格陵兰岛东部峡湾的大规模山体滑坡引发了持续九天 “震动地球” 的巨浪。去年九月，世界各地的传感器接收到了格陵兰岛的 “地震” 信号，这使科学家们开始研究这一震动的来源。

When seismic sensors around the planet picked up the unusual signal emanating from Greenland, a group of geologists set out to solve the mystery of what was causing it.

当全球各地的地震感应器接收到格陵兰岛发出的 “地震” 信号后，一群地质学家开始着手解开有关该情况形成原因的谜团。

They eventually worked out that this vibration, that lasted an unprecedented nine days, came from a massive landslide that triggered a tsunami in a remote fjord in the east of the country. Before and after images revealed that a whole mountain top had collapsed there, sending a volume of rock equivalent to 25 Empire State Buildings slamming into the water. The depth and narrow shape of this 124-mile-long fjord in effect trapped the wave so it sloshed back and forth creating the vibrations.

这群地质学们最终发现这一史无前例地持续了九天的震动，来自于格陵兰岛的一场大规模山体滑坡，这场山体滑坡在该岛东部的一个遥远峡湾处引发了海啸。该峡湾在山体滑坡前后的图片对比显示，那里有一整座山峰倒塌，相当于一个体积为 25 个帝国大厦那么大的岩石猛地坠入水中。这个 124 英里长的峡湾的深度及其狭长的形状有效地限制了岩石坠入水中形成的巨浪，并使巨浪来回冲刷，形成了震动。

Scientists say the landslide was caused by rising temperatures in Greenland melting the glacier that was supporting this mountain. As temperatures in the Arctic rise, the risk of these landslides is increasing – a destructive side effect of climate change.

有关科学家表示，此次山体滑坡是由于格陵兰岛气温升高而使支撑着这座山峰的冰川融化而导致的。随着北极地区气温上升，发生类似山体滑坡的风险也在升高，这也是气候变化具有破坏性的一个负面影响。

词汇表

seismic sensors 地震传感器
picked up 接收到
emanating 发出，显示出
geologists 地质学家
set out to 开始，着手做
vibration 震动
unprecedented 前所未有的
triggered 引发，引起
remote 遥远的
fjord 峡湾
volume 体积
slamming 猛地撞上
sloshed 搅动
side effect 副作用，负面影响

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. What did geologists set out to do?

2. What made the vibration unprecedented?

3. True or False? The tsunami occurred in a low-populated area.

4. According to scientists, what triggered the landslide?

答案

1. What did geologists set out to do?

They set out to find the cause of the signal emanating from Greenland.

2. What made the vibration unprecedented?

Its length – it lasted nine days.

3. True or False? The tsunami occurred in a low-populated area. 

True. The tsunami occurred in a remote fjord in the east of the country.

4. According to scientists, what triggered the landslide? 

Scientists says the landslide was caused by rising temperatures in Greenland melting the glacier that was supporting this mountain where the landslide happened.