纯正地道美语(外教讲解)188：自然灾害

　　Bob:  Those are the headlines for today, and now for the international weather report with Mike Sanderson.
Mike: Thank you, Bob! This past week has been the beginning of Armageddon for many, a series of unprecedented¹ meteorological events occurred around the world.  In Switzerland, a major avalanche² was reported in the Alps. Fortunately, no one was injured. Due to to the extreme cold this winter, a blizzard³ has struck the US Midwest, causing classes in schools and universities to be temporarily canceled.
Mike: Moving to to Latin American, Ecuador has suffered a six month drought that has not only affected⁴ farming, but has also forced the closure of the hydroelectric power plant that provides electricity for the entire country. In Chile, a major earthquake that registered seven point five on the Richter scale struck the southern region.  Losses are reported to be in the billions. Authorities have not yet released an official statement.
Bob: Not a great week for the world!  Any good news?
Mike: I’m afraid not, Bob.  One of the major volcanoes in Mexico has erupted,  causing major floods and landslides⁵ in the region. Meanwhile, Mexico ’s coast has been hit by hurricane Liliana and officials say that all the seismic⁶ activity  leads  them  to  believe  that  a  tsunami⁷ may hit Central America, affecting Honduras, Guatemala and  Panama.  That’s all the news we have for today, but stay tuned⁸ for updates on the six o’clock news. Back to you Bob.

　　headline  n.新闻摘要
unprecedented  adj.空前的
meteorological adj.气象的
avalanche n.雪崩
blizzard n.暴风雪
drought n.干旱
hydroelectric power plant 水电站
hurricane n.  飓风
seismic activity 相关状况
tsunami n. 海啸

　　鲍伯:这些就是今天的新闻摘要，现在一起来看Mike Sanderson主持的国际天气预报。
迈克:谢谢你，鲍伯。过去的一周成为大决战的开始，全球各地发生了一系列的极端气象现象。在瑞典，阿尔卑斯山脉发生了一次雪崩。幸运的是，没人受伤。受这个冬天极寒的影响，一场暴风雪袭击了美国中西部，导致学校和大学的一些课程被迫取消。
迈克:来看下拉丁美洲，Ecuador遭受了6个月的干旱。干旱不仅影响了农业，也迫使为全国提供电力的发电站关闭。在智力，一场5.7级的地震袭击了南部地区。损失达到上亿。当局还没发布政府公告。
鲍伯:不妙的一周，没有好消息吗？
迈克:恐怕没有，鲍伯。墨西哥的一个主要火山喷发了，引发洪水和部分地区滑坡。同时， 飓风Liliana袭击了墨西哥海岸，政府官员成相关状况使他们相信海啸可能会袭击美洲中部，影响洪都拉斯， 瓜地马拉 和巴拿马. 以上是今天的新闻报道，请关注6点新闻的最新报道。回到鲍伯的节目。
 

1 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

2 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

3 blizzard   

n.暴风雪

参考例句：

• The blizzard struck while we were still on the mountain.我们还在山上的时候暴风雪就袭来了。
• You'll have to stay here until the blizzard blows itself off.你得等暴风雪停了再走。

4 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。

5 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

6 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

7 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

8 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》