2006年VOA标准英语-Flooding Kills Hundreds in Ethiopia

By Pearse Lynch
Nairobi
17 August 2006

 
Ethiopian soldier stands guard near  road which was nearly swept away near Afetesia slum in Dire¹ Dawa, August 7, 2006
  
Flood waters around Ethiopia's Omo river have killed more than 300 people and stranded² thousands of others.  Unusually heavy rains have led to severe flooding across the Horn of Africa country.

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Chief Inspector³ of Police for the affected⁴ Omo region, Tsegay Muluneh speaking from the town of Jinka, 780 kilometers south of the capital Addis Ababa, told reporters Ethiopia needs international assistance. He said authorities are struggling to cope with the scale of the disaster.

Since the river Omo topped its banks Sunday, surging flood waters have submerged 14 villages, destroying homes, roads, and carrying off thousands of head of livestock⁵. Muluneh says rescue boats have been dispatched in a frantic⁶ effort to deliver food, medicine, temporary shelters and to pickup⁷ 20,000 survivors⁸, marooned⁹ by the flood.

Fears are rising that if survivors are not reached soon they may be at risk of outbreaks or waterborne diseases like cholera¹⁰.

World Food Program spokesman Paulet Jones, speaking to VOA from Addis Ababa, says although floods are common in the lowlands of Ethiopia in the rainy season from June to September, a combination of factors has made flooding this year far worse than usual.

"What has been unusual is the intensity¹¹ and the extent of the rain," she said. "The devastation¹² is also being caused by the fact that the rivers become silted¹³ up because of soil erosion. Soil is running off the land and into the rivers. The rivers are prone¹⁴ to over flooding much more quickly and much more readily than they would a couple years ago."

Jones says that aid agencies are expecting the number of casualties to rise.

"Assistance has been hampered¹⁵ by bad weather in the area and the fact that the area is very large and the infrastructure¹⁶ is quite poor," continued Jones. "So we do not have a channel of good roads in which to transport our food, but nonetheless the food is their and it ready to be delivered as soon as we it has been requested by the government."

The World Food Program is already supplying relief to flood victims in the region of Dire Dawa in the east of the country, where as many as 250 people were killed and 10,000 were made homeless by flash flooding last week.

Floods have also plagued the far north in the Tekezie region along the banks of the Tigray river.

1 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

2 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

3 inspector   

n.检查员，监察员，视察员

参考例句：

• The inspector was interested in everything pertaining to the school.视察员对有关学校的一切都感兴趣。
• The inspector was shining a flashlight onto the tickets.查票员打着手电筒查看车票。

4 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。

5 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

6 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。

7 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

8 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

9 marooned   

adj.被围困的；孤立无援的；无法脱身的

参考例句：

• During the storm we were marooned in a cabin miles from town. 在风暴中我们被围困在离城数英里的小屋内。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Five couples were marooned in their caravans when the River Avon broke its banks. 埃文河决堤的时候，有5对夫妇被困在了他们的房车里。 来自辞典例句

10 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

11 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

12 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》

13 silted   

v.（河流等）为淤泥淤塞( silt的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）淤塞

参考例句：

• The riverbed is silted up, so there's no outlet for the floodwater. 河道淤塞，水无出路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The river is silted up and the water flows sluggishly. 河道淤塞，水流迟滞。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

15 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

16 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。