39秒里的两次大地震：委内瑞拉，为什么伤亡这么大？

就在这个月，一个国家发生了很大的地震。

Just this month, a big earthquake struck a country.

这个国家叫委内瑞拉，离中国很远，在地球的另一边。

That country is Venezuela — far from China, on the other side of the globe.

那天是晚上，很多人刚回到家。

It was evening; many people had just gotten home.

谁也没想到，大地震来了。

No one expected a great earthquake to come.

而且，它一来就是两次。

And it came not once, but twice.

第一次地震很大，过了大概四十秒，第二次更大。

The first quake was big; about forty seconds later, the second was even bigger.

两次加在一起，地一直在动，动了一分多钟。

Together, the ground kept shaking for over a minute.

这么大、这么长的地震，房子很难顶得住。

An earthquake this big and this long, buildings can hardly withstand.

受伤最重的，是首都，还有旁边的海边城市。

Hardest hit were the capital and the nearby coastal city.

首都是一个很大的城市，叫加拉加斯。

The capital is a big city called Caracas.

那里有很多又高又大的楼。

It has many tall, large buildings.

地震一来，有的高楼，一下子就塌了。

When the quake hit, some high-rises collapsed in an instant.

有一栋楼，有二十多层。

One building had more than twenty floors.

地震以后，整栋楼都没有了。

After the quake, the whole building was gone.

里面的人，根本来不及跑出来。

The people inside had no time at all to escape.

到现在，这次地震已经死了一千多人。

So far, this earthquake has killed more than a thousand people.

还有几千人受了伤。

Several thousand more were injured.

更让人难过的是，还有很多很多人，被埋在下面，到现在还找不到。

Even more heartbreaking: many, many people are buried below and still cannot be found.

那么，一个问题来了。

So, a question arises.

为什么这次地震，会死这么多人？

Why did this earthquake kill so many people?

专家说，地震大，是一个原因。

Experts say the quake's size is one reason.

但还有一个原因，更让人难过。

But there's another reason, even sadder.

那就是，那里的很多房子，本来就盖得不结实。

It's that many buildings there were simply not built sturdily.

有的楼很老了，有的楼盖得太快，没有盖好。

Some were very old; some were built too fast and poorly.

所以大地震一来，它们就顶不住了。

So when the big quake hit, they couldn't hold.

地震发生以后，最重要的事，就是救人。

After an earthquake, the most important thing is saving people.

因为被埋在下面的人，时间越长，活下来的机会就越小。

Because for those buried below, the more time passes, the smaller the chance of survival.

所以，前面的三天，特别特别重要。

So the first three days are especially, especially important.

这三天，常常被叫做"黄金七十二小时"。

These three days are often called the 'golden 72 hours'.

为了抢这三天，全世界很多国家，都来帮忙了。

To make the most of them, many countries around the world came to help.

他们派来了救援队，带来了机器和狗，一起找还活着的人。

They sent rescue teams, brought machines and dogs, and searched together for those still alive.

说到这里，我想和你聊一聊。

At this point, I'd like to talk with you.

这件事，发生在很远的地方。

This happened in a faraway place.

我们好像，只是在看一个很远的新闻。

It seems we're just watching distant news.

但是这次，死的人里面，也有八个中国人。

But this time, among the dead were eight Chinese people.

你看，世界上的事，常常没有那么远。

You see, the world's events are often not so far away.

最后我想问你一个问题。

Finally I want to ask you a question.

地震、大火这些事，我们平时都不太会想到。

Earthquakes, fires — these we rarely think about day to day.

但如果有一天，它真的来了，你知道自己应该怎么做吗？

But if one day it really comes, would you know what to do?