新奇事件簿 物资难抵尼泊尔

A week after the devastating¹ 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal, the full extent of the disaster is still coming to light. The United Nations has called for further support to aid the rescue attempts. Only $53 million of the $415 million promised by countries has been given. The capital Kathmandu is struggling to deal with the sheer enormity of the destruction, while whole towns along the length of the Kathmandu Valley have been flattened². Hundreds of thousands of homes across the impoverished³ Himalayan nation have been damaged or destroyed, leaving more than three million people sheltering under blue tarpaulins⁴ and in need of food and medicine.

就在尼泊尔发生7.8级地震之后的一周，受灾全貌还在慢慢显露端倪。联合国已经呼吁继续加强对这一地区的营救工作。许多国家承诺的4亿1500万美金的救灾援助资金只到位了5300万。首都加德满都正在处理大面积的受灾情况，而在加德满都乡村沿路的所有城镇都已被夷为平地。在这个贫穷的国家里，成千上万栋房屋遭到了损坏或是毁灭，有超过300万人不得不在蓝色防水油布中避难，他们急缺食品和药物。

Nepal's Prime Minister, Sushil Koirala, has admitted that his government is overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster and is ill-equipped to cope. He requested helicopters to help with the distribution of aid. However, the logistics of this are being hampered⁵ by the country's rugged⁶ terrain⁷, which often makes it difficult for anything to be delivered by air. Many of the roads have been swept away by avalanches⁸ and landslides⁹. Further exacerbating¹⁰ the problem is the fact that Kathmandu's international airport has only one runway, which has hindered the delivery of much-needed supplies. The U.N. World Food Program warned that it would take time for aid to reach more remote communities.

尼泊尔主席苏希尔·柯伊拉腊承认他的政府已经无法承受规模如此之大的灾难，并缺乏应有的应对设备。他要求直升机来帮助投掷急需品。但是，这一举措却遭到了道路崎岖的阻碍，这使得空中支援受到了限制。许多道路遭到了雪崩和山体滑坡的损坏。更为严重的问题是加德满都的国际机场只有一条跑道，这阻碍了急需品的运输供应工作。联合国世界粮食计划署警告称物资到达偏远地区的时间将会增加。

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

3 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 tarpaulins   

n.防水帆布，防水帆布罩( tarpaulin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Main wood to aluminum and plexiglass, PC, tarpaulins, toughened glass. 主材以铝型材与进口有机玻璃、PC、防水布、钢化玻璃。 来自互联网
• That means providing tents or other materials, including plastic sheeting, tarpaulins and wood. 这意味着需要帐篷和其他物资，包括塑料布、放水油布和木材。 来自互联网

5 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

6 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

7 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

8 avalanches   

n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• Avalanches poured down on the tracks and rails were spread. 雪崩压满了轨道，铁轨被弄得四分五裂。 来自辞典例句

9 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。

10 exacerbating   

v.使恶化，使加重( exacerbate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This pedagogical understretch is exacerbating social inequalities. 这种教学张力不足加重了社会不平等。 来自互联网
• High fertilizer prices are exacerbating the problem. 高涨的肥料价格更加加剧了问题的恶化。 来自互联网