職稱(chēng)英語(yǔ) 理工A閱讀判斷 字典版

25FJ gong-a 第一篇Inventor of LEDWhen Nick Holonyak set out to create a new kind of visible lighting using semiconductor alloys, his colleagues thought he was unrealistic. Today, his discovery of light-emitting diodes or1 LEDs, are used in everything from DVDs to alarm clocks to airports. Dozens of his students have continued his work, developing lighting used in traffic lights and other everyday technology.On April 23, 2004, Holonyak received the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize at a ceremony in Washington. This marks the 10th year that the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology（MIT）has given the award to prominent inventors."Anytime you get an award, big or little2, its always a surprise," Holonyak said.Holonyak, 75, was a student of John Bardeen, an inventor of the transistor, in the early 1950s. After graduate school3, Holonyak worked at Bell Labs. He later went to General Electric4, where he invented a switch now widely used in house dimmer switches5. Later, Holonyak started looking into how semiconductors could be used to generate light. But while his colleagues were looking at how to generate invisible light, be wanted to generate visible light. The LEDs he invented in 1962 now last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and are more environmentally friendly and cost effective.Holonyak, now a professor of electrical and computer engineering and physics at the University of Illinois, said he suspected that LEDs would become as commonplace as they are today. But didnt realize how many uses they would have."You dont know in the beginning. You think youre doing something important, you think its worth doing, but you really cant tell what the big payoff is going to be, and when, and how. You just dont know," he said.The Lemelson-MIT Program also recognized Edith Flanigen, 75, with the $100,000 Lemelson- MIT Lifetime Achievement Award for her work on a new generation of "molecular sieves" that can separate molecules by size.練習(xí)：1Holonyaks colleagues thought he would fail in his research on LEDs at the time when he started it. A2Holonyak believed that his students that were working with him on the project would get the Lemelson-MIT Prize sooner or later. C3Holonyak was the inventor of the transistor in the early 1950s. B4Holonyak believed that LEDs would become very popular in the future. A5Holonyak said that you should not do anything you are not interested in. C6Edith Flanigen is the only co-inventor of LEDs. C7The Lemelson-MIT Prize has a history of over 100 years. BLED的發(fā)明者當(dāng)Nick Holonyak著手用半導(dǎo)體合金創(chuàng)造一種新的可視照明設(shè)備的時(shí)候，同事們都認(rèn)為他不現(xiàn)實(shí)。今天，他發(fā)現(xiàn)的發(fā)光二極管，或叫LED,使用范圍覆蓋從DVD到機(jī)場(chǎng)警鐘的一切東西。他的許多學(xué)生繼續(xù)著他的工作，發(fā)明了交通燈中使用的照明設(shè)備和其他日用技術(shù)。2004年4月23日，Holonyak在華盛頓的一次典禮上被授予Lemelson-MIT項(xiàng)目的50萬(wàn)美元的獎(jiǎng)金。這是麻省理工的Lemelson-MIT項(xiàng)目第十年頒獎(jiǎng)給杰出的發(fā)明人?！叭魏螘r(shí)候你得了獎(jiǎng)，不論是大是小，總是一分驚喜?！盚olonyak說(shuō)。Holonyak，75歲，是20世紀(jì)50年代初期晶體管的發(fā)明者John Bardeen的學(xué)生。從研究生院畢業(yè)之后，Holonyak在Bell實(shí)驗(yàn)室工作。之后去了通用電器公司，在那里他發(fā)明了一種開(kāi)關(guān)，現(xiàn)在在家用減光開(kāi)關(guān)中普遍使用。后來(lái)，Holonyak開(kāi)始研究何應(yīng)用半導(dǎo)體發(fā)電。當(dāng)他的同事們正在研究如何發(fā)出看不見(jiàn)的光時(shí)，他卻想要看得見(jiàn)的光。1962年他發(fā)明的LED,現(xiàn)在的使用壽命可以比白熾燈泡長(zhǎng)十倍，而且更環(huán)保、更經(jīng)濟(jì)。Holonyak現(xiàn)在是伊利諾伊大學(xué)電子、計(jì)算機(jī)工程和物理專(zhuān)業(yè)的教授，他說(shuō)他預(yù)料到LED的使用有可能像今天這樣普遍，但沒(méi)有意識(shí)到它會(huì)有多少用途?！伴_(kāi)始的時(shí)候你并不知道，你認(rèn)為你在做一件很重要的事情，你認(rèn)為它值得做，但是你不能說(shuō)出要付出多大的代價(jià)，什么時(shí)候付出，怎樣付出。你并不知道?！彼f(shuō)。Lemelson-MIT項(xiàng)目同樣授予75歲的Edith Flanigen 10萬(wàn)美元的終身成就獎(jiǎng)，她的成就是創(chuàng)造新一代的“分子篩”，也就是可以通過(guò)大小來(lái)分離分子。第二篇 El Nino While some forecasting methods had limited success predicting the 1997 El Nino a few months in advance1, the Columbia University researchers say their method can predict large El Nino events up to two years in advance. That would be good news for governments, farmers and others seeking to plan for the droughts and heavy rainfall that El Nino can produce in various parts of the world. Using a computer, the researchers matched sea-surface temperatures to later El Nino occurrences between 1980 and 2000 and were then able to anticipate El Nino events dating back to 1857, using prior sea-surface temperatures. The results were reported in the latest issue of the journal Nature. The researchers say their method is not perfect, but Bryan CWeare, a meteorologist at the University of California, Davis, who was not involved in the work, said it “suggests2 El Nino is indeed predictable.” “This will probably convince others to search around more for even better methods,” said Weare. He added that the new method “makes it possible to predict El Nino at long lead times3.” Other models also use sea-surface temperatures, but they have not looked as far back because they need other data, which is only available for recent decades, Weare said. The ability to predict the wanning and cooling of the Pacific is of immense importance4. The 1997 El Nino, for example, caused an estimated $20 billion in damage worldwide, offset by beneficial effects in other areas, said David Anderson, of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading, England. The 1877 El Nino, meanwhile, coincided with a failure of the Indian monsoon and a famine that killed perhaps 40 million in India and China, prompting the development of seasonal forecasting, Anderson said. When El Nino hit in 1991 and 1997, 200 million people were affected by flooding in China alone, according to a 2002 United Nations report. While predicting smaller El Nino events remains tricky, the ability to predict larger ones should be increased to at least a year if the new method is confirmed. El Nino tends to develop between April and June and reaches its peak between December and February. The warming tends to last between 9 and 12 months and occurs every two to seven years. The new forecasting method does not predict any major El Nino events in the next two years, although a weak warming toward the end of this year is possible.練習(xí)：1The method used by the Columbia University researchers can predict El Nino a few months in advance. B2The Columbia University researchers studied the relationship between the past El Nino occurrences and sea-surface temperatures. A3The Columbia University researchers are the first to use sea-surface temperatures to match the past El Nino occurrences. C4Weares contribution in predicting El Nino was highly praised by other meteorologists. C5According to a Chinese report, the flooding in China caused by El Nino in 1991 and 1997 affected 200 million Chinese people. B6It takes about eight months for El Nino to reach its peak. A7A special institute has been set up in America to study El Nino. C厄爾尼諾當(dāng)某些預(yù)報(bào)方法不能提前幾個(gè)月成功預(yù)測(cè)1997年厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象的時(shí)候，哥倫比亞大學(xué)的研究人員說(shuō)他們的方法可以提前兩年預(yù)測(cè)厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象。這對(duì)全世界各地的政府、農(nóng)民和其他尋求為厄爾尼諾帶來(lái)的干旱和大雨做準(zhǔn)備的人來(lái)說(shuō)是一條好消息。研究人員使用計(jì)算機(jī)把1980年和2000年之間的海面溫度和后來(lái)的厄爾尼諾的發(fā)生聯(lián)系起來(lái)，進(jìn)而能夠用之前的海面溫度預(yù)測(cè)遠(yuǎn)至1857年的厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象。研究結(jié)果刊登在最新的自然雜志上。研究人員說(shuō)他們的方法并不完美，但加利福尼亞大學(xué)戴維斯分校的氣象學(xué)家Bryan C. Weare說(shuō)這種方法顯示出厄爾尼諾是可以預(yù)測(cè)的，盡管他自己并沒(méi)有參加研究工作。Weare說(shuō)：“這會(huì)促使其他人去尋找更好的辦法。”他還補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，新的方法“使在提前很長(zhǎng)的一段時(shí)間里預(yù)測(cè)厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象成為可能”。其他方法也使用海面溫度，但他們沒(méi)能回顧得那么久遠(yuǎn)是因?yàn)槿鄙倨渌Y料，而這些資料在近幾十年才能夠獲得。預(yù)測(cè)太平洋的升溫和降溫有極其重要的意義。英國(guó)Reading的歐洲中級(jí)天氣預(yù)報(bào)中心的David Anderson說(shuō)：以1997年的厄爾尼諾為例，它導(dǎo)致了全球范圍內(nèi)約200億美元的損失，抵消了在其他一些地區(qū)的良性影響；1877年的厄爾尼諾與印度遭受的季風(fēng)和饑荒同時(shí)發(fā)生，導(dǎo)致了印度和中國(guó)約4 000萬(wàn)人喪生，結(jié)果刺激了季節(jié)性預(yù)報(bào)的發(fā)展。根據(jù)2002年的聯(lián)合國(guó)報(bào)道，1991年和1997年厄爾尼諾爆發(fā)的時(shí)候，僅中國(guó)就有2億人受到洪水的侵害。然而小的厄爾尼諾預(yù)測(cè)還是難以捉摸的，如果新的方法被認(rèn)可的話(huà)，對(duì)大型厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象的預(yù)測(cè)至少應(yīng)該被提前一年。厄爾尼諾總是在4月和6月期間形成，在12月和翌年2月之間達(dá)到髙峰。氣候總是在9月和12月之間變曖，并且每2 7年出現(xiàn)一次。盡管氣溫在年底的時(shí)候有可能微弱上升，新的預(yù)測(cè)方法預(yù)計(jì)未來(lái)兩年不會(huì)出現(xiàn)大的厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象。第三篇Smoking Since 1939, numerous studies have been conducted to determine whether smoking is a health hazard. The trend of the evidence has been consistent and indicates that there is a serious health risk. Research teams have conducted studies that show beyond all reasonable doubt that tobacco smoking is associated with a shortened life expectancy1. Cigarette smoking is believed by most research workers in this field to be an important factor in the development of cancer of the lungs and cancer of the throat and is believed to be related to cancer of some other organs of the body. Male cigarette smokers have a higher death rate from heart disease than non-smoking males. Female smokers are thought to be less affected because they do not breathe in the smoke so deeply. Apart from statistics, it might be helpful to look at what smoking tobacco does to the human body. Smoke is a mixture of gases, vaporized chemicals, minute particles of ash and other solids. There is also nicotine, which is powerful poison, and black tar. As smoke is breathed in, all those components form deposits on the membranes of the lungs. One point of concentration is where the air tube and bronchus divides. Most lung cancer begins at this point. Filters and low tar tobacco2 are claimed to make smoking to some extent safer, but they can only slightly reduce, not eliminate the hazards.練習(xí)：1It is easy to determine whether smoking is hazardous. B2Smoking reduces ones life expectancy. A3Smoking may induce lung cancer. A4There is evidence that smoking is responsible for breast cancer. C5Male smokers have a lower death rate from heart disease than female smokers. B6Nicotine is poisonous. A7Filters and low tar tobacco make smoking safe. B抽煙自1939年以來(lái)，人們進(jìn)行了無(wú)數(shù)次研究，以確定抽煙是否危害健康。證據(jù)的趨向是一致的，顯示出抽煙對(duì)健康有嚴(yán)重危害。研究組進(jìn)行的研究確鑿無(wú)疑地表明抽煙與人的預(yù)期壽命的縮短有關(guān)。這個(gè)領(lǐng)域的大部分研究人員都認(rèn)為抽煙是肺癌和喉癌產(chǎn)生的重要原因，并且和人體其他某些器官的癌癥有關(guān)。抽煙的男性因心臟病而死亡的概率高于不抽煙的男性。女性吸煙者被認(rèn)為受的_響較小，因?yàn)樗齻儾簧钗鼰煛３私y(tǒng)計(jì)之外，看一看吸煙對(duì)人體的影響也可能會(huì)有幫助。煙是各種氣體、蒸發(fā)的化學(xué)物質(zhì)、微小的灰和其他固體顆粒的混合物。里面還有很強(qiáng)的毒素尼古丁和黑焦油。當(dāng)煙被吸人時(shí)，所有這些成分形成肺膜上的沉淀物，其集中的一點(diǎn)是氣管和支氣管分叉的地方。大部分肺癌開(kāi)始于這一點(diǎn)。過(guò)濾嘴和焦油含量低的煙草被宣稱(chēng)使抽煙在某種程度上安全一些，但是它們只能稍微降低而不是消除危害。第四篇 Engineering Ethics Engineering ethics is attracting increasing interest in engineering universities throughout the nation. At Texas A&M University, evidence of this interest in professional ethics culminated in the creation of a new course in engineering ethics, as well as a project funded by1 the National Science Foundation to develop material for introducing ethical issues into required undergraduate engineering courses. A small group of faculty and administrators actively supported the growing effort at Texas ASM, yet this group must now expand to meet the needs of increasing numbers of students wishing to learn2 more about the value implications of their actions as professional engineers. The increasing concern for the value dimension3 of engineering is, at least in part, a result of the attention that the media has given to cases such as the Challenger disaster, the Kansas City Hyatt-Regency Hotel walkways collapse, and the Exxon oil spill. As a response to this concern, a new discipline, engineering ethics, is emerging. This discipline will doubtless4 take its place5 alongside such well-established fields as medical ethics, business ethics, and legal ethics. The problem presented by this development is that most engineering professors are not prepared to introduce literature in engineering ethics into their classrooms. They are most comfortable with quantitative concepts6 and often do not believe they are qualified to lead class discussions on ethics. Many engineering faculty members do not think that they have the time in an already overcrowded syllabus to introduce discussions on professional ethics, or the time in their own schedules to prepare the necessary material. Hopefully, the resources presented herein will be of assistance.練習(xí)：1Engineering ethics is a compulsory subject in every institute of science and technology in the Uniled States. C2The number of students wishing to take the course of engineering ethics is declining at Texas A&SM University. B3The National Science Foundation involves itself directly in writing up material about ethical issues. B4It seems that medical ethics and business ethics are more mature than engineering ethics. A5Several engineering professors have quit from teaching to protest against the creation of a new course in engineering ethics. C6Many engineering professors may not have time to prepare material for class discussion on professional ethics. A7It is likely that following this introductory passage, the author will provide the necessary material related to the topic of engineering ethics. A工程道德工程道德在全美的工程類(lèi)院校里越來(lái)越受到關(guān)注。在得克薩斯州的大學(xué)，隨著工程道德這門(mén)新課的開(kāi)設(shè)以及由全美科學(xué)基金會(huì)提供基金、旨在為大學(xué)工程類(lèi)必修課程提供道德問(wèn)題方面的材料的項(xiàng)目的啟動(dòng)，人們對(duì)職業(yè)道德的關(guān)注達(dá)到了頂峰。一個(gè)由教師和管理人員組成的小組對(duì)得克薩斯州A大學(xué)的不懈努力予以了積極的支持，但是由于越來(lái)越多的學(xué)生希望能夠更加了解作為職業(yè)工程人員自己的行為的價(jià)值含義，為了滿(mǎn)足這些需求，目前該小組必須發(fā)展壯大。人們之所以對(duì)工程價(jià)值尺度愈發(fā)關(guān)注，至少部分原因是由于媒體對(duì)挑戰(zhàn)者號(hào)災(zāi)難、堪薩斯城Hyatt-Regency旅館通道的坍塌以及Exxon石油泄漏等事件的關(guān)注所引起的。為了響應(yīng)人們的關(guān)注，一個(gè)新的學(xué)科工程道德應(yīng)運(yùn)而生。同醫(yī)學(xué)道德、商業(yè)道德和法律道德這些已經(jīng)確立的學(xué)I科一樣，該學(xué)科無(wú)疑也將確立起自己的地位。開(kāi)發(fā)這一新學(xué)科所面臨的問(wèn)題是，大部分工程教授不愿意將工程道德方面的資料引進(jìn)課堂。他們滿(mǎn)足于使用以數(shù)字表達(dá)的概念，不相信自己有資格就工程道德問(wèn)題在課堂上展開(kāi)討論。許多工程類(lèi)教授認(rèn)為課程安排緊張，沒(méi)有時(shí)間在課堂上就職業(yè)道德問(wèn)題進(jìn)行討論，或者覺(jué)得自己沒(méi)有時(shí)間去準(zhǔn)備必要的材料。希望這里提供的資料會(huì)有所幫助。第五篇 Rescue Platform In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, security experts are trying to develop new ways of rescuing people from burning skyscrapers. One idea is a platform capable of flying vertically and hovering in the air like a helicopter.1 The platform would rise up and down alongside a skyscraper and pick up people trapped in high stories. The idea for the vertical takeoff platform was hatched more than ten years ago by a Russian aerospace engineer, David Metreveli, who has since2 moved to Israel. Metrevelis design, called the Eagle, calls for two jet engines that turn four large horizontal propellers. The spinning of the propellers generates the necessary lift, or upward force, to raise the platform. The more power is supplied to the propellers, the higher the platform rises. Moving the platform sideways involves applying differing amounts of power to each propeller. Helicopters are now used in some cases to get people out of burning buildings. Escape baskets3 slung from them dangle beside the building for people to climb into. Unfortunately, the baskets cannot reach every floor of a building because the ropes from which they hang become unstable beyond a certain length. So far, Metreveli has built a small-scale model of the Eagle to test his idea. In the wake of4 September 11, he has been able to secure enough funding to start building a larger, 4-meter by 4- meter5 prototype, which he calls the Eaglet.練習(xí)：1A rescue platform called the Eagle is capable of moving vertically but not sideways. B2The four propellers are fitted horizontally to the Eagle. A3With the help of jet engines, the Eagle can fly at a speed of 100 miles an hour. C4In the third paragraph, the word helicopter refers to the Eagle. B5The more jet engines are fitted to the propellers, the more people the platform can carry. C6In the wake of September 11, Mr. Metreveli has secured enough funding to build up a small- scale model of the Eagle to test his idea. B7Mr. Metreveli is designing for Israel a more advanced form of rescue platform than the Eagle or the Eaglet. C救生平臺(tái)在世界貿(mào)易中心遭到恐怖襲擊后，安全專(zhuān)家們正在努力尋找新方法，來(lái)從燃燒的摩天大樓上營(yíng)救人們。其中的想法之一就是構(gòu)建一個(gè)能夠垂直升降并像直升機(jī)一樣在空中盤(pán)旋的平臺(tái)。該平臺(tái)可沿摩天大樓上下移動(dòng)，運(yùn)送高樓受困人員。十多年前，一名俄羅斯航空航天工程師David Metreveli醞釀出垂直起落平臺(tái)這一想法，隨后移居以色列。Metreveli的設(shè)計(jì)方案命名為“老鷹”，需用兩個(gè)噴氣發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)來(lái)推動(dòng)四個(gè)大型水平方向旋轉(zhuǎn)的螺旋推進(jìn)器。螺旋推進(jìn)器快速旋轉(zhuǎn)，生成必要的上升力，使平臺(tái)升起。供給螺旋推進(jìn)器的能量越多，平臺(tái)升得就越高。要使平臺(tái)側(cè)向移動(dòng)，則需要給螺旋推進(jìn)器添加不等的能量?，F(xiàn)在，人們有時(shí)還用直升機(jī)營(yíng)救起火大樓中的被困人員。從直升機(jī)中拋出的救生籃在大樓旁搖擺，人們可以爬到里面去。不幸的是，由于懸掛救生籃的繩索在超出一定長(zhǎng)度后就會(huì)非常不穩(wěn)定，所以救生籃無(wú)法達(dá)到每一層樓。目前，Metreveli已經(jīng)建立起一個(gè)小型“老鷹”模型來(lái)檢測(cè)自己的構(gòu)思。“911”事件后，Metreveli獲得了足夠的基金，開(kāi)始構(gòu)建一個(gè)較大規(guī)模的模型。該模型大小為4米4米，他將之命名為“小鷹”。第六篇 Microchip Research Center Created A research center has been set up in this Far Eastern country to develop advanced micro-chip production technology. The center, which will start out with about US $14 million, will help the country develop its chip industry without always depending on imported technology. The center will make use of its research skills and facilities to develop new technology for domestic chip plants. The advent of the center will possibly free the country from the situation that it is always buying almost-outdated technologies from other countries, said the countrys flagship chipmaker.1 Currently, chip plants in this country are in a passive situation because many foreign governments dont allow them to import the most advanced technologies, fearing they will be used for military purposes. Moreover, the high licensing fees they have to pay to technology providers are also an important reason for their decision of self-reliance2. As mainstream chip production technology shifts from one generation to the next every three to five years3,plants with new technology can make more powerful chips at lower costs, while4 plants with outdated equipment, which often cost billions of dollars to build, will be marginalized by the maker. More than 10 chip plants are being built, each costing millions of US dollars.5 The majority of that money goes to overseas equipment vendors and technology owners mainly from Japan and Singapore. Should the new center play a major role in improving the situation in the industry,6 the country admits the US $14 million investment is still rather small. This country is developing comprehensive technologies. Most of the investment will be spent on setting alliances with technology and intellectual property7 owners.練習(xí)：1The country says that the investment of US $14 million is big enough for developing that countrys chip industry. B2That country gives top priorities to developing chips for military purposes. C3Although the licensing fees are not very high, that Far Eastern country cannot afford to pay. B4Many western countries ban the exporting of the most advanced chip-making technologies to that country to prevent them from being used for military purposes. A5Currently, almost all the flagship chipmakers in that country are owned by American investors. C6Mainstream chip production technology develop rapidly. A7More than 10 chip plants being built in that country are an example of self-reliance. B微芯片研究中心成立 為了開(kāi)發(fā)先進(jìn)的微芯片生產(chǎn)技術(shù)，這個(gè)遠(yuǎn)東國(guó)家建立了一個(gè)研究中心，該中心啟動(dòng)資金為1 400萬(wàn)美元，可以幫助該國(guó)開(kāi)發(fā)自己的芯片工業(yè)，不必總是依賴(lài)于進(jìn)口技術(shù)。 該中心將會(huì)應(yīng)用自己的研究技術(shù)和設(shè)施，為本國(guó)芯片廠(chǎng)家開(kāi)發(fā)新技術(shù)。這個(gè)國(guó)家名列首位的芯片制造公司說(shuō)，芯片中心的成立可能使這個(gè)國(guó)家擺脫從他國(guó)購(gòu)買(mǎi)即將淘汰的技術(shù)的困境。由于許多外國(guó)政府擔(dān)心先進(jìn)技術(shù)會(huì)被用于軍事目的，不允許這個(gè)國(guó)家的芯片生產(chǎn)廠(chǎng)家進(jìn)口前沿技術(shù)，所以這些生產(chǎn)廠(chǎng)家處于一種被動(dòng)局面。另外，由于這些芯片生產(chǎn)廠(chǎng)家必須向技術(shù)提者支付髙額的許可費(fèi)，這也構(gòu)成了他們決定要自力更生的一個(gè)重要原因。 由于主流芯片生產(chǎn)技術(shù)每隔35年就要進(jìn)行更新?lián)Q代，所以掌握了新技術(shù)的廠(chǎng)家就可以以較低的成本制造出較好的芯片，而那些耗費(fèi)數(shù)十億美元建立起的廠(chǎng)家，如果設(shè)備落后，也將會(huì)被生產(chǎn)商所淘汰。 十幾個(gè)芯片廠(chǎng)正在建立之中，每個(gè)廠(chǎng)的造價(jià)都在幾百萬(wàn)美元，其中大部分資金都流向了海外設(shè)備商和技術(shù)所有者主要是日本和新加坡。如果新建的芯片中心能在改變?cè)搰?guó)芯片行業(yè)的被動(dòng)形勢(shì)中起到重要作用，該國(guó)承認(rèn)，1 400萬(wàn)美元的投資仍是微不足道的。該國(guó)正在開(kāi)發(fā)綜合技術(shù)，大部分投資將用于與技術(shù)和知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)所有者建立聯(lián)盟。第七篇 Moderate Earthquake Strikes England A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April 2007, toppling chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several thousand people were left without power1 in Kent County2. One woman suffered minor head and neck injuries. “It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fim-fair ride, 3” said the woman. The British Geological Survey said the 4.3-magnitude quake4 struck at 8:19 a.m. and was centered under the English Channel5, about 8.5 miles south of Dover6 and near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel7. Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the tremor had lasted for about 10 to 15 seconds. “I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me,” said Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury8 about 60 miles southeast of London. “I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier9. It felt as if someone was at the end of my bed hopping up and down. ” There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but they are rare in Britain. The April 28 quake was the strongest in Britain since 2002 when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the central England city of Birmingham10. The countrys strongest earthquake took place in the North Sea in 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale11. British Geologicisd Survey scie