CNN 2010-09-10

Parts of New Zealand are trying to recover from a massive¹ earthquake that hit over the weekend. A couple people had serious injuries. Around 100 others had minor² bumps³ and cuts. Luckily, there were no immediate⁴ reports of any deaths. But there is a lot of damage, as you can see here. The government has gotten 5,000 claims for damaged properties. A lot of those are for houses. The earthquake had a magnitude⁵ of 7.1. It struck early Saturday morning. There have been some pretty strong aftershocks since then, too. Experts say those aftershocks could keep coming for a week.

Over in the Central American nation of Guatemala, people are struggling through the strongest rain in 60 years. More than 40,000 Guatemalans are at risk. What happens is the powerful rain storms cause landslides⁷. Dozens of Guatemalans have been killed or hurt. In one spot, a landslide⁶ knocked some vehicles off the road, and when people nearby came to help, another one hit the exact same location. Thousands of homes have been damaged. Fields full of crops have been washed out. The country's president declared a national emergency over the weekend. He also said Monday would be a day of mourning.

In Chile, officials are working to get 33 men out of a mine they've been trapped in for more than a month. These officials have a plan, a back-up plan, and a back-up, back-up plan. And they're gonna run all three at the same time. You can see the miners in this video. They seem to be in good spirits. Now, Plan A is to drill straight down to the shelter these guys are in. That could take several months. Plan B is to drill at an angle. That could take about half the time. Plan C is to use an oil drill. That could be the fastest option, but it won't be ready until later this month.

1 massive   

adj.巨大的，大规模的，大量的，大范围的

参考例句：

• A massive sea search has failed to find any survivors.经过大规模的海上搜救仍未找到幸存者。
• He drank a massive amount of alcohol.他喝了大量的烈酒。

2 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

3 bumps   

碰撞( bump的名词复数 )； 肿块； 轻微撞车事故； 隆起物

参考例句：

• I had goose bumps when we watched the fireworks. 我们看烟火的时候，我起鸡皮疙瘩。
• E was kind of zig-zagging across the pavement, and I bumps into 'im accidental-like. 他有点歪歪斜斜地在人行道上走，我一不小心撞到了他的怀里。 来自英汉文学

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 magnitude   

n.大小；重大；星等

参考例句：

• I want to know the magnitude of this equipment.我想知道这个设备的大小。
• I hadn't realized the magnitude of the problem.我没有认识到这个问题的重要性。

6 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

7 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。