On a spring morning in 2013, a strong earthquake hit Yaan in Sichuan. Before the heaviest shaking reached the towns, many people heard a warning from their phones and loudspeakers. They had twelve seconds. Twelve seconds is not long. It is enough to step outside, to move away from a window, to stop a machine, or to get under a desk.
How can a message arrive before the earthquake itself? An earthquake sends out two kinds of waves. The first one is fast but weak. The second one is slower and does great damage. Sensors near the epicenter feel the first wave at once. Computers then work out where the earthquake is and how strong it will be, and send a warning by radio and the internet. Electronic messages travel at the speed of light, while the strong wave moves only a few kilometers per second. That difference is the twelve seconds.
Last week, a company in Xiamen was praised for its warning equipment. Seven government departments chose its system as a model case for safety technology in 2026. The same equipment is also used on offshore wind platforms, where workers are far from any hospital. China has built the largest earthquake warning network in the world, with 15,899 stations. It has served the public since July 2024 and now sends warnings to schools, hospitals, trains, and factories.
No machine can stop the ground from moving. But a few seconds of warning can open a door, stop a train, or move a child away from a glass window. We often measure technology by its speed or its price. Here it is measured in something simpler: the number of people who are already standing outside when the shaking begins.
Words to know:
- earthquake (地震)
- warning (警报；预警)
- epicenter (震中)
- sensor (传感器)
- wave (波)
- damage (破坏；损害)
- offshore (海上的；近海的)
- platform (平台)
长难句拆解 · while 表对比 + where 引导定语从句
原句：Electronic messages travel at the speed of light, while the strong wave moves only a few kilometers per second.
主句是 Electronic messages travel at the speed of light，while 引导的分句表示对比，相当于「而」，不是「当……的时候」，翻译时不能译成时间。
at the speed of light 是固定搭配，at 表示速度；moves only a few kilometers per second 中 per second 表示「每秒」。
同段还有一句 The same equipment is also used on offshore wind platforms, where workers are far from any hospital。where 引导非限制性定语从句，先行词是 platforms，说明平台上的情况。
直译：电子消息以光速行进，而强烈的波每秒只移动几公里。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
雅思阅读常把原文换个说法再来问你，先遮住右边，自己说一遍再对照。
- hit Yaan → strike Yaan / shake Yaan（地震袭击某地）
- feel the first wave at once → sense the first wave immediately / catch the first wave right away（立刻感知）
- work out where the earthquake is → calculate the location / figure out the epicenter（算出位置）
- was praised for → was recognized for / was commended for（因……受到表彰）
- do great damage → cause serious harm / bring heavy losses（造成破坏）
- measure technology by its speed → judge technology by its speed / evaluate it by speed（衡量技术）
- a few seconds → a short moment / several seconds（几秒钟）
阅读自测 · 3 题
- T/F/NG: The first wave of an earthquake causes most of the damage.
- 简答：How many stations does China earthquake warning network have?
- 简答：Which travels faster, the warning message or the strong wave?
参考答案与解析
- F（错误）。第二段说 The first one is fast but weak，造成破坏的是第二种波 The second one is slower and does great damage。题目把 fast 换成 causes most of the damage，是典型的张冠李戴加偷换结论。
- 15,899. 第三段原句是 China has built the largest earthquake warning network in the world, with 15,899 stations。数字题只要定位准确即可，注意不要与 2024 年 7 月这个时间点混淆。
- The warning message. 第二段说 Electronic messages travel at the speed of light, while the strong wave moves only a few kilometers per second。正因为电子消息更快，预警才能抢在强波之前到达。
中文译文
2013 年春天的一个上午，四川雅安发生强烈地震。在最剧烈的震动到达城镇之前，许多人从手机和喇叭里听到了警报。他们有十二秒。十二秒并不长。但足够走到门外、远离窗户、停下机器，或者躲到桌子底下。
一条消息怎么可能比地震本身更早到达？地震会发出两种波。第一种速度快但力量弱。第二种速度慢，却造成巨大破坏。震中附近的传感器立刻感知到第一波。计算机随即算出地震发生的位置和强度，再通过无线电和互联网发出警报。电子信号以光速传播，而强烈的震波每秒只前进几公里。这个差值，就是那十二秒。
上周，厦门一家公司因为它的预警设备受到表彰。七个政府部门把它的系统选为 2026 年安全应急装备的典型案例。同样的设备也用在海上风电平台上，那里的工人离任何医院都很远。中国建成了世界上规模最大的地震预警网，共有 15899 个观测站。它自 2024 年 7 月起向公众提供服务，如今把警报送到学校、医院、列车和工厂。
没有机器能让大地停止移动。但几秒钟的预警可以打开一扇门、停下一列火车，或者把一个孩子从玻璃窗前拉开。我们常常用速度或价格来衡量技术。而在这里，衡量它的东西更简单：地震开始时，已经站在门外的人数。