ENVIRONMENT REPORT - Eastern U.S. Drought

ENVIRONMENT REPORT
–
March 1, 2002: Eastern U.S. Drought¹

By Mario Ritter

This is the VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH ENVIRONMENT REPORT.

There has been a severe lack of rain and snow on the East Coast of the United States. The amount of rain and
snow that has fallen in the states from Maine to Florida has been far below normal.

The lack rain or snow is called a drought. The East Coast states are suffering an unusual
drought this winter. Some areas received only a small percentage of the rain they normally²
receive. And the drought has continued into the winter.

Normally, drought conditions happen during hot summer weather. Ground water supplies
usually increase in the winter and decrease in the spring and summer. Some officials worry
that a dry winter could cause serious water supply problems later in the year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric³ Administration⁴ studies and reports on weather and

ocean conditions in the United States. The agency⁵ says that the East Coast drought is a
continuing event. It began in November Nineteen-Ninety-Nine. NOAA says the drought is affecting eighteen
percent of the United States, not including Alaska and Hawaii.

The drought reached its highest level in August Two-Thousand, when thirty-six percent of the states were
affected⁶. NOAA says the current drought is as severe as any in the last forty years.

Weather experts say they do not know if there will be more rain or snow in the near future. Their concerns have
increased because the recent period from October to January was the second driest ever recorded for the
Northeastern United States.

The Delaware River Basin Commission⁷ controls the water supply used by about twenty-million people in the
New York City area and nearby states. That agency has already begun placing limits on the use of water. Drought
warnings are in effect in many places on the East Coast.

The lack of water has caused some officials to consider ways to store water more effectively. Western states, like
Nevada, store huge amounts of water underground. Now, some officials in New York are considering the same
kind of system. The state of New Jersey⁸ already has built some underground storage structures and plans to build
more.

Experts say that measures once necessary only for dry desert areas may be needed for the heavily populated East
Coast.

This VOA Special English ENVIRONMENT REPORT was written by Mario Ritter.

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1 drought   

n.旱灾，干旱，久旱

参考例句：

• The plants are growing in again,despite the drought.尽管干旱，植物又长出来了。
• The ground is as hard as stone after the drought.长期干旱后土地硬得就像石头一样。

2 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

3 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

4 administration   

n.经营，管理；行政，行政机关，管理部门

参考例句：

• Who is in charge of the administration of your company?你们公司的行政工作由谁负责？
• The teachers are responsible to the school administration.教师向学校行政负责。

5 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

8 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。