AP｜为什么台湾地震频发，又能迅速做好抗震？

Why is Taiwan so exposed to earthquakes and so well prepared to withstand them?
April 4, 2024 from AP

Emergency services on Wednesday continued rescue operations at the scene of a partially collapsed building at the epicentre of Taiwan’s earthquake zone in Hualien City. The 7.2-magnitude earthquake, the strongest in Taiwan in almost 25 years was centred off the coast of rural, mountainous Hualien County, where some buildings leaned at severe angles, their ground floors crushed.
周三，在台湾震中花莲县一栋部分倒塌的建筑物现场，紧急救援人员继续开展救援行动。这场7.2级的地震是台湾近 25 年来最强烈的地震，震中位于花莲县农村山区的沿海地区，一些建筑物严重倾斜，地面被压垮。

Taiwan lies along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” the line of seismic faults encircling the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes occur. The area is particularly vulnerable to temblors due to the tension accumulated from the interactions of the Philippine Sea Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The region’s mountainous landscape can also magnify the ground shaking, leading to landslides.
台湾位于环太平洋火山带，这是一条环绕太平洋的地震断层线，世界上大多数地震都发生在这里。由于菲律宾板块和欧亚板块相互作用所累积的张力，该地区特别容易受到地震的影响。该地区的山地景观也可以放大地面震动，导致山体滑坡。
Taiwan is no stranger to powerful earthquakes yet their toll on the high-tech island’s 23 million residents has been relatively contained thanks to its excellent earthquake preparedness, experts say. “Taiwan’s earthquake preparedness is among the most advanced in the world,” said Stephen Gao, a seismologist and professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology. “The island has implemented strict building codes, a world-class seismological network, and widespread public education campaigns on earthquake safety.”
台湾对强震并不陌生，但专家表示，由于出色的防震措施，强震对这个高科技岛屿2300万居民造成的损失相对较小。“台湾的地震防御是世界上最先进的之一,”台湾地震学家、密苏里科技大学教授斯蒂芬•高表示。“台湾实施了严格的建筑规范，建立了世界级的地震网络，并开展了广泛的地震安全公众教育活动。”

The government continually revises the level of quake resistance required of new and existing buildings — which may increase construction costs — and offers subsidies to residents willing to check their buildings’ quake resistance. Taiwan also is pushing quake drills at schools and workplaces while public media and cellphones regularly carry notices about earthquakes and safety.
政府不断调整新建和现有建筑的抗震等级，这可能会增加建筑成本，并为愿意检查建筑抗震性能的居民提供补贴。台湾还在学校和工作场所推行地震演习，同时公共媒体和手机定期发布有关地震和安全的通知。

今日词汇
rescue operations 救援行动，搜救工作
epicentre 震中
earthquake zone 地震带
magnitude 震级
at severe angles 严重倾斜地
Pacific "Rim of Fire" 环太平洋火山带
seismic faults 地震断层
encircle 环绕，包围
temblor 地震
Philippine Sea/Eurasian Plate 菲律宾/欧亚板块
no stranger to 对...不陌生，老手
toll 伤亡
seismologist 地震学家
building codes 建筑规范
seismological 地震学上的
quake resistance 抗震，预震
quake drills 地震演习