一些日本民防专家手里拿着极小的黑色盒子会聚在气候控制室里。在形势图前和计算机嗡嗡声中,他们向首相建议发布进入全面警戒状态的警报。灾害什么时候到来现在已经成为日本科学家们激烈争论的主题,他们正忙于把全国的尖端技术应用到地震预报这个仍然难以捉摸的任务中去。但是总的来说,他们认为东京已经进入了危险阶段,从现在到2000年期间的某个时候很可能发生一次大地震。 Some Japanese civil defense experts hold a tiny black box in the climate control room. Before the situation and computer buzz, they suggested to the prime minister that they should issue an alert to enter full alert. The dawn of a disaster has now become the subject of intense debate among Japanese scientists who are busy applying the country’s cutting-edge technology to the still elusive task of earthquake prediction. But in general, they think Tokyo has entered a dangerous phase and a major earthquake is likely to occur sometime between now and 2000.