Android phones can be used to sense earthquakes

廣東 涂麗平

安卓手機可收到地震預警，你手機的地震預警功能開了嗎？

主題語境：地震 篇幅：310詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1Android phones can be used to sense earthquakes around the world and may one day be able to provide global warnings, with the first mass alert system coming into use on August 11, 2020 in California, a search engine company announced.

2The company, which helped develop Android, worked with California and the United States Geological Survey to build the quake alerts into all phones that run the common mobile operating system.Android users who have enabled location services and are near a quake of magnitude 4.5 or greater will receive a full-screen earthquake warning telling them to seek cover.The screen will also provide estimates of the quake's magnitude and distance from the user.Depending on their distance from a quake, people could get several seconds or perhaps a minute of warning.

3That application, developed by the University of California, Berkeley and launched in 2019, has been downloaded by only about 1 million of California's 40 million residents.By contrast, many millions of people own Android phones.

4“This announcement means that California's world-class earthquake early warning system will be a standard function on every Android phone—giving millions of people precious seconds to seek cover when the big one hits,” Gov Gavin Newsom said.

5Also, the company announced that Android phones would begin detecting earthquakes from around the world through their motion-sensing accelerometers.“Your Android phone can be a mini-seismometer (微型地震儀), joining millions of other Android phones there to form the world's largest earthquake detection network,” according to the company.More than 2 billion devices run the Android operating system.“Hundreds of millions of people live in earthquake-prone areas.But many countries lack the resources to build detection and alert systems,” the company said.The information would be used at first to provide fast and accurate information on the search engine.But the company said it could begin sending out earthquake alerts in 2021.

Reading Check

1.What can Android phones do about earthquake sensing?

A.Enable users to seek cover when the big one hits.

B.Provide information on the history of all earthquakes.

C.Break the world's largest earthquake detection network.

D.Provide global warnings and detect earthquakes around the world.

2.What can we learn about the application from the text?

A.It will be of great help.

B.It hardly sends out earthquake alerts.

C.Millions of people have downloaded it.

D.It was developed by a university in Los Angeles.

3.What will globalize the earthquake detection network?

A.New technology developed by the company.

B.The large number of Android phone users.

C.The newly developed application.

D.Motion-sensing accelerometers.

4.What is the author's purpose of writing the text?

A.To promote Android phones.

B.To share a new study.

C.To introduce a new app of Android phones.

D.To make a search engine company known to the world.

Language Study

Ⅰ.日積月累

sensev.感覺到；檢測出

magnituden.地震級數

downloadv.下載

devicen.設備；裝置

search engine 搜索引擎

come into use 開始使用

seek cover 尋找掩體

depend on 依賴于；取決于

by contrast 相比之下

Ⅱ.語法填空

Natural disasters have a significant impact 1.________ people's lives and property.Every year, many countries suffer from destruction 2.________ (cause) by natural disasters.Earthquakes can lead to building collapses, and landslides can bury entire villages.In addition, storms and floods brought by typhoons can often 3.________ (claim) lives.

In responding 4.________ natural disasters, emergency response is crucial.When a disaster 5.________ (occur), rescue teams must take immediate 6.________ (act).They must rescue trapped individuals, provide emergency medical assistance, and ensure the basic needs of the affected areas 7.________ (meet).Furthermore, governments and nongovernmental organizations need to coordinate their efforts 8.________ (ensure) resources are allocated effectively.

Additionally, by 9.________ (strengthen) monitoring and warning systems, people can be alerted before a disaster strikes.In earthquake areas, earthquake-resistant building designs are essential.People can also enhance their own disaster response capabilities through establishing emergency evacuation plans, maintaining emergency supplies,10.________ receiving relevant training.

主題應用·語庫構建

Ⅰ.主題詞匯

earthquake 地震

tsunami 海嘯

hurricane 颶風；臺風

tornado 龍卷風

flood 洪水

drought 干旱

wildfire 野火

avalanche 雪崩

volcano 火山

landslide 山體滑坡

blizzard 暴風雪

cyclone 氣旋；龍卷風

heatwave 熱浪

thunderstorm 雷暴

hailstorm 雹暴

sinkhole 落水洞

mudslide 泥石流

erosion 侵蝕

snowstorm 暴風雪

tidal wave 潮汐波

lightning 閃電

heatstroke 中暑

storm surge 風暴潮

famine 饑荒

deliver 遞送；交付

helicopter 直升機

death 死；死亡

percent 百分之……

brick 磚；磚塊

metal 金屬

electricity 電；電能

effort 努力；艱難的嘗試；盡力

wisdom 智慧；才智

context 上下文；語境；背景

power 電力供應；力量；控制力

pipe 管子；管道

emergency 突發事件；緊急情況

kit 成套工具；成套設備

summary 總結；概括；概要

effect 影響；結果；效果

length 長；長度

rescue 營救；救援

damage 損害；破壞

destroy 摧毀；毀滅

evacuate 疏散；撤出；撤離

affect 影響；(疾病)侵襲；深深打動

shelter 避難處；居所；庇護

crack 裂紋；裂縫

ruin 破壞；毀壞

trap 使落入險境；使陷入圈套

bury 埋葬；安葬

breathe 呼吸

supply 供應(量)；補給

survive 生存；存活

calm 鎮靜的；沉著的

strike 侵襲；突擊；擊打

Ⅱ.主題短語

emergency response 應急響應

disaster relief 災害救助

evacuation order 疏散命令

search and rescue 搜救

shelter in place 就地避難

recovery efforts 重建工作

humanitarian aid 人道主義援助

emergency shelter 應急避難所

warning signs 預警標志

early warning system 預警系統

strong winds 強風

heavy rainfall 暴雨

earthquake-prone area 地震多發區

make an effort to do sth 努力做某事

spare no effort to do sth 不遺余力做某事

volcanic eruption 火山噴發

first-aid kit 急救箱

come to one's rescue 搭救某人

rescue...from...把……從……中救出來

do/cause damage to...對……造成損害

environmental damage 環境損害；環境破壞

suffer damage 遭受損害

have an effect on...對……有影響

come into effect 生效；開始實施

side effect 副作用

in ruins 嚴重受損；成為廢墟

be/get trapped in...困在……中；陷入……中

bury one's face/head in 把臉/頭埋在……里

bury oneself in 埋頭于/專心于……

breathe in/out 吸氣/呼氣

(be) out of breath 上氣不接下氣；氣喘吁吁

hold one's breath 屏住呼吸

take a deep breath 深吸一口氣

lose one's breath 喘不過氣來

suffer pain/hardship 經歷痛苦/困難

medical/relief supplies 醫療用品/救援物資

stay/keep/remain calm 保持鎮靜

calm...down 使……平靜下來

be struck with/by 被……打動

strike into one's heart 使某人刻骨銘心

It strikes/hits sb that 某人突然想起

as if 似乎；好像；仿佛

Ⅲ.主題美句

1.The earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.地震對建筑物和基礎設施造成了嚴重的破壞。

2.The coastal region was devastated by the powerful tsunami waves.沿 海地 區被強大的海嘯波摧毀了。

3.Emergency response teams were dispatched to aid the victims of the hurricane.緊急應急隊伍被派遣去援助颶風的受害者了。

4.Evacuation orders were issued as the wildfire rapidly spread through the forest.野火迅速蔓延森林，疏散命令被發布。

5.The floodwaters submerged entire neighborhoods, displacing thousands of people.洪水淹沒了整個社區，成千上萬的人被迫離開。

6.The volcanic eruption spewed ash and lava, posing a threat to nearby communities.火山噴發噴出的灰燼和巖漿威脅著附近的社區。

7.The landslide buried several houses under a mass of mud and rocks.山 體 滑坡使得大量的泥土和巖石掩埋了數棟房屋。

8.The blizzard made roads impassable and caused power outages.暴風雪導致道路不通，也造成了停電。

9.The cyclone caused widespread destruction, flattening houses and uprooting trees.氣旋造成了廣泛的破壞，房屋被夷為平地，樹木也被連根拔起。

10.The drought resulted in severe water shortages and crop failures in the region.干旱導致該地區嚴重缺水和農作物歉收。

Ⅳ.主題寫作

假定你的家鄉昨天發生了嚴重的地震，損失慘重，請你為家鄉的英語報社寫一篇新聞報道。內容包括：

1.受災情況；

2.賑災措施。

注意：

1.詞數80左右；

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

A terrible earthquake

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Ⅴ.主題測評

見P62～P74 自測園地“自然災害”內容。