ESL Podcast 614 - Experiencing an Earthquake
earthquake - a short period of time when the ground shakes because of geological movements deep below the surface, often causing damage, injuries, and/or death
People living in southern California experience many small earthquakes over the course of their lives.
to occur - to happen; to take place
Police are trying to determine exactly when the murder occurred.
seismologist - a scientist who studies earthquakes and the movement of the earth
Seismologists say a major earthquake will happen here sometime within the next 50 years, but they can't provide a more specific date or time.
magnitude - the size of something; how big or small something is
If they understood the real magnitude of the problem, they would be much more concerned with finding a solution.
Richter scale - a number-based system for measuring and reporting the size and strength of earthquakes
The earthquake was only 2.0 on the Richter scale, so we couldn't really feel it.
epicenter - the center of an earthquake; the exact point on the earth's surface where an earthquake is strongest
Although it was a large earthquake, it didn't cause very much damage, because there weren't any cities near the epicenter.
fault - fault line; a large crack or long hole in the earth's surface where parts of the earth are moving away from each other
I would never want to live near the San Andreas fault.
aftershock - one of many small earthquakes that happens soon after a large earthquake
After the earthquake, people were warned not to go back into their houses until all the aftershocks had ended.
high-intensity - very strong and powerful, but normally lasting for only a short period of time
If you want to lose weight, is it better to do a short, high-intensity workout or a longer, low-intensity workout?
to predict - to say what will happen in the future
If we could predict the future of the stock market, we'd be rich.
damage - harm; what results when things are broken or destroyed
The flooding caused a lot of damage to their carpet and furniture.
to be declared - to officially be named something or categorized in a particular way
War between the two sides was declared in 1842.
disaster area - a geographical area where there has been a lot of damage, injuries, and/or death, usually as the result of a natural disaster or disease
After the strong tornadoes, much of the Midwest was declared a disaster area.
to send aid - to send money, food, medical supplies, and other important things to another country or an area that is in an emergency and needs a lot of help
Which countries sent aid to Haiti after the earthquake in January 2010?
relief effort - an organized attempt to send money, food, medical supplies, and other important things to another country or area that is in an emergency and needs a lot of help, usually organized at an international level
Do you think the relief efforts can prevent people from dying in the famine?
UN - United Nations; a very large international organization that tries to solve global problems
Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish are the official languages of the UN.