Tsunami watch lifted after two big earthquakes----免費學英文 @ 金學堂英語的部落格

Tsunami watch lifted after two big
earthquakes

Jakarta, Indonesia
(CNN) -- A massive earthquake struck off the coast of the Indonesian island of
Sumatra Wednesday afternoon, triggering a
tsunami watch for the Indian Ocean, which was later canceled.

The quake struck
about 434 kilometers (270 miles) southwest of Banda Aceh, the capital of
Indonesia's Aceh province, and had a magnitude
of 8.6, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It took place
at a depth of 23 kilometers (14 miles).

A second large
quake, with a magnitude of 8.2, occurred off the west coast of Sumatra about
two hours later, the USGS said.

Gary Gibson from
the Seismology Research Center in Melbourne, Australia, said the location of
the second quake reduces the possibility of a tsunami.

There was also a
series of smaller quakes off the west coast of northern Sumatra with magnitudes
between 5.1 and 5.4.

There were no immediate reports of destruction
or deaths Wednesday.

Vocabulary &
phrase:

1. massive adj. 大而重的, 厚實的, 粗大的

2. strike off 觸及；撞擊；到達

3. trigger n. 能引起反應的刺激物[(+for)]

4. magnitude n. 【地】震級[C]

5. take place 發生; 舉行

6. immediate adj. 立即的, 即刻的

7.destruction n. 破壞; 毀滅; 消滅[U]