VOA慢速英语2018--印尼发生强震 游客逃离

 

More than 130 people are now confirmed dead from a powerful earthquake that hit Central Indonesia on Sunday.

The numbers of dead and injured have risen since the 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the waters of Lombok Island. The quake also shook three small nearby islands called the Gilis, Bali, Sumbawa and parts of East Java.

Thousands of homes and other buildings were damaged. Indonesian officials say the quake displaced about 156,000 people on Lombok. They have been forced to stay in emergency shelters.

Empty stores, empty hotels

For years, Lombok has been a popular vacation getaway for Indonesians and foreigners alike. Days after the quake struck, the island’s coast looked unusually empty, with many stores and hotels closed.

Any hotels still open are refusing to accept new customers because of safety concerns. Eateries and underwater diving businesses have suspended operations on what is usually one of their busiest months of the year.

“It went from high season just a few days ago to absolutely nothing now,” says Howard Singleton. He owns a seaside restaurant in the west coast town of Senggigi. From his restaurant, customers can enjoy watching the sun setting behind a volcano on neighboring Bali.

Indonesian officials are still adding up earthquake losses. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency says the value of property destroyed and other damage could easily top $69 million.

Many vacationers fled Lombok after Sunday’s earthquake, which came a week after a 6.4 magnitude quake.

“We’ve had light earthquakes in the past, but never anything like this,” said Marcel De Rijk, owner of Puri Mas Resort. His seaside hotel and villa¹ community will stay closed until September for repairs.

“I don’t think people will choose Lombok anymore this summer,” he said.

Cancellations of tour bookings for Lombok have increased, the Association of Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies told Reuters.

Both experts and tourist businesses say the island’s economy will recover, but the next few months will be difficult.

“Needs dollars now”

The quake could not have come at a worse time for Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who declared last month that Southeast Asia’s largest economy “needs dollars now.” He spoke² at the start of a campaign aimed at strengthening the value of the rupiah, Indonesia’s money. The rupiah has lost about six percent against the United States dollar since the start of 2018.

Financial watchers say investors³ have been fleeing Indonesia and other emerging markets as U.S. interest rates rise and world trade tensions increase.

Widodo had ordered government ministers in July to find ways to build up Indonesia’s tourism industry, which is mostly underdeveloped.

Tourism was directly responsible for less than 2 percent of Indonesia’s economy in 2017. That is far less than Thailand and the Philippines, the World Travel and Tourism Council says.

Lombok is one of 10 areas that Indonesia hopes to develop. The ten are known as “the new Balis.”

Widodo has set a goal of raising tourism earnings⁴ to eight percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. He also wants the number of foreigners visiting Indonesia to reach 20 million a year.

The disaster may be a blow to those targets, but officials say they are not worried.

Any effect on tourism from the earthquakes will be temporary and not affect the International Monetary⁵ Fund and World Bank meetings on Bali in October, one official said.

Some Lombok business owners agree.

De Rijk pointed⁶ to the return of tourists after the 2002 bombings on Bali in which 202 people died.

“History shows that even after the worst scenarios⁷...tourists will always come back. Lombok is such a beautiful place,” he said.

I’m Dorothy Gundy.

Words in This Story

magnitude – n. the intensity⁸ of an earthquake, as represented by a number

customer – n. a buyer; someone who purchases a good or service

villa – n. a small house where one can live when on vacation

tour – adj. of or involving travel

emerging markets – n. a term used to describe the economies of developing countries

Gross Domestic Product – n. the value of goods produced and services provided in a country during a year

1 villa   

n.别墅，城郊小屋

参考例句：

• We rented a villa in France for the summer holidays.我们在法国租了一幢别墅消夏。
• We are quartered in a beautiful villa.我们住在一栋漂亮的别墅里。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

5 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 scenarios   

n.[意]情节；剧本；事态；脚本

参考例句：

• Further, graphite cores may be safer than non-graphite cores under some accident scenarios. 再者，根据一些事故解说，石墨堆芯可比非石墨堆芯更安全一些。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• Again, scenarios should make it clear which modes are acceptable to users in various contexts. 同样，我们可以运用场景剧本来搞清楚在不同情境下哪些模式可被用户接受。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。