新西兰英语 578 Rain in Northland

 　　Northland has had heavy rain and strong winds for the past 24 hours with flooding in some areas. About 200mm of rain fell last night and it is still raining. Some farm land is flooded. Some roads and schools are closed and the police said that people should stay at home if possible. Logs¹ and branches² floating³ down flooded roads are dangerous for anyone driving.

　　One woman was driving on a rural⁴ road near Whangarei when the road became a river. She climbed out of her car then was swept down the river until she managed to grab⁵ onto a tree. She was lucky because a family saw her in the tree and managed to rescue⁶ her using a kayak and ropes.

　　The weather was caused by sub-tropical low air pressure⁷. It is slow-moving so the rain and wind will continue until tomorrow afternoon, Tuesday. More rain is expected for Wednesday.

　　Most of the North Island has also had wind and rain today.

　　Vocabulary

　　logs – trees which have fallen down

　　rural – country

　　swept – past tense of sweep; here it means she had no control

　　grab – take hold

　　kayak – small canoe or boat

　　tropical – hot and humid like near the equator; sub-tropical – not quite so hot

　　low atmospheric air pressure brings wind and cloud

1 logs   

n.练习用球瓶；原木，木材，木料( log的名词复数 )；航海[飞行]日志

参考例句：

• logs for the fire 烧火用的木材
• The logs were knocked together as they floated down the stream. 圆木顺流而下时互相碰撞着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 branches   

n.树枝( branch的名词复数 )；分支；（机构、组织、体系的）一部分；[航海学]（领航员在某一水域的）领航执照

参考例句：

• The bank has branches all over the country. 那家银行在全国各地设有分行。
• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。

3 floating   

adj.不固定的，流动的，浮动的v.（使）浮动( float的现在分词 )；（使）漂浮[飘动]；（使货币汇率）自由浮动；轻盈走动

参考例句：

• a bloated body floating in the canal 沟渠里一具发胀的浮尸
• His decapitated body was found floating in a canal. 人们发现他被斩首的尸体漂浮在一条水渠里。

4 rural   

adj.乡下的，田园的，乡村风味的

参考例句：

• He lived a rural life.他过着田园生活。
• We left the city for a rural home.我们离开城市，去农村安家。

5 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

6 rescue   

n.援救，解救，营救；v.援救，救出，营救

参考例句：

• The rescue party had arrived.营救队已经来了。
• I know he will rescue me.我知道他将会援救我。

7 pressure   

n.压力，压迫，压强；vt.迫使，使增压，密封

参考例句：

• He changed his mind under the pressure from others.他在别人的逼迫之下改变了主意。
• This type of sheet steel could stand high pressure.这种薄钢板能抗高压。