VOA标准英语2011--Flood Waters Move In on Bangkok, Thailand

Flood Waters Move In on Bangkok, Thailand

 

Thai authorities say flood waters creeping down from the north could soon swamp the Thai capital, Bangkok, leading thousands of people to leave the city.

Thai monks², soldiers, and local people hammered particle boards in between two concrete walls along Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River.

They dropped sandbags into the space between the walls, extending the height by about half a meter.

The hope is that the makeshift barrier will prevent, or at least slow down, flood waters from entering the Kaew-Fah-Chulamani temple.

Phra Rattanamaythee, head monk¹ at the temple, says he thinks the mass of water headed to Bangkok will probably spill over the wall. But, he says as long as the water is not too high they can still live on the temple’s second floor.

He says the flood disaster is worse than in past years. The government and people tried to prevent it, but the water mass is a larger amount this time. He says they have used all of their personnel and equipment, but could not stop the water. He says they have done their best.

Thai residents wade3 through floodwaters to buy food at a hypermarket in Bangkok, Thailand, October 27, 2011.

The swollen⁴ river is already seeping⁶ through flood barriers, covering a nearby neighborhood in shoe-deep water.

Machines hum away at the Bang Sue water pumping station just between the flooded neighborhood and the temple.

Thammarat, an officer at the station, says the water level today was much higher than yesterday and admits the station itself could soon be flooded.

He says they will not evacuate⁷ the station. If it is flooded, he says, they will have to work constantly to pump out the water. He says they must be prepared because they cannot abandon the equipment. He repeats they will not evacuate.

While residents near the river and swollen drainage canals are already getting wet, most of central Bangkok is still dry. But many businesses are now racing⁸ to prepare for the water.

On a busy downtown street, workers layer cement and stack cinder⁹ blocks in front of small shops, building up waist-high walls.

Across the street, a monstrous¹⁰ three-meter-high wall of sandbags is protecting a bank.

As more residents jammed highways and bus terminals for coastal¹¹ areas or the mountains, sandbag and cement walls sprung up throughout the city.

Thai authorities say it is only a matter of time before flood waters seep⁵ into central Bangkok, though it is still not clear how widespread or deep they could get.

1 monk   

n.和尚，僧侣，修道士

参考例句：

• The man was a monk from Emei Mountain.那人是峨眉山下来的和尚。
• Buddhist monk sat with folded palms.和尚合掌打坐。

2 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

4 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

5 seep   

v.渗出，渗漏；n.渗漏，小泉，水（油）坑

参考例句：

• My anger began to seep away.我的怒火开始消下去了。
• If meteoric water does not evaporate or run overland,it may seep directly into the ground.如果雨水不从陆地蒸发和流走的话，就可能直接渗入地下。

6 seeping   

v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water had been slowly seeping away from the pond. 池塘里的水一直在慢慢渗漏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chueh-hui could feel the cold seeping into his bones. 觉慧开始觉得寒气透过衣服浸到身上来了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

7 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

8 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

9 cinder   

n.余烬，矿渣

参考例句：

• The new technology for the preparation of superfine ferric oxide from pyrite cinder is studied.研究了用硫铁矿烧渣为原料，制取超细氧化铁红的新工艺。
• The cinder contains useful iron,down from producing sulphuric acid by contact process.接触法制硫酸的矿渣中含有铁矿。

10 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

11 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。