新西兰英语 468 School buildings not safe from earthquakes

 　　Two schools have closed buildings because engineers said they would not be safe in an earthquake.

　　Last Friday Golden Bay High School in Nelson closed one classroom block. It was built 60 years ago, before the 1973 earthquake standards for buildings.

　　Yesterday, Wellington East Girls’ College closed a main building. It was built in 1924. The building has nine classrooms and staff rooms. It can accommodate¹ 250 students and 73 teachers. There are 1,000 students at the school.

　　Next week, year 9 students will start their holiday one week early. During the July school holiday, prefabs – portable² buildings – will be brought to the school. The main building may be demolished³ or repaired. This could take two years.

　　In 2008, the Wellington City Council sent a letter to the Ministry⁴ of Education to say that the building was not strong enough for a moderate earthquake. Since the Christchurch earthquakes, the Ministry of Education has been checking schools throughout New Zealand to make sure all classrooms will be safe in an earthquake.

　　Vocabulary

　　A prefab is a pre-fabricated building which means it is made then carried on a truck to the school. Many New Zealand schools have prefabs. They are useful to carry from one school to another when student numbers drop or increase.

　　A classroom block is a building – often two-storeys and made of concrete – with classrooms in it.

　　Demolished – pushed over with a bulldozer

　　Question

　　Some people say that the Christchurch earthquake has been a “wake-up call” for Wellington. What does that mean?

1 accommodate   

vt.容纳，向...提供住处，使适应，顺应

参考例句：

• You should soon accommodate yourself to the new circumstance.你应尽快适应新环境。
• Are there enough shelves to accommodate all our books?有足够的书架容纳我们所有的书吗？

2 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

3 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。