美国有线新闻 CNN 台湾花莲6.4级地震致8人死亡 救援工作紧张进行中

台湾花莲6.4级地震致8人死亡 救援工作紧张进行中

We're starting at an island that borders the East China Sea, where a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck late on Tuesday. One city in Taiwan that was hit really hard was Hualien. It's on the northeast coast of the island, and it's where at least eight people were killed and 262 others were injured.

Many people are spending the night outside for fear their homes aren't safe to sleep in. Dozens of aftershocks have hit the area and an estimated 35,000 people have no running water. This isn't the deadliest earthquake to hit Taiwan. Forty people were killed in 2016 when a magnitude 6.4 quake struck the island and 2,400 people died in 1999 after a magnitude 7.3 tremor¹.

Taiwan is on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a horseshoe shaped area that runs around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Earthquakes and volcanoes are common from Chile to Indonesia. Still, residents say their nerves are frayed². Dangerously tilting³ buildings have become symbols of how destructive earthquake can be. Taiwan's government says hundreds of military troops and firefighters are helping⁴ with the rescue effort.

KRISTIE LU STOUT⁵, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Dramatic scenes and devastation⁶ from Taiwan after a major earthquake overnight. Now, the 6.4 magnitude quake struck late on Tuesday night, just off the east coast of Taiwan, near Hualien county. Rescue crews are racing⁷ to save lives. In fact, 236 people have been rescued so far.

The president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen, took to Twitter earlier to thank first responder, saying this, quote: Thank you to our first responders for their tireless efforts in Hualien. Rescue operations have been continuing ni?ght and day. Right now, 145 people remain unaccounted for. We will not rest until all are found.

Now, again, that tweet was sent a few hours ago. The number of unaccounted for now stands at 85. Now, at least four buildings in the quake zone are tilting or already collapsed⁸ and we are keeping a close eye on the Marshal Hotel, the Beauty Inn and Yun Men Tsui Ti building all in downtown Hualien.

This is where rescue workers are scrambling⁹ to find any additional survivors¹⁰. To save lives, rescue workers are racing against time. They're also racing against the danger of more aftershocks. In fact, a 5.4 magnitude aftershock hit near Hualien shortly after the larger quake.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

1 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

2 frayed   

adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His shirt was frayed. 他的衬衫穿破了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The argument frayed their nerves. 争辩使他们不快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 tilting   

倾斜，倾卸

参考例句：

• For some reason he thinks everyone is out to get him, but he's really just tilting at windmills. 不知为什么他觉得每个人都想害他，但其实他不过是在庸人自扰。
• So let us stop bickering within our ranks.Stop tilting at windmills. 所以，让我们结束内部间的争吵吧！再也不要去做同风车作战的蠢事了。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

6 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

9 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者