VOA常速英语2007年-Aid Pours Into Storm-Battered Bangladesh; Offic

By Steve Herman
New Delhi
19 November 2007

Aid agencies in Bangladesh say the death toll¹ from Cyclone² Sidr is likely to rise sharply in the coming days. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from New Delhi that millions of Bangladeshis have seen their villages practically wiped off the map by the storm, which had winds of up to 250 kilometers an hour.

Low-lying Bangladesh is accustomed to annual floods and devastating³ storms, but officials there on Monday described the cyclone as the worst natural disaster in more than a decade.

The UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, Louis-George Arsenault went by plane and boat to reach Charkhali village in Patuakhali, along the Bay of Bengal, one of the worst hit areas.

"It's a bit apocalyptic⁴ because everything has been smashed. There is nothing standing⁵. It's like a small tsunami⁶. Everything has been wiped out," said Arsenaut. "The crops are gone, trees are gone. And people are just trying to survive and pulling things together. They have no more clothes. They have just one piece of cloth they are wearing around their waist."

The government's preliminary death toll on Monday was more than 2,400, but relief workers say the total may be far beyond that. There is still no communication with some coastal⁷ communities.

The Bangladesh military has sent ships and helicopters to reach survivors⁸ believed stranded⁹ on islands in the Bay of Bengal.

The U.S. Navy is sending two ships with helicopters to assist with the relief effort. The United States has also given two million dollars in what is described as an initial donation. European nations are pledging millions of dollars.

As he surveyed Charkhali village, Arsenault of the United Nations Children's' Fund, described the sort of aid that villagers need.

"As we move forward in coming days, essential drugs and water supply," he said. "But right now we need dry food and we need shelters very badly, even just basic clothes."

Cyclone Sidr came ashore¹⁰ Thursday with 250 kilometer-an-hour winds and tidal surges of five meters. It appears to be the worst storm to hit Bangladesh since 1991 when a cyclone left an estimated 143,000 people dead.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 apocalyptic   

adj.预示灾祸的，启示的

参考例句：

• The air is chill and stagnant,the language apocalyptic.空气寒冷而污浊，语言则是《启示录》式的。
• Parts of the ocean there look just absolutely apocalyptic.海洋的很多区域看上去完全像是世界末日。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

7 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

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 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。

10 ashore   

adv.在(向)岸上，上岸

参考例句：

• The children got ashore before the tide came in.涨潮前，孩子们就上岸了。
• He laid hold of the rope and pulled the boat ashore.他抓住绳子拉船靠岸。