美国有线新闻 CNN 飓风“多里安”逼近波多黎各 移动轨迹难以预测

 

Parts of the U.S. southeast could be weathering a hurricane over that weekend. Yesterday a storm named Dorian was spinning over the Atlantic headed towards the U.S. Virgin¹ Islands and eastern Puerto Rico. The silver lining² is this system is not as strong as Hurricane Maria. That was a Category 4 storm that smashed³ into Puerto Rico in 2017. The bad news is Dorian could cause further damage on an island that's still recovering from Maria. There are still tarps on some of the roofs that Maria damaged. There are still weak spots in the electrical system that Maria knocked out.

So Puerto Rico has declared a state of emergency, opening hundreds of shelters to residents and prepping 70 hospitals in case of injuries from Dorian.

Forecasters have had their hands full trying to figure out where this storm's going to go. Just two days ago they projected that it would roll south of Puerto Rico and barrel over the Dominican Republic. Last night, Dorian looked like it would miss that country altogether because it had turned northward⁴, though heavy rain and tropical storm winds were still possible. What happens after this is anyone's guess. Dorian was a Category 1 hurricane as of last night. And meteorologists think it'll strengthen further after it passes by the islands and gets back over the Atlantic. Dorian already caused flooding in Martinique when it was a tropical storm.

If it becomes a Category 3 hurricane which some scientists expect, Dorian could have wind speeds of up to 115 miles per hour and be capable of serious damage. And the National Hurricane Center says it could then approach Florida or other parts of the American southeast over the weekend. The forecasters still don't know if, where or when that will happen.

1 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

2 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

3 smashed   

adj.喝醉酒的v.打碎，捣烂( smash的过去式和过去分词 )；捣毁；重击；撞毁（车辆）

参考例句：

• Several windows had been smashed. 几扇窗户劈里啪啦打碎了。
• In time-honoured tradition, a bottle of champagne was smashed on the ship. 依照由来已久的传统，对着船摔了一瓶香槟。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。