2006年VOA标准英语-Building Better Levees Before the Next Hur

By Greg Flakus
New Orleans, Louisiana
07 March 2006
 
watch New Orleans Levee report

New Orleans levee repairs are to be finished before hurricane season begins June 1st   
  
In New Orleans, where recovery from Hurricane Katrina is still progressing slowly six months after the disaster, there is now a race against time to shore up defenses against another hurricane. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from New Orleans, workers are trying to repair and reinforce levees with only three months to go before the next hurricane season begins.

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The work here goes on at a frantic¹ pace. Contractors² know that hurricane season begins on June first and that nature does not always follow a schedule. In past years hurricanes have occasionally formed well before that date.

One levee runs along the Industrial Canal and is one of several sites around New Orleans where contractors working under the U.S. Army Corps³ of Engineers are trying to repair levee breaches⁵ and strengthen existing infrastructure⁶.

 
A photograph shows how washed out soil compromised this New Orleans levee
  
Project Manager Stuart Waits says the breach⁴ that occurred here was a result of what he calls scouring⁸, which means water that came over the wall washed away its foundation. "The water came over the top of the wall and washed out the soil on the backside of the wall, the protected side of the wall. So this is the neighborhood side and this is the water side," he points out in photographs.

A reporter clarifies, "So, that would be what was holding the wall up, in other words?"

Mr. Waits confirms that. "Correct. You can see from this picture it was steel sheeting with a concrete cap, it needs the soil pressure on both sides in order to function properly. So when the water came over the top and scoured⁹ out the back, you need the soil pressure on that side, and it pushed the wall over."

The water that rushed through the breach knocked over everything in its path. The houses that once stood here were all swept away by the raging floodwaters.
 
 
An illustration of a T-wall structure
  
In order to prevent that from happening again, the Corps of Engineers is driving steel piles deep into the ground to reinforce the new levee wall, which Waits says is designed to prevent scouring. Showing an illustration, Mr. Waits describes the new structure. "It is called a T-wall structure because it is an inverted¹⁰ T. The real foundation support is the piles. These piles are being driven down to elevation¹¹ minus 70, that is 70 feet below sea level."

The man overseeing this project is U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant¹² Colonel David Berczek. He says the reinforced levees will be far better than what the city had before Katrina.

 
Lt. Col. David Berczek
  
"The levees will be repaired to their authorized¹³ heights. In some cases there was subsidence so they will be a little bit taller than what they were and we are encouraging some scour⁷ resistance into the flood walls that will improve their strength."

In other words, Colonel Berczek says residents will be protected when this year's hurricane season begins. "If I were to live in New Orleans, I would feel that on the first of June I would have adequate hurricane protection."

The work being done here is of interest to people who live far away from New Orleans.

Flood control experts and engineers from around the country come here to see what is being done. Bob Faletti is with the Great Lakes and Ohio River Division of the Corps of Engineers in Cincinnati, Ohio. "It is hard to describe the impact," he says, "the power of wind and water, and if you compound that with earthquakes and the personal devastation¹⁴. What can we, as a government agency, do to help those folks? That is what we need to do. We need to make sure that we are prepared as a team to respond to the natural disaster that could befall the area."

The eyes of the world will be on this area in the coming months to see how well these new levees protect a city still reeling from last year's disaster.

1 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

2 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

4 breach   

n.违反，不履行；破裂；vt.冲破，攻破

参考例句：

• We won't have any breach of discipline.我们不允许任何破坏纪律的现象。
• He was sued for breach of contract.他因不履行合同而被起诉。

5 breaches   

破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背

参考例句：

• He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。
• This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来，婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

7 scour   

v.搜索；擦，洗，腹泻，冲刷

参考例句：

• Mother made me scour the family silver.母亲让我擦洗家里的银器。
• We scoured the telephone directory for clues.我们仔细查阅电话簿以寻找线索。

8 scouring   

擦[洗]净，冲刷，洗涤

参考例句：

• The police are scouring the countryside for the escaped prisoners. 警察正在搜索整个乡村以捉拿逃犯。
• This is called the scouring train in wool processing. 这被称为羊毛加工中的洗涤系列。

9 scoured   

走遍（某地）搜寻（人或物）( scour的过去式和过去分词 )； （用力）刷； 擦净； 擦亮

参考例句：

• We scoured the area for somewhere to pitch our tent. 我们四处查看，想找一个搭帐篷的地方。
• The torrents scoured out a channel down the hill side. 急流沿着山腰冲刷出一条水沟。

10 inverted   

adj.反向的，倒转的v.使倒置，使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Only direct speech should go inside inverted commas. 只有直接引语应放在引号内。
• Inverted flight is an acrobatic manoeuvre of the plane. 倒飞是飞机的一种特技动作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 elevation   

n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高

参考例句：

• The house is at an elevation of 2,000 metres.那幢房子位于海拔两千米的高处。
• His elevation to the position of General Manager was announced yesterday.昨天宣布他晋升总经理职位。

12 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

13 authorized   

a.委任的，许可的

参考例句：

• An administrative order is valid if authorized by a statute.如果一个行政命令得到一个法规的认可那么这个命令就是有效的。

14 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》