加州6级地震 预警系统提前10秒发警报

　　Scientists at UC Berkeley released a video showing an earthquake early-warning system that sent an alert before the magnitude-6.0 Napa earthquake Sunday morning。

　　加州伯克利大学[微博]科学家发布的一则视频显示加州酒乡Napa周日上午发生6.0级地震前，地震预警系统提前发出了警报。

　　Officials said the system provided an alert 10 seconds before the quake was felt。

　　官方表示，系统在人们感觉到震动前10秒发出了预警。

　　California is working to complete a statewide system, which could be unveiled in the next few years。

　　覆盖全州的加州预警系统目前正在建设当中，预计几年后才能完工。

　　Once fully developed, the system could give downtown Los Angeles 40 to 50 seconds of warning that the “Big One” was headed from the San Andreas fault, giving time for elevators to stop at the next floor and open up, firefighters to open up garage doors, high-speed trains to slow down to avoid derailment and surgeons to take the scalpel out of a patient。

　　系统全部建设完成后，一旦圣安地列斯断层带发生大地震，洛杉矶将能提前40到50秒收到预警，这意味着电梯将有时间在下个楼层停靠并把门打开，消防员能有时间打开车库门，高速列车有时间降速以防出轨，外科医生能有时间暂停手术。

　　A lack of funds, however, has slowed the system's progress。

　　然而由于资金不足，该系统的建设进度较为缓慢。

　　The system works because while earthquakes travel at the speed of sound, sensors that initially detect the shaking near the epicenter of a quake can send a message faster -- at the speed of light -- to warn residents farther away that the quake is coming。

　　系统的工作原理在于地震波的传播速度与声波相近，传感器在震中附近探测到震动后以光速抢先向远处的居民传递地震预警信号。

　　Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said the successful test shows the need for the system。

　　众议员谢安达表示，这次测试的成功显示了建立系统的必要性。

　　While this was not the 'big one,' we need to be prepared to save lives and protect vital infrastructure -- even a few seconds of warning will allow people to seek cover, automatically slow or stop trains, pause surgeries and more," he said in a statement。

　　他在声明中说道，“虽然这次地震没有达到8级以上，但我们仍需做好救援准备，保护重要基础设施。即使只提前几秒预警，人们也能有更多时间寻找掩蔽物，让列车降速或停车，暂停手术和采取其他措施。

（文章来源：沪江英语）