IN THE NEWS - World Weather

IN THE NEWS -August 17, 2002: World Weather

By Caty Weaver¹
This is Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program IN THE NEWS.

Severe weather is affecting people in many countries. In areas of south and east Asia, about seven-hundred
people have been killed in floods and resulting landslides² during the past month. The hardest hit countries include
North and South Korea, Vietnam, India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

In India, the flooding is the worst the country has experienced in twenty-five years. Areas in Assam and Bihar
states have suffered from heavy rains and flooding. Twenty million people have been affected³. Indian officials
say more than three hundred people have died as a result of the weather conditions.

The number of dead in Nepal is even higher. More than four hundred people have been killed in floods and
landslides in mountain villages there. Another one-hundred-fifty people have died in similar weather in
Bangladesh. Flooding was also especially severe in China this year where about nine -hundred people have died.

Yet, there also are intensely dry conditions in parts of Asia. For example, although floods are affecting part of the
Indian state of Bihar, the seasonal⁴ rains have not begun as expected in other areas of the same state. The lack of
water is killing⁵ crops. A spokesman⁶ for the aid organization Red Cross says that ninety-five percent of crops in
Bihar probably will not survive.

Huge floods also are continuing in several European countries. The heavy rains began about two weeks ago.
More than sixty people were killed in sudden floods in southern Russia.

Similar weather hit the Czech Republic. Czech safety officials ordered tens of
thousands of people to leave the capital, Prague, this week. The rain and
overflowing⁷ rivers also have damaged hundreds of smaller towns and villages in the
Czech Republic. Roads and railroads are underwater in a number of places. Bridges
have been carried away by water. Czech officials estimate hundreds of millions of
dollars of damage.

The rains and floods are also damaging parts of Germany. Thousands of people
have been removed from the historic⁸ city of Dresden. The Elbe river in Dresden
reached its highest levels in more than one-hundred-fifty years.

The intense rains have also done great damage in Austria. Other affected countries include Italy, Spain, Slovakia,
Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Hungary and Ukraine. Officials estimate thousands of millions of dollars of damage
across Europe.

Many environmental experts say human activities are involved in large climate changes. For example, many
scientists believe that the release of industrial wastes is warming the Earth’s atmosphere. Yet no one has proven a
direct link between human activity and specific incidents of weather. And, some scientists argue that climate
changes are the result of natural causes.

This VOA Special English program In The News was written by Caty Weaver. This is Steve Ember.

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Czech Republic

1 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

2 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。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 spokesman   

n.发言人，代言人

参考例句：

• The government spokesman gave a quick briefing to the reporters.政府发言人向记者们作了情况简介。
• They drew lots to decide who should be their spokesman.他们抽签决定谁是他们的发言人。

7 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

8 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。