Unit Six How to prepare for Earthquakes

第一篇：Unit Six How to prepare for Earthquakes

Unit Six How to prepare for Earthquakes

Step ⅠWarm-up Activities

Discuss the following questions as the lead-in to the text

1..Did you still remember 26th October,2005? Something special happened in Wuhan.2.What’s an earthquake?

Earthquake: a sudden shaking of the earth's surface that often causes a lot of damages(LDOCE)Earthquakes are one of the most powerful natural forces that can disrupt(扰乱)our daily lives.Even if you do not remember seeing or feeling an earthquake, you have probably lived through thousands of tiny earthquakes during your lifetime.The earth is constantly creating earthquakes.3.Think about the following questions:

1).Why do earthquakes occur?

2)Why do some locations such as California and Japan receive so many earthquakes?

3).Can we design a city to better withstand an earthquake?

4).Can we stop earthquakes before they occur? Should we try?

4.Basic facts about earthquakes

1)Earthquakes are usually measured by Richter Scale.2)The largest recorded earthquake in the world was a magnitude 9.5(Mw)震级in Chile on May 22, 1960It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year.100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage.3)Most earthquakes occur at depths of less than 80 km(50 miles)from the Earth's surface.4)The world's deadliest recorded earthquake occurred in 1556 in central China.It struck a region where most people lived in caves carved from soft rock.These dwellings collapsed during the earthquake, killing an estimated 830,000 people.In 1976 another deadly earthquake struck in Tangshan, China, where more than 250,000 people were killed.5).Most earthquake waves have a frequency of less than 20 Hz, so the waves themselves are usually not heard.Most of the rumbling noise heard during an earthquake is the building and its contents moving.6).The majority of the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur along plate boundaries such as the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American plate.One of the most active plate boundaries where earthquakes and eruptions are frequent, for example, is around the massive Pacific Plate commonly referred to as the Pacific Ring of Fire.Step ⅡDiscourse Analysis

a.To predict when an earthquake is going to happen(Pare.1).1.Scientists have wired the Earth and sea to defect movements.2.People have found that before an earthquake leas……

3.Experimental data show that……

b.To prevent the great destruction of property caused by earthquakes:(Para.2).1.Many hew structures are built…….2.Architects design buildings so that the building’s columns and horizontal beams are of equal strength……

3.Many hew houses……

4.Concrete pillars ……

c.To prepare for the possibility of a great earthquake(Para 3-6)

d.conclusion(Para 7).Step ⅢLanguage Points

1.detect: vt.to discover or ascertain the existence, presence, or fact of;to discern the true nature or character of发现或查觉到…的存在, 洞察辨明真实的本质

e.g.I detected a smell of gas.我察觉到一股煤气味。

She detected malice behind his smile.她洞察到他笑容背后的阴险。

detection: n.觉察，发现，侦察detective: n.侦探a.侦探的e.g.detective novel /film 侦探小说/电影detector: n.探测器

2.withstand: to be strong enough to stand up to somebody or remain unchanged by something such as extremes of heat or pressure

A politician must be able to withstand public criticism.The soldiers withstood the attack for hours.He withstood the torture bravely.Nobody can withstand her charms.3.joint: a.belonging to or shared between two or more parties属于两方或多方的，共同的，联合的 e.g.a joint tenant/ decision / action / declaration房屋合租人 / 共同的决定 / 联合行动 / 联合声明joint military maneuvers联合军事演习joint venture合资企业

n.节点，关节，接合e.g.put one's foot / arm / knee out of joint使足/臂/膝脱臼

4.enclose: vt.1.to surround on all sides;close in四面围住；圈起

e.g.The football field is enclosed by a wall.足球场被一道墙围了起来。

2.put inside an envelope or parcel, esp.in addition ot sth else附寄

e.g.I enclose a check for $400.我随信附上一张400美元的支票。

5.extinguish: vt.1.to put out(a fire, for example);quench熄灭（如火等）；扑灭

e.g.extinguish a fire灭火

2.to put an end to(hopes, for example);destroy.熄灭（如希望等）；摧毁

e.g.extinguish one's faith in future使某人对未来的信念破灭

extinguisher: n.灭火器

近形词 extinguish – distinguish

distinguish: v.1.to perceive as being different or distinct 辨别, 辨认e.g.distinguish right from wrong / distinguish good from evil明辨是非 / 分辨善恶

2.to make noticeable or different;set apart使有别于, 区别

e.g.Speech distinguishes man from the animals.言语使人区别于动物。

3.to cause(oneself)to be eminent or recognized 使杰出，使著名

e.g.The monitor distinguished himself by his performance in the examination.distinguished: a.卓越的, 杰出的, 超群的, 出众的, 著名的e.g.distinguished guest贵宾

6.chaos: n.a condition or place of great disorder or confusion混乱, 无秩序

e.g.The burglars left the house in chaos.窃贼走后房屋中一片凌乱。

chaotic: a.混乱的, 无秩序的7.rigid: a.(Line 20)

1.stiff;not bending or yielding 坚硬的，不弯曲的，刚性的2.marked by a lack of flexibility

e.g.He was so nervous on the stage that he acted like a rigid puppet.3.strict, firm, not changing 严格的，坚强的，不变的e.g.rigid discipline固执僵化的纪律a man of rigid principles原则性很强的人

rigidity:n.刚性, 硬度, 坚硬,僵硬

8.Make a difference: have an effect on sb.or sth.The sea air has made a difference to his health.海上的空气改善了他的健康善。

Your support will certainly make a difference in our cause.你的支持肯定会对我们的事业起重要作用。Make no difference: be not important

It makes no difference to us if the baby is a girl or a boy.对我们来说，生男生女都一样。

9.concerning: prep.about;with regard to

Concerning your letter, I am pleased to inform you that your plans are quite acceptable to

us.关于你的信，我很高兴地通知你，你的计划对我们来说是完全可以接受的.10.occurrencen.1.[C] an event or incident;happening 发生的事情，事件

Fighting is an everyday occurrence in this area of this city.Newspapers record the chief occurrences of the day.报纸刊载当天发生的大事。

2.[U] the fact of sth.happening 发生，出现

We may reduce the occurrence of cancer by fifty per cent.我们可以把癌症的发病率降低50%。The occurrence of storms delayed our trip.暴雨延误了我们的旅行。

11.auxiliary: a.giving help or support;additional

auxiliary equipment辅助设备

auxiliary nurses辅助护士

auxiliary troops辅助部队

auxiliary verbs助动词

12.In Japan, scientists have wired the Earth and sea to detect movements.(Para.1)

Meaning: In Japan, scientists have placed wires on the Earth and in the sea to discover the movements of the surface of the Earth.13.Experimental data seem to indicate that the amount of radon(Rn)in the water under the surface of the Earth waxes before an earthquake.(Para.1)

Meaning: Data collected from experiments seem to show that the amount of the element radon(Rn)in the water under the surface of the Earth increases before an earthquake.14.Concrete pillars for highway bridges that previously only had steel rods inside are now enclosed in steel.(Para.2)

Meaning: Concrete pillars used for highway bridges that only contained steel rods in the past are now wrapped up in steel.15.However, even if prediction becomes possible, people who live in areas where earthquakes are a common occurrence will still have to do their best to prevent disasters by building structures that are resistant to ground movement and by being personally prepared.(Para.7)

Meaning: However, even if it is possible to predict earthquakes, people who live in areas where earthquakes are frequent will still have to try their best to prevent disasters by building structures strong enough to resist ground movement and by making personal preparations for earthquakes.