維蘇威火山會不會再爆發Many wonder if one of the world’s most famous volcanoes will roar to life again. by Pamela Osment
On August 24 of A.D. 79 an earthquake shook Vesuvius just before the top of the mountain burst open and a monstrous cloud shot upward. Ash, stones and pumice showered down upon the frightened citizens of Pompeii. "We also saw the sea sucked away.... from the shore so that quantities of sea creatures were left stranded on dry sand...... [A] fearful black cloud was rent by ... and quivering bursts of flame, and parted to reveal great tongues of fire." Then darkness fell. "You could hear the shrieks of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men. People bewailed their own fate or that of their relatives, and there were some who prayed for death in their terror of dying."
A remarkable account
While this may sound like a terrifying scene from a disaster movie, it's actually an eyewitness account of one of Italy's worst natural disasters. This description of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius marked the very first time a volcanic eruption had been described in detail. In recording the horror of the event, Pliny the Younger, a Roman author, left behind this record that still benefits historians and scientists today.
The eruption
Days before the eruption, residents of Pompeii heard rumblings and experienced several minor earthquakes. Then a huge column of volcanic ash and cinders burst from the mountain and hovered over the area. Hours later the column fell to Earth, showering the city with 400-degree- Celsius ash, gas and debris. Nearly 19 hours after the eruption began, about 3 m (meter) of ash covered practically everything except the tops of Pompeii's highest buildings. In neighboring Herculaneum, a rushing stream of boiling mud covered the town, burying everything under 23 m of ash and mud. The massive volcanic eruption lasted nearly a day and left over 3,000 people dead.
A city frozen in time
The lost cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum were forgotten until 1595 when excavations uncovered artifacts from Pompeii. Over a century later, archaeologists found the city almost perfectly preserved, including what remained of hundreds of bodies. The combination of volcanic as, heat, mud and the rain that followed the eruption had buried Pompeii's citizens. Even after the bodies decayed, an imprint of amazing details was left behind in the hardened ash. Archaeologists discovered that by pouring plaster into the opening around a skeleton, a perfect from of the human at the moment of death was revealed.
Vesuvius today
The mountain erupted almost once every century from A.D. 79 until around A.D. 1037. Then it went into a quiet stage for the next 600 years until 1631, when the volcano once again roared to life and killed 4,000 residents. It has remained quiet since 1944, the year of its last eruption. Today 5 million people live in close proximity to Mount Vesuvius, mainland Europe's only active volcano. This makes it the world's deadliest volcano because of the great potential for loss of life in the event of another eruption.
That possibility doesn't deter tourists, though, who flock to see the famous volcano and the beautiful views of the Gulf of Naples. Adventurous visitors hike to the mouth of the active volcano and peer down into its 230-m-deep crater.
These days, Mount Vesuvius is a sleeping giant, and scientists are determined that should an eruption occur, residents won't be caught off guard. With careful monitoring and an evacuation plan in place, scientists hope the story of the terrifying end of Pompeii and Herculaneum will never be repeated.
Grammar
If an eruption should occur, residents won't be caught off guard.
should- take the "if " off, place "should" at the front of the sentence, make the sentence short.(informal situation)
.......should an eruption occur, residents won't be caught off guard.
Should you encounter any problems with the computer, please notify the lab technician.
If you should encounter any problems with the computer, please notify the lab technician.
Should you have any questions, please call the front desk.
If you should have any questions, please call the front desk.
Vocabulary Tips
monstrous-very large or very scary. 巨大的，或是令人害怕的
*The monstrous beast in the movie really scared some of the younger viewers.
*The monstrous stones in the desert became a famous tourist attraction.-旅遊景點
quiver-顫抖，發抖，抖動，shaking slightly.
*Nina's lips quivered and she started to cry when she heard the terrible news.
*The teenagers quivered with excitement when the pop star entered the stage.
*His voice quivered when he mentioned his father who passed away last year.
eruption -爆發 （火山， 事情）erupt-噴出，爆發。
*The eruption of the volcano caused serious damage in the area.
*The eruption of the disease affected millions.
rumbling-隆隆聲，咕嚕咕嚕聲 continue make a low deep sound
*The sudden rumbling of thunder frightened the kids at the park. 雷隆隆聲
*I could hear the rumbling of my own stomach, and it was so embarrassing.肚子咕嚕咕嚕的叫。。。把我弄得好恘，
*The loud rumbling of the race cars' engines signaled the start of the race.
hover-盤旋，或停留在空中。。
*The vulture was hovering above the wounded antelope.禿鷹。。。受傷的羚羊。
*Helicopters hovered in the sky trying to locate the fugitives.逃犯
imprint-痕跡，印， im-是進入的意思 print-印
*The preschool students left imprints of their hands on the garden's cement floor.手印。
*The accident left an imprint of terror in her mind.可怕的痕跡。
proximity-靠近，靠近什麽用“to” near or close the place prox-有靠近的意思
*Proximity to medical facilities is quite important for elderly people.
*The best things about the location of our apartment is its proximity to the supermarket.
deadly-致命的cause people to dead
*The deadly snakes were kept in a cage.籠子
*The scientists found a way to keep the deadly disease from spreading.
*A deadly chemical was found in the drink.
catch somebody off guard (idiom)-趁人不備，使人措手不及。在人沒有心理凖備時。。
*Our boss caught us off guard and showed up at the office suddenly.
*The quarterback caught his opponents off guard and made a touch-down.四分衛
evacuation-evacuate-leaving from or moving out of a danger place.撤離
deter-stop or prevent to do something.
crater- a deep hole.
Chat Room
onomatopoeia -擬人字，如中文的丁丁噹噹，劈里啪啦，嘰咕嘰咕聲
roar-lion
hoot-owl
chirp-bird
bark-dog
meow-cat
purr- when cat is feeling nice and happy.貓在快樂舒服時發出的聲音
hiss-snake
buzz-fly (蒼蠅,飛蟲)
hum-mosquito (蚊子)
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debris- talk about something has been destroyed.碎片，殘骸，（海上廢棄物，太空垃圾）
debris -“s”不發音。（di-bri) 代名詞是“it”而不是“they”
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A.D. /B.C.-Anno Domini / Before Christ 西元， 西元后（主后）
A.D. 1000-西元1000要把A.D. 放在前面。
3000 B.C.-主后， （西元后）3000，要把B.C. 放在后面
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