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4．近几年来，中国、日本和美国对地震发生的时间、地点的预测取得了一定的进步。
5．地震能造成惨重的人员伤亡，毁坏建筑物，如大楼、桥梁、大坝等设施。
B. Read the text and translate it into Chinese.
Our weather surely is getting strange. There seem to be more tomadoes than in living memory, longer droughts, bigger downpours and record floods. Unprecedented fires are burning in some areas. Scientists tell us that for every one degree increase in temperature, lightning strikes will go up another 10%. And it is lightning, after all, that is principally responsible for igniting the conflagration in some areas today. 【课文参考译文】
地震是人类所知的最具有破坏力的自然灾害之一。自从有记载以来，估计由地震造成的死亡达数百万以上，地震造成的破坏更是不计其数。地震造成的破坏如此之大，死亡如此之多，主要是由于地震引发的建筑物倒塌、岩石崩落、洪水、火灾、疾病等现象造成的，而不是由于地震本身。
大多数地震发生在两个独特的地理位置。一个是环太平洋地区及相邻的大陆架，另一个是从印度东部延伸到阿特拉斯山脉，其中包括喜马拉雅山、伊朗、土耳其和阿尔卑斯地区。那里随时随地都可能发生地震。
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几个世纪以来，这种对于地震的未知性更大大地增加了地震的可怕和恐惧性。但近几年来已有迹象表明地震预测是可能的。通过分析动物行为的变化，地壳运动的方式，地球磁场和地心引力的变化以及监测到的轻微地震的频率，科学家在预测地震发生的时间和地点上已取得了不断的成功。因此，世界性地震预警网络已经运转，而且已经帮助人们对大范围的破坏做好准备，而这些破坏也可能是完全不能预料的。
人类是否能完全控制地震并消除它的破坏力还未可知。但是，随着我们对地震发生的方式和原因有了更多的了解，在地震发生之前，我们就能更好地应对可能造成的破坏。 【参考答案】 阅读理解
1. Collapse of buildings and the effects of rock slides, floods, fire, disease and other phenomena from earthquakes.
2. The area encompasses the Pacific Ocean and its contiguous land masses, East Indians to the Atlas Mountains.
3. It refers to the fact the earthquakes can happen anywhere at any time.
4. a) analyzing changes in animal behavior b) patterns ofmovements in the earth's crust
c) variations in the force of gravity and the earth's magnetic field
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d) observation of the frequency of minor earth tremors 5. Earthquake prediction is becoming more and more possible. 【练习参考答案】 A．汉译英
1. Preparations for the meeting are proceeding smoothly. 2. As technological advancement solves old problems, it also creates new ones.
3. The 1976 earthquake in Tangshan was one of the greatest natural disasters in history.
4. In recent years, China, Japan and the U.S have made certain progress in forecasting when and where earthquakes will occur. 5. Earthquakes cause severe casualties and destroy constructions like buildings, dams and bridges. B．英译汉
天气的确越来越反常。在人们记忆中，龙卷风似乎更加频繁、旱灾持续更久、暴雨更大、洪灾也创下纪录、在一些地区火灾史无前例。科学家告知我们，气温每升高一度，闪电数量就会增加10%。毕竟，在一些地区闪电至今仍然是引起特大火灾的主要原因。
UNIT 5 The Aftermath of BP Gulf Oil Spill英国石油公司墨西哥湾原油泄漏
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Text
Read the text. Answer the given questions and translate the underlined sentences or paragraphs into Chinese.
In the aftermath of the BP oil spill, President Obama voiced the concerns of countless scientists, environmentalists, and Gulf Coast residents when he declared, \potentially unprecedented environmental disaster.\the oil spill --- 210,000 gallons a day contaminating the Gulf of Mexico --- has many people worried about the short and long-term environmental harm it is causing.
The oil spill could severely damage fragile ecosystems for years, possibly decades. Beaches fouled by oil spills are very difficult to clean up. To make matters worse, the spill threatens beaches just as shorebirds are nesting and sea turtles are coming ashore to lay their eggs.
Even worse is the effect the oil spill could have on.sensitive salt marshes and mangrove coastlines, which would be practically impossible to clean and that some fear might be permanently destroyed. These wetlands are considered the nurseries for the fishing and seafood industry and are a vital habitat and breeding ground for many species of wildlife. Because they cover much more land area than beaches, the risk oftheir exposure to damage is greatly
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increased.
Fully 98 percent of the fish and shellfish harvested in the Gulf of Mexico depend on estuaries, which are coastal waters where freshwater from rivers and streams mix with sea water. Estuaries are dependant on wetlands for their water quality and to provide a basis for aquatic food chains. Many species depend on wetlands for food, shelter and breeding.
The waters of the Gulf of Mexico are homes to hundreds of species of aquatic life. The longer the oil fouls the water, the more polluted the food chain becomes, which could result in large fish kills and seafood too contaminated for consumption.
1. In the first sentence \Obama voiced the concems ofcountless scientists...\ what does the word \2. How long could the damage to the ecosystem last? 3. How important are the wetlands to the wildlife? 4. Why are estuaries dependent on wetlands?
5. How will the oil spill affect the seafood in the Gulf of Mexico? Exercises
A. Translate the following sentences into English.
1．如何尽快处理墨西哥湾的原油泄漏是BP公司最为关注的问题。
2．这起事故使环保人士对生态环境有了不小的担忧。
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