How to Prepare for Earthquakes

贡献者:于建松 类别:英文 时间:2021-12-24 23:16:32 收藏数:31 评分:2.7
返回上页 举报此文章
请选择举报理由:




收藏到我的文章 改错字
Ideally, people would like to know when an earthquake is going to happen and how bad it will be.
Inboth Japan and China, people have long believed that earthquakes can be forecast.
In Japan, scientistshave wired the Earth and sea to detect movements.
The Chinese have traditionally watched animal sand plants for warning signs of earthquakes.
For example, the Chinese have noted that before an earthquake,
hens' behavior changes they refuse to enter their cages at night.
They have also noticed that snakes come out of the ground
to freeze to death and that dogs bark a lot,
even normally quiet dogs. Before the Hanshin earthquake in Japan,
there were reports of large schools of fish swimming near the surface of the water.
Certain birds, like pigeons, also seemed to be especially noisy,
and were reported to be flying in unusual patterns before the earthquake.
Perhaps most interesting, and mosteasily measured,
is a chemical change in ground water before a quake.
Experimental data seem to indicate that the amount of radon
in the water under the surface of the
Earth waxes before anearthquake.
People would also like to be able to prevent the great destruction of
property caused by earthquakes.
After all, most of the people who die in earthquakes are killed by falling buildings.
Therefore, building structures that can withstand the power of earthquakes is a major concern.
Steel seems to be the best material, but not if it is welded to form a rigid structure.
Many new structures are built with a new typeof steel joint, an I-joint,
which appears to be the most durable type of joint. These joints of steel can move without breaking.
Also, to prevent property damage, architects now design buildings so that the building's
columns and horizontal beams are of equal strength,
and vertical support columns areinserted deep into solid soil.
In addition, many new houses have relatively light roofs and strong walls.
Concrete pillars for highway bridges that previously only had steel rods
inside are now enclosed in steel.
Besides working to improve building structures, people in areas where earthquakes are common need to
prepare for the possibility of a great earthquake.
They should regularly check and reinforcetheir homes,
place heavy objects in low positions, attach cupboards and cabinets to walls,
and fastendoors so that they will not open accidentally during an earthquake.
In addition to preparing their houses, people in these regions need to prepare themselves.
They should have supplies of water and food at home and at work.
It is best to store several gallons of waterper person.
It is also important to have something that can clean water and kill bacteria,
so water from other sources can be made safe to drink. Store one week's food for each person.
Earthquake survival supplies include a radio receiver, a torch, extra batteries, first-aid supplies,
a spade, a tent, some rope,and warm clothing. Experts also suggest the following:
Keep a fire extinguisher handy. You should have one at home,
at work, and in your car (if you haveone).
The fire extinguisher should be able to put out any type of fire.
Have the proper tools to turn offgas and water lines if necessary.
Arrange an auxiliary cooking and heating source that can be usedoutside.
One alternative is a portable camp stove with small cans of gas.
Keep a pair of heavy,comfortable shoes or boots in your home, at work, and in your vehicle.
If there is an earthquake, therewill be lots of fragments of broken glass.
Light shoes will not protect your feet as well as heavy shoeswill.
Every family needs to have earthquake emergency plans.
How will family members leave the areaduring the chaos following an earthquake?
Everyone should agree on a meeting point outside of thearea-perhaps in a town several miles away.
Also important is an arrangement for family members tocommunicate if there is an earthquake.
If an earthquake happens in a large city,
many of the telephone lines within the city are likely to be down.
The few remaining working lines will be busy with the callsthat naturally occur after
a disaster and it will be difficult to call from one part of the city to another.
Itmight, however, be possible to call outside the city.
A sensible arrangement is to have all of themembers of the family call to check in with a friend
or relative who lives more than a hundred milesaway.
Although scientists still cannot predict earthquakes,
they are learning a great deal about how thelarge plates in the earth's crust move,
the stresses between plates, how earthquakes work, and thegeneral probability that
a given place will have an earthquake. Someday soon it may actually become possible
to predict earthquakes with accuracy. However, even if prediction becomes possible,
peoplewho live in areas where earthquakes are a common occurrence will still have to do
their best to preventdisasters by building structures that are resistant to ground movement
and by being personallyprepared. These precautions can make a great difference in saving lives and
preventing the loss ofhomes. Education concerning how to survive an earthquake
should be a major emphasis
for allgovernment programs and earthquake-related research projects.
声明:以上文章均为用户自行添加,仅供打字交流使用,不代表本站观点,本站不承担任何法律责任,特此声明!如果有侵犯到您的权利,请及时联系我们删除。
文章热度:
文章难度:
文章质量:
认证文章
说明:系统根据文章的热度、难度、质量自动认证,已认证的文章将参与打字排名!

本文打字排名TOP20