Android phones can be used to sense earthquakes

广东 涂丽平

安卓手机可收到地震预警，你手机的地震预警功能开了吗？

主题语境：地震 篇幅：310词 建议用时：6分钟

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 (微型地震仪), 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.日积月累

sensev.感觉到；检测出

magnituden.地震级数

downloadv.下载

devicen.设备；装置

search engine 搜索引擎

come into use 开始使用

seek cover 寻找掩体

depend on 依赖于；取决于

by contrast 相比之下

Ⅱ.语法填空

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.

主题应用·语库构建

Ⅰ.主题词汇

earthquake 地震

tsunami 海啸

hurricane 飓风；台风

tornado 龙卷风

flood 洪水

drought 干旱

wildfire 野火

avalanche 雪崩

volcano 火山

landslide 山体滑坡

blizzard 暴风雪

cyclone 气旋；龙卷风

heatwave 热浪

thunderstorm 雷暴

hailstorm 雹暴

sinkhole 落水洞

mudslide 泥石流

erosion 侵蚀

snowstorm 暴风雪

tidal wave 潮汐波

lightning 闪电

heatstroke 中暑

storm surge 风暴潮

famine 饥荒

deliver 递送；交付

helicopter 直升机

death 死；死亡

percent 百分之……

brick 砖；砖块

metal 金属

electricity 电；电能

effort 努力；艰难的尝试；尽力

wisdom 智慧；才智

context 上下文；语境；背景

power 电力供应；力量；控制力

pipe 管子；管道

emergency 突发事件；紧急情况

kit 成套工具；成套设备

summary 总结；概括；概要

effect 影响；结果；效果

length 长；长度

rescue 营救；救援

damage 损害；破坏

destroy 摧毁；毁灭

evacuate 疏散；撤出；撤离

affect 影响；(疾病)侵袭；深深打动

shelter 避难处；居所；庇护

crack 裂纹；裂缝

ruin 破坏；毁坏

trap 使落入险境；使陷入圈套

bury 埋葬；安葬

breathe 呼吸

supply 供应(量)；补给

survive 生存；存活

calm 镇静的；沉着的

strike 侵袭；突击；击打

Ⅱ.主题短语

emergency response 应急响应

disaster relief 灾害救助

evacuation order 疏散命令

search and rescue 搜救

shelter in place 就地避难

recovery efforts 重建工作

humanitarian aid 人道主义援助

emergency shelter 应急避难所

warning signs 预警标志

early warning system 预警系统

strong winds 强风

heavy rainfall 暴雨

earthquake-prone area 地震多发区

make an effort to do sth 努力做某事

spare no effort to do sth 不遗余力做某事

volcanic eruption 火山喷发

first-aid kit 急救箱

come to one's rescue 搭救某人

rescue...from...把……从……中救出来

do/cause damage to...对……造成损害

environmental damage 环境损害；环境破坏

suffer damage 遭受损害

have an effect on...对……有影响

come into effect 生效；开始实施

side effect 副作用

in ruins 严重受损；成为废墟

be/get trapped in...困在……中；陷入……中

bury one's face/head in 把脸/头埋在……里

bury oneself in 埋头于/专心于……

breathe in/out 吸气/呼气

(be) out of breath 上气不接下气；气喘吁吁

hold one's breath 屏住呼吸

take a deep breath 深吸一口气

lose one's breath 喘不过气来

suffer pain/hardship 经历痛苦/困难

medical/relief supplies 医疗用品/救援物资

stay/keep/remain calm 保持镇静

calm...down 使……平静下来

be struck with/by 被……打动

strike into one's heart 使某人刻骨铭心

It strikes/hits sb that 某人突然想起

as if 似乎；好像；仿佛

Ⅲ.主题美句

1.The earthquake caused extensive damage to buildings and infrastructure.地震对建筑物和基础设施造成了严重的破坏。

2.The coastal region was devastated by the powerful tsunami waves.沿 海地 区被强大的海啸波摧毁了。

3.Emergency response teams were dispatched to aid the victims of the hurricane.紧急应急队伍被派遣去援助飓风的受害者了。

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

5.The floodwaters submerged entire neighborhoods, displacing thousands of people.洪水淹没了整个社区，成千上万的人被迫离开。

6.The volcanic eruption spewed ash and lava, posing a threat to nearby communities.火山喷发喷出的灰烬和岩浆威胁着附近的社区。

7.The landslide buried several houses under a mass of mud and rocks.山 体 滑坡使得大量的泥土和岩石掩埋了数栋房屋。

8.The blizzard made roads impassable and caused power outages.暴风雪导致道路不通，也造成了停电。

9.The cyclone caused widespread destruction, flattening houses and uprooting trees.气旋造成了广泛的破坏，房屋被夷为平地，树木也被连根拔起。

10.The drought resulted in severe water shortages and crop failures in the region.干旱导致该地区严重缺水和农作物歉收。

Ⅳ.主题写作

假定你的家乡昨天发生了严重的地震，损失惨重，请你为家乡的英语报社写一篇新闻报道。内容包括：

1.受灾情况；

2.赈灾措施。

注意：

1.词数80左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

A terrible earthquake

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Ⅴ.主题测评

见P62～P74 自测园地“自然灾害”内容。