From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.
这里是美国之音慢速英语新闻报道。
A powerful earthquake struck an area near the northern coast of Chile on Wednesday. The earthquake came a day after an even stronger quake hit the area. The earlier quake was blamed for at least six deaths.
周三，一场强震袭击了智利北部海岸附近的区域。在此前一天，一场甚至更强的地震袭击了这个地区，并造成至少6人死亡。
The United States Geological Survey says a 7.8 magnitude aftershock hit northern Chile late Wednesday night, local time. Magnitude is a measurement of the energy released at the center, or source, of an earthquake. U.S. officials said the aftershock was centered about 23 kilometers south of the port of Iquique. They said it struck at a depth of 20 kilometers below sea level.
美国地质调查局表示，当地时间周三深夜，一场7.8级的余震袭击了智利北部。震级用于衡量震中释放的能量。美国官员表示，这场余震的震中位于伊基克港以南23公里左右。他们说，这场余震发生在海平面以下20公里的深处。
The aftershock led Chilean officials to order thousands of people away from coastal areas. It also led to warnings of high tsunami waves in parts of the Pacific Ocean. The orders and tsunami warnings were later canceled.
这场余震使得智利官员下令数千人远离沿海地区，也导致太平洋部分地区发出了大海啸警报。禁令和海啸警报随后被解除。
The aftershock struck a day after an even more powerful earthquake hit northern Chile. That quake was centered in an area about 100 kilometers northwest of Iquique. The city is home to nearly 200,000 people.
这场余震袭来的前一天，一场更强的地震袭击了智利北部。那场地震的震中位于伊基克港西北110公里左右。该市有近20万居民。
The quake was felt in Bolivia and Peru. It also led to tsunami warnings as far as Japan. The warnings were cancelled hours later.
这场地震在智力和秘鲁都有震感，并导致远到日本的一些国家发出海啸警报。这些警报数小时后才被解除。
Chilean police and soldiers guarded coastal communities to prevent attacks on homes and businesses. Television video showed damaged buildings in Iquique. But officials found surprisingly light damage from the quake.
智利警察和士兵在沿海社区警戒，以防止对家庭和商户的冲击。电视视频展示了伊基克的受损建筑。但有关官员惊奇地发现地震损伤很小。
President Michelle Bachelet visited the affected area. She spoke to the nation about the disaster.
智利总统米歇尔·巴切莱特（Michelle Bachelet）走访了受地震影响地区。她对智利国民谈到了这场灾难。
She said appropriate measures have been taken to protect lives and property. And she said the government will continue to work all the time that is necessary to deal with this emergency and protect our citizens.
她说，智利已经采取了适当措施保护生命和财产。她还表示政府将继续不间断工作，处理这一突发事件并保护公民们。
Rafael Abreu is a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Information Center. He says the earthquake activity began with a magnitude 6.7 quake on March 16. More than 100,000 people were told to leave low-lying areas, but returned later.
拉斐尔·阿布雷乌是美国地震信息中心的一位科学家。他说，这场地震活动始以3月16日的一场6.7级地震为开始。超过10万人被告知远离低洼地带，但随后他们又回去了。
Earthquakes are somewhat common in Chile. They are also a fact of life in the American state of California. Scientists say a quake of magnitude eight or higher could strike along the San Andreas Fault in coming years. The San Andreas Fault extends from north to south through California. Thousands died in its last major rupture, or movement. That took place near the city of San Francisco in 1906.
地震在智利比较常见，它们也是美国加州生活的一部分。科学家们说，未来数年内，一场8级甚至更高的地震可能沿圣安地列斯断层发生。该断层最近一次断裂或运动造成了数千人遇难，它于1906年发生在旧金山市附近。
Smaller earthquakes also can be deadly if they strike close to heavily populated areas. Safety experts say every home needs to have a plan of action, supplies food and water, and emergency equipment.
如果逼近人口稠密地区，较小的地震也可能致命。安全专家说，每个家庭都需要有行动计划，有食物和水供应，有应急设备。
Kate Hutton is a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology. She specializes in the study of earthquakes. Kate Hutton admits there is no way to predict earthquakes, so being prepared is the best defense.
凯特·赫顿（Kate Hutton）是加州技术研究院的一位地震学家。她擅长地震研究。赫顿承认当前无法预测地震，所以有所准备是最好的防御。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利，未经授权请勿转载，违者必究！)