsheseemstosensemythoughts,"You…stay…"

而后，我挪了把椅子面朝她坐在床邊，握住她那只沒(méi)被固定的手，此時(shí)我又一次注意到她細(xì)長(zhǎng)的手指。很優(yōu)雅。一時(shí)間，我突然想知道她是否有家庭，接著我發(fā)現(xiàn)病房里沒(méi)有花，沒(méi)有孩子們畫(huà)的彩虹和蝴蝶，也沒(méi)有卡片。房間中沒(méi)有任何跡象表明她是一個(gè)被人愛(ài)著的人。她似乎讀懂了我的心思，平靜地回答我說(shuō)：“今天……我讓……家里人……都……回家……不想……他們……看見(jiàn)……”她耗盡了最后的那點(diǎn)力氣，再也說(shuō)不下去了。但我已然明白她做了些什么。我不知道說(shuō)什么好，所以什么也沒(méi)說(shuō)。她好像又看穿了我的心思：“你……留下……”

Timeseemstostandstill.Inthetotalsilence,Ifeelmyownpulsequickenandhearmybreathingasitbeginstomatchhers,breathforunevenbreath.Oureyesmeetandsomehow,together,webecomeawarethatthisisaspecialmomentbetweentwohumanbeings...HerlongfingerscurleasilyaroundmyhandandInodmyheadslowly,smiling.Withoutwords,throughyellowedeyes,Ireceivemythankyouandhereyesslowlyclose.

時(shí)間似乎停滯了。在一片寂靜中，我感覺(jué)自己的脈搏加快了，我聽(tīng)到自己的呼吸開(kāi)始伴隨著她那不均勻的呼吸一起一落。我們互相對(duì)視，不知怎么的，我們都意識(shí)到，這是兩個(gè)生命間的一個(gè)特殊時(shí)刻。她那細(xì)長(zhǎng)的手指很輕易地就攏住了我的手，我微笑著慢慢點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。無(wú)需任何語(yǔ)言，我從她發(fā)黃的眼睛中感受到了她對(duì)我的謝意，她慢慢閉上了眼睛。

Someunknownintervaloftimepassesbeforehereyesopenagain,onlythistimethereisnoresponseinthem,justablankstare.Withoutwarning,hershallowbreathingstops,andwithinafewmoments,thefaintpulseisalsogone.Onesingletearflowsfromherlefteye,acrossthecheekanddownontothepillow.Ibegintocryquietly.Thereisaswellofemotionwithinmeforthisstrangerwhosoquicklycameintoandwentfrommylife.Hersufferingisdone,yetsoisthelife.Slowly,stillholdingherhand,IbecomeawarethatIdonotmindthisemotionalbattle,thatinfact,itwasaprivilegeshehasallowedme,andIwoulddoitagain,gladly.Mrs.Clarksparedherfamilyanepisodethatperhapstheywerenotequippedtohandleandinsteadshareditwithme.Shehadnotwantedtohaveherfamilyseeherdie,yetshedidnotwanttodiealone.Nooneshoulddiealone,andIamgladIwasthereforher.不知過(guò)了多長(zhǎng)時(shí)間，她又睜開(kāi)了雙眼，只是這一次目光里沒(méi)有任何反應(yīng)，只有空洞的凝視。沒(méi)有一點(diǎn)先兆，她那細(xì)弱的呼吸停止了。很快，微弱的脈搏也消失了。一顆淚珠從她的左眼中流出，滑過(guò)臉頰，落在枕上。我開(kāi)始輕聲哭泣。對(duì)這位迅速走進(jìn)又走出我生活的陌生人，我心間涌起了一股感情。她的痛苦結(jié)束了，可她的生命也結(jié)束了。我依然握著她的手，漸漸地，我意識(shí)到我并不害怕這種感情之戰(zhàn)，意識(shí)到這實(shí)際是她賜予我的特殊榮幸，而且我還樂(lè)意再來(lái)一次?？死朔蛉藳](méi)有讓她的家人目睹這一幕他們或許無(wú)力面對(duì)的人生插曲，卻與我分享了它。她不想讓家人看著她死去，然而她也不愿孤獨(dú)地離去。不應(yīng)當(dāng)有人孤獨(dú)離去的，我很高興能守候在她身邊。

Twodayslater,IreadaboutMrs.Clarkinthenewspaper.Shewasthemotherofseven,grandmotherofeighteen,anactivememberofherchurch,aleaderofvolunteerassociationsinhercommunity,aconcertpianoplayer,andapianoteacherforoverthirtyyears.

Yes,theywerelongandgracefulfingers.

兩天后，我在報(bào)上讀到了克拉克夫人的消息。原來(lái)她是7個(gè)孩子的母親、18個(gè)孩子的祖母、教會(huì)里的活躍分子、社區(qū)志愿者協(xié)會(huì)的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人、音樂(lè)會(huì)鋼琴演奏家、從教30余年的鋼琴教師。是啊，她的手指是那樣細(xì)長(zhǎng)而優(yōu)雅。Unit6

HowtoPrepareforEarthquakes

Ideally,peoplewouldliketoknowwhenanearthquakeisgoingtohappenandhowbaditwillbe.InbothJapanandChina,peoplehavelongbelievedthatearthquakescanbeforecast.InJapan,scientistshavewiredtheEarthandseatodetectmovements.TheChinesehavetraditionallywatchedanimalsandplantsforwarningsignsofearthquakes.Forexample,theChinesehavenotedthatbeforeanearthquake,hens'behaviorchanges—theyrefusetoentertheircagesatnight.Theyhavealsonoticedthatsnakescomeoutofthegroundtofreezetodeathandthatdogsbarkalot,evennormallyquietdogs.BeforetheHanshinearthquakeinJapan,therewerereportsoflargeschoolsoffishswimmingnearthesurfaceofthewater.Certainbirds,likepigeons,alsoseemedtobeespeciallynoisy,andwerereportedtobeflyinginunusualpatternsbeforetheearthquake.Perhapsmostinteresting,andmosteasilymeasured,isachemicalchangeingroundwaterbeforeaquake.Experimentaldataseemtoindicatethattheamountofradon(Rn)inthewaterunderthesurfaceoftheEarthwaxesbeforeanearthquake.從理想上說(shuō)，人們希望知道地震什么時(shí)候發(fā)生，破壞程度會(huì)如何。在日本和中國(guó)，人們長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)一直相信地震是可以預(yù)測(cè)的。在日本，科學(xué)家在陸地上和海洋中鋪設(shè)電線，以監(jiān)測(cè)它們的運(yùn)動(dòng)。而中國(guó)人的傳統(tǒng)做法是觀察動(dòng)植物以獲取地震的警示信號(hào)。例如，中國(guó)人注意到，地震之前母雞的行為會(huì)有所異常：它們夜晚不肯進(jìn)籠。他們還注意到，蛇會(huì)爬出地穴而凍死，狗會(huì)狂吠不已，甚至那些平常很安靜的狗也會(huì)叫個(gè)不停。日本的阪神地震發(fā)生之前，有報(bào)告說(shuō)大批魚(yú)群游到了水面。有些鳥(niǎo)，如鴿子，也顯得特別聒噪，據(jù)說(shuō)地震前它們飛行的方式也與往常不同。也許最有趣、也最容易測(cè)量的，是地震前地下水發(fā)生的化學(xué)變化。實(shí)驗(yàn)數(shù)據(jù)似乎表明，地震前地下水中氡的含量會(huì)增高。

Peoplewouldalsoliketobeabletopreventthegreatdestructionofpropertycausedbyearthquakes.Afterall,mostofthepeoplewhodieinearthquakesarekilledbyfallingbuildings.Therefore,buildingstructuresthatcanwithstandthepowerofearthquakesisamajorconcern.Steelseemstobethebestmaterial,butnotifitisweldedtoformarigidstructure.Manynewstructuresarebuiltwithanewtypeofsteeljoint,anI-joint,whichappearstobethemostdurabletypeofjoint.Thesejointsofsteelcanmovewithoutbreaking.Also,topreventpropertydamage,architectsnowdesignbuildingssothatthebuilding'scolumnsandhorizontalbeamsareofequalstrength,andverticalsupportcolumnsareinserteddeepintosolidsoil.Inaddition,manynewhouseshaverelativelylightroofsandstrongwalls.Concretepillarsforhighwaybridgesthatpreviouslyonlyhadsteelrodsinsidearenowenclosedinsteel.人們還希望能夠預(yù)防地震會(huì)造成的重大財(cái)產(chǎn)損失。要知道，多數(shù)在地震中喪生的人都是被倒塌的建筑物砸死的。所以，具有抗震能力的房屋結(jié)構(gòu)是關(guān)注的重點(diǎn)。鋼似乎是最佳的建材，但一旦被焊接成僵硬的結(jié)構(gòu)就不行了。許多新式結(jié)構(gòu)都采用了一種新型的鋼接合方法，即I形接合，它看來(lái)是最耐用的一種接合。這種鋼接合在移動(dòng)時(shí)不會(huì)斷裂。同樣，為了預(yù)防財(cái)產(chǎn)損失，建筑師如今設(shè)計(jì)樓房時(shí)會(huì)使房屋的支柱和橫梁力度相等，而垂直支柱則深深插入堅(jiān)實(shí)的地基中。此外，許多新型房屋都采用了較輕的屋頂和堅(jiān)實(shí)的墻壁。高架橋的水泥柱先前只是在內(nèi)部有鋼筋，如今外面也包上了鋼板。

Besidesworkingtoimprovebuildingstructures,peopleinareaswhereearthquakesarecommon

needtoprepareforthepossibilityofagreatearthquake.Theyshouldregularlycheckandreinforcetheirhomes,placeheavyobjectsinlowpositions,attachcupboardsandcabinetstowalls,andfastendoorssothattheywillnotopenaccidentallyduringanearthquake.

除了設(shè)法改善建筑結(jié)構(gòu)外，地震頻發(fā)區(qū)的人們也需要為可能發(fā)生的大地震做好防備工作。他們應(yīng)當(dāng)定期檢查和加固房屋，將重物放在低處，將櫥柜和柜子貼墻放置，加固房門以防地震時(shí)意外脫開(kāi)。

Inadditiontopreparingtheirhouses,peopleintheseregionsneedtopreparethemselves.Theyshouldhavesuppliesofwaterandfoodathomeandatwork.Itisbesttostoreseveralgallonsofwaterperperson.Itisalsoimportanttohavesomethingthatcancleanwaterandkillbacteria,sowaterfromothersourcescanbemadesafetodrink.Storeoneweek'sfoodforeachperson.Earthquakesurvivalsuppliesincludearadioreceiver,atorch,extrabatteries,first-aidsupplies,aspade,atent,somerope,andwarmclothing.除做好房屋的防震外，這些地區(qū)的人們還需要為自身做些防備。他們應(yīng)該在家里和工作地儲(chǔ)備些水和食物。最好每人儲(chǔ)備幾加侖水。儲(chǔ)備一些可以凈化水和消滅病菌的東西也很重要，這樣就可以安全地飲用其他來(lái)源的水了。每人準(zhǔn)備一周的食物。地震救生儲(chǔ)備還包括無(wú)線電接收器、手電、備用電池、急救用品、鐵鍬、帳篷、繩子和保暖衣物。Expertsalsosuggestthefollowing:

Keepafireextinguisherhandy.Youshouldhaveoneathome,atwork,andinyourcar(ifyouhaveone).Thefireextinguishershouldbeabletoputoutanytypeoffire.Havethepropertoolstoturnoffgasandwaterlinesifnecessary.Arrangeanauxiliarycookingandheatingsourcethatcanbeusedoutside.Onealternativeisaportablecampstovewithsmallcansofgas.Keepapairofheavy,comfortableshoesorbootsinyourhome,atwork,andinyourvehicle.Ifthereisanearthquake,therewillbelotsoffragmentsofbrokenglass.Lightshoeswillnotprotectyourfeetaswellasheavyshoeswill.

手邊備有滅火器。應(yīng)該在住處、工作場(chǎng)所和汽車?yán)?如果你有車的話)都存放一個(gè)。滅火器應(yīng)該是可以撲滅任何火災(zāi)的那種。有必要的話，準(zhǔn)備一些能關(guān)閉煤氣和自來(lái)水管道的特制工具。準(zhǔn)備一個(gè)備用的戶外烹調(diào)和取暖用具，可以準(zhǔn)備一個(gè)便攜式露營(yíng)灶和幾小罐煤氣。在住處、工作場(chǎng)所和汽車?yán)锓乓浑p厚重、舒適的鞋或靴子。發(fā)生地震時(shí)會(huì)有大量的玻璃碎片。輕便的鞋子不能像厚重的鞋子那樣保護(hù)好你的雙腳。

Everyfamilyneedstohaveearthquakeemergencyplans.Howwillfamilymembersleavetheareaduringthechaosfollowinganearthquake?Everyoneshouldagreeonameetingpointoutsideofthearea—perhapsinatownseveralmilesaway.Alsoimportantisanarrangementforfamilymemberstocommunicateifthereisanearthquake.Ifanearthquakehappensinalargecity,manyofthetelephonelineswithinthecityarelikelytobedown.Thefewremainingworkinglineswillbebusywiththecallsthatnaturallyoccurafteradisasteranditwillbedifficulttocallfromonepartofthecitytoanother.Itmight,however,bepossibletocalloutsidethecity.Asensiblearrangementistohaveallofthemembersofthefamilycalltocheckinwithafriendorrelativewholivesmorethanahundredmilesaway.

每個(gè)家庭都需要制定地震應(yīng)急計(jì)劃。如何讓一家人在地震的混亂中安全離開(kāi)？大家應(yīng)該商定一個(gè)地震區(qū)外的會(huì)合點(diǎn)──可能是在幾英里外的某個(gè)市鎮(zhèn)。同樣，協(xié)商好地震時(shí)家人的聯(lián)絡(luò)方式也很重要。地震若發(fā)生在大城市，市里的許多線路