各位讀者好：

繼緬甸強烈氣旋後，又是一起震驚世界的災難新聞，這回是中國四川地震。以下這則是5月12日新唐人電視台英語新聞播報。

地震除了earthquake, quake外，英文記者還常使用temblor, tremor二個字來指涉。震央是epicenter, 主震是main quake, 或major shock, 餘震叫aftershocks。

地震侵襲的“侵襲”一般記者會使用hit, strike, shake, rock, rattle, sway等字眼來描述，strike的過去式past tense是struck, shake的p.t.則是shook。

Massive earthquake kills
more than 8,600 people in China
強烈地震造成中國超過8,600人死亡

【新聞關鍵字】
1.breaking news：n.重大新聞
2.magnitude：n. 強度
3.provincial capital：n.省會
4.tremor：n.地震

We begin today's broadcast with breaking news out of china. A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 struck Sichuan Province today. Nine hundred students were reported buried and at least 107 killed.
我們從來自中國的重大消息開始今天的播報。震度7.8的強烈地震今天侵襲四川省。 900名學生據報導遭到活埋，並且至少有107人死亡。

The U.S. Geological Survey says the main quake struck at a depth of 29 kilometers and was less than 100 kilometers from the provincial capital of Chengdu. The main quake was followed by a series of smaller tremors.
美國地質調查局說，主震爆發的深度在地下29 公里處，距離省會成都不到100公里。主震之後跟隨著一連串的較小的地震。

【新聞關鍵字】
5.sway：v.搖動
6.precaution：n. 預防
7.suburb：n. 郊區

The quake was felt across much of China and as far southwest as Bangkok where office buildings swayed for several minutes. Hundreds of residents and office workers left the buildings as a precaution.
這個地震中國許多地區都可以感覺的到，連遠至西南方的曼谷辦公大樓都搖晃了好幾分鐘。數百位居民與上班工作者，離開房屋作為預防。

High-rise residential and office towers in the western suburbs of Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, also shook for several seconds. Chengdu is home to 10 million people and is 2000 kilometers southwest of Beijing.
在越南首都河內西邊郊區的高聳住宅與辦公大廈，也動搖了好幾秒鐘。成都有1000萬居民，位於北京西南方2000公里處。

本則影音新聞出處：新唐人電視台英語新聞
http://english.ntdtv.com/?c=221&a=3131
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