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1、25 FJ gong-a 第一篇Inventor of LED When Nick Holonyak set out to create a new kind of visible lighting usin

2、g 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 techn

3、ology. 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, it

4、s 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. Late

5、r, 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 enviro

6、nmentally 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 begin

7、ning. 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

8、 Award for her work on a new generation of "molecular sieves" that can separate molecules by size. 練習(xí)： 1．Holonyaks colleagues thought he would fail in his research on LEDs at the time when he started it. A 2．Holonyak believed that his students that were working with him on the project would get t

9、he Lemelson-MIT Prize sooner or later. C 3．Holonyak was the inventor of the transistor in the early 1950s. B 4．Holonyak believed that LEDs would become very popular in the future. A 5．Holonyak said that you should not do anything you are not interested in. C 6．Edith Flanigen is the only co-inven

10、tor of LEDs. C 7．The Lemelson-MIT Prize has a history of over 100 years. B LED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50萬美元的獎金。這是麻省理工的Lemelson-MIT項(xiàng)目第十年頒獎給杰出的發(fā)

11、明人。 “任何時(shí)候你得了獎，不論是大是小，總是一分驚喜?！盚olonyak說。 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)明了一種開關(guān)，現(xiàn)在在家用減光開關(guān)中普遍使用。 后來，Holonyak開始研究何應(yīng)用半導(dǎo)體發(fā)電。當(dāng)他的同事們正在研究如何發(fā)出看不見的光時(shí)，他卻想要看得見的光。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)工程和物理專業(yè)的教授，他說他預(yù)料到LED的

12、使用有可能像今天這樣普遍，但沒有意識到它會有多少用途。 “開始的時(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。 Lemelson-MIT項(xiàng)目同樣授予75歲的Edith Flanigen 10萬美元的終身成就獎，她的成就是創(chuàng)造新一代的“分子篩”，也就是可以通過大小來分離分子。 第二篇 El Nino While some forecasting methods had limited success predicting the 1997 El Nino a few months in a

13、dvance1, 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. Usin

14、g 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 re

15、searchers say their method is not perfect, but Bryan C　Weare, 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

16、. 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

17、 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

18、, 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

19、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 Februar

20、y. 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)： 1．The method used by the Columbia Universit

21、y researchers can predict El Nino a few months in advance. B 2．The Columbia University researchers studied the relationship between the past El Nino occurrences and sea-surface temperatures. A 3．The Columbia University researchers are the first to use sea-surface temperatures to match the past El

22、Nino occurrences. C 4．Weare’s contribution in predicting El Nino was highly praised by other meteorologists. C 5．According to a Chinese report, the flooding in China caused by El Nino in 1991 and 1997 affected 200 million Chinese people. B 6．It takes about eight months for El Nino to reach its pe

23、ak. A 7．A 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)的研究人員說他們的方法可以提前兩年預(yù)測厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象。這對全世界各地的政府、農(nóng)民和其他尋求為厄爾尼諾帶來的干旱和大雨做準(zhǔn)備的人來說是一條好消息。 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的厄爾尼諾的發(fā)生聯(lián)系起來，進(jìn)而能夠用之前的海面溫度預(yù)測遠(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。 研究人員說他們的方法并不

24、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說這種方法顯示出厄爾尼諾是可以預(yù)測的，盡管他自己并沒有參加研究工作。 Weare說：“這會促使其他人去尋找更好的辦法。”他還補(bǔ)充說，新的方法“使在提前很長的一段時(shí)間里預(yù)測厄爾尼諾現(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)測太平洋的升溫和降溫有極其重要的意義。英國Reading的歐洲中級天氣預(yù)報(bào)中心的David Anderson說：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

25、尼諾與印度遭受的季風(fēng)和饑荒同時(shí)發(fā)生，導(dǎo)致了印度和中國約4 000萬人喪生，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)合國報(bào)道，1991年和1997年厄爾尼諾爆發(fā)的時(shí)候，僅中國就有2億人受到洪水的侵害。 然而小的厄爾尼諾預(yù)測還是難以捉摸的，如果新的方法被認(rèn)可的話，對大型厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象的預(yù)測至少應(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)測方法預(yù)計(jì)未來兩年不會出現(xiàn)大的厄爾尼諾現(xiàn)象。 第三篇Smoking Since 1939, nu

26、merous 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 s

27、hortened 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 h

28、igher 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, vaporiz

29、ed 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

30、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)： 1．It is easy to determine whether smoking is hazardous. B 2．Smoking reduces one’s life expectancy. A 3．Smoking may induce l

31、ung cancer. A 4．There is evidence that smoking is responsible for breast cancer. C 5．Male smokers have a lower death rate from heart disease than female smokers. B 6．Nicotine is poisonous. A 7．Filters and low tar tobacco make smoking safe. B 抽煙 自1939年以來，人們進(jìn)行了無數(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，顯示出抽煙對健

32、康有嚴(yán)重危害。研究組進(jìn)行的研究確鑿無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? 除了統(tǒng)計(jì)之外，看一看吸煙對人體的影響也可能會有幫助。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。大部分肺癌開始于這一點(diǎn)。 過濾嘴和焦油含量低的煙草被宣稱使抽煙在某種程度上安全一些，但是它們

33、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

34、 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 o

35、f 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 Challeng

36、er 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, an

37、d 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 di

38、scussions 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 as

39、sistance. 練習(xí)： 1．Engineering ethics is a compulsory subject in every institute of science and technology in the Uniled States. C 2．The number of students wishing to take the course of engineering ethics is declining at Texas A&SM University. B 3．The National Science Foundation involves itself dir

40、ectly in writing up material about ethical issues. B 4．It seems that medical ethics and business ethics are more mature than engineering ethics. A 5．Several engineering professors have quit from teaching to protest against the creation of a new course in engineering ethics. C 6．Many engineering p

41、rofessors may not have time to prepare material for class discussion on professional ethics. A 7．It 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院校里越來越受到關(guān)注。在得克薩斯州的大學(xué)，隨著工程道德這門新課的開設(shè)以及

42、由全美科學(xué)基金會提供基金、旨在為大學(xué)工程類必修課程提供道德問題方面[的材料的項(xiàng)目的啟動，人們對職業(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，為了滿足這些需求，目前該小組必須發(fā)展壯大。 人們之所以對工程價(jià)值尺度愈發(fā)關(guān)注，至少部分原因是由于媒體對挑戰(zhàn)者號災(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

43、無疑也將確立起自己的地位。 開發(fā)這一新學(xué)科所面臨的問題是，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題在課堂上展開討論。許多工程類教授認(rèn)為課程安排緊張，沒有時(shí)間在課堂上就職業(yè)道德問題進(jìn)行討論，或者覺得自己沒有時(shí)間去準(zhǔn)備必要的材料。希望這里提供的資料會有所幫助。 第五篇 Rescue Platform In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, security experts are trying to devel

44、op 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 plat

45、form was hatched more than ten years ago by a Russian aerospace engineer, David Metreveli, who has since2 moved to Israel. Metreveli’s 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 upwar

46、d 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 basket

47、s3 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 ide

48、a. 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)： 1．A rescue platform called the Eagle is capable of moving vertically but not sideways. B 2．The four propellers are fitted horizonta

49、lly to the Eagle. A 3．With the help of jet engines, the Eagle can fly at a speed of 100 miles an hour. C 4．In the third paragraph, the word helicopter refers to the Eagle. B 5．The more jet engines are fitted to the propellers, the more people the platform can carry. C 6．In the wake of September

50、11, Mr. Metreveli has secured enough funding to build up a small- scale model of the Eagle to test his idea. B 7．Mr. Metreveli is designing for Israel a more advanced form of rescue platform than the Eagle or the Eaglet. C 救生平臺 在世界貿(mào)易中心遭到恐怖襲擊后，安全專家們正在努力尋找新方法，來從燃燒的摩天大樓上營救人們。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)

51、一樣在空中盤旋的平臺。該平臺可沿摩天大樓上下移動，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)動機(jī)來推動四個(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，使平臺升起。供給螺旋推進(jìn)器的能量越多，平臺升得就越高。要使平臺側(cè)向移動，則需要給螺旋推進(jìn)器添加不等的能量。 現(xiàn)在，人們有時(shí)還用直升機(jī)營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度后就會非常不穩(wěn)定，所

52、以救生籃無法達(dá)到每一層樓。 目前，Metreveli已經(jīng)建立起一個(gè)小型“老鷹”模型來檢測自己的構(gòu)思。“9?11”事件后，Metreveli獲得了足夠的基金，開始構(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 wil

53、l 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 fr

54、ee the country from the situation that it is always buying almost-outdated technologies from other countries, said the country’s flagship chipmaker.1 Currently, chip plants in this country are in a passive situation because many foreign governments don’t allow them to import the most advanced techno

55、logies, 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

56、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

57、 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

58、comprehensive technologies. Most of the investment will be spent on setting alliances with technology and intellectual property7 owners. 練習(xí)： 1．The country says that the investment of US $14 million is big enough for developing that country’s chip industry. B 2．That country gives top priorities to

59、 developing chips for military purposes. C 3．Although the licensing fees are not very high, that Far Eastern country cannot afford to pay. B 4．Many western countries ban the exporting of the most advanced chip-making technologies to that country to prevent them from being used for military purpose

60、s. A 5．Currently, almost all the flagship chipmakers in that country are owned by American investors. C 6．Mainstream chip production technology develop rapidly. A 7．More 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 為了開發(fā)先進(jìn)的微芯片生產(chǎn)技術(shù)，這個(gè)遠(yuǎn)東國家建立了一

61、個(gè)研究中心，該中心啟動資金為1 400萬美元，可以幫助該國開發(fā)自己的芯片工業(yè)，不必總是依賴于進(jìn)口技術(shù)。 該中心將會應(yīng)用自己的研究技術(shù)和設(shè)施，為本國芯片廠家開發(fā)新技術(shù)。這個(gè)國家名列首位的芯片制造公司說，芯片中心的成立可能使這個(gè)國家擺脫從他國購買即將淘汰的技術(shù)的困境。由于許多外國政府擔(dān)心先進(jìn)技術(shù)會被用于軍事目的，不允許這個(gè)國家的芯片生產(chǎn)廠家進(jìn)口前沿技術(shù)，所以這些生產(chǎn)廠家處于一種被動局面。另外，由于這些芯片生產(chǎn)廠家必須向技術(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3?5年就要進(jìn)行更新?lián)Q代，所以掌握了新技術(shù)的廠家就可以

62、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家，如果設(shè)備落后，也將會被生產(chǎn)商所淘汰。 十幾個(gè)芯片廠正在建立之中，每個(gè)廠的造價(jià)都在幾百萬美元，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該國芯片行業(yè)的被動形勢中起到重要作用，該國承認(rèn)，1 400萬美元的投資仍是微不足道的。該國正在開發(fā)綜合技術(shù)，大部分投資將用于與技術(shù)和知識產(chǎn)權(quán)所有者建立聯(lián)盟。 第七篇 Moderate Earthquake Strikes England A moderate earthquake struck parts of s

63、outheast 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,

64、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 th

65、e 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 he

66、avier 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 country’s strongest earthquake took place in the North Sea in 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale11. British Geologicisd Survey scie