VOA慢速英语--致命的龙卷风在肯塔基镇造成大规模破坏

Deadly Tornado¹ Causes Widespread Destruction in Kentucky Town

A series of powerful tornadoes² tore through six American states over the weekend, killing³ at least 90 people. Tornadoes are destructive storms in which powerful winds move around a central point.

One of the tornadoes moved through Mayfield, a small town in Kentucky. The storm caused widespread destruction there and killed at least eight people.

The eight people confirmed dead in Mayfield worked in a candle factory that was destroyed in the storm. Eight more workers at the factory remain missing.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear had earlier feared up to 100 people may have been killed in his state. But on Sunday he reduced that estimate down to as low as 50.

Mayfield is a town of about 10,000 people. Judy Burton is a Mayfield local who spoke⁴ to The Associated Press about the storm. She said she was able to take shelter in the basement of her apartment building with her dog and other people before the tornado hit. When observing the damage later, she could not believe the storm's destructive path.

As she looked up at what used to be her third-floor apartment, Burton could still see her clothes hanging, but the walls were gone. Across the street, a damaged church was closed up. A restaurant where neighbors often gathered for lunch was lost in the destruction.

"It's gone. It's terrible, just terrible, I'm shaking," Burton told the AP. "It's going to take me awhile to settle my nerves."

Burton cannot imagine a single family in town not mourning after the disaster. She says Mayfield is the kind of place where everyone is somehow connected to everyone else.

In Mayfield, hundreds of buildings and homes were reduced to nothing. Many structures that were still standing⁵ had their roofs torn off. Streets were filled with clothes, fallen trees and material from buildings. Local officials said the fire station was inoperable and most of the town's police cars were destroyed.

Burton said she worries about her neighbor and her dog. They are feared among the dead, as they were probably unable to escape as walls collapsed⁶ around them.

Shelters were set up in the area, with donations and volunteers coming in from several surrounding communities. At the shelters, people could get food, water and clothes.

Meagan Ralph is a teacher who volunteered to oversee⁷ operations at a shelter. She told the AP that hundreds of her neighbors were left with nothing. But, she added: "We will recover, absolutely. We're small but mighty⁸."

Kentucky was the hardest-hit state. In Illinois, six workers were killed at an Amazon goods storage center after the building collapsed.

A nursing home was hit in Arkansas, causing one of that state's two deaths. Four people were reported dead in Tennessee, while officials in Missouri said two people died.

Words in This Story

candle – n. a long piece of wax with a string going through it that is lit to produce light

basement – n. the area in a house that is below ground

apartment – n. a set of rooms for someone to live in on levels of a building or house

church – n. a building where Christians⁹ go to worship God

roof – n. the surface that covers the top of a building or vehicle

nursing home – n. a place where old people live to receive medical care

absolutely – adj. completely

mighty – adj. very powerful or successful

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 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。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。

8 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

9 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。