2007年VOA标准英语-Brush Fires Force Vacationers to Scramble in So

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
25 July 2007

Soaring temperatures and forest fires have forced thousands of holiday-goers in southern Italy to evacuate¹ hotels, campsites and other tourist sites. From Rome, Sabina Castelfranco reports there have been at least two deaths blamed on the conflagration².

There are scenes of desperation and anger in Italy's south, as brush fires spread across vast areas and firefighters struggle to cope with dramatic situations. Thousands of tourists have been trapped on beaches.

Vacationers walk past burnt cars at the San Nicola camping a day after a fire broke out, in Peschici, in the Gargano peninsula of the region of Puglia in Italy, 25 July 2007

Holiday makers³ escaping the flames rushed to the beach in bathing suits, leaving all their belongings⁴ behind in their campsites and apartments. Emergency services used patrol boats and helicopters to evacuate 4,000 tourists and residents to safety.

However, there were many complaints about the delays in rescue operations and a lack of water.

One woman was in despair. She says it is a miracle that she and her son are alive. She credits God, not the rescuers. She says she spent three hours at sea, holding her 10-month-old son's head above water.

In the Peschici in Puglia, people were forced to evacuate a hotel and several camp and tourist sites. Residents were devastated⁵ by their experience. Even the cemetery⁶ was burning.

One man says he has never seen anything like a cemetery burning. He says no one showed up to deal with the fires for four hours.

The head of the Italy's civil defense⁷ authority, Guido Bertolaso, says it was very likely the series of fires devastating⁸ the region were deliberately⁹ started.

Summer wildfires are common in Italy. The country has been hit by a heat wave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees. Weather reports say these temperatures are not expected to ease in the next few days.

Bertolaso says the current situation is unprecedented¹⁰. He says Italy has never experienced conditions like this, before. Temperatures in the south have reached 45, with zero percent humidity. Add consistent winds and it is a perfect recipe for wildfires. He says that, in a half hour, a dropped match can incinerate a small forest.

Italy has the largest fire-fighting fleet in Europe, but Bertolaso says it was impossible to react to the 100 calls received for planes, Tuesday.

1 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

2 conflagration   

n.建筑物或森林大火

参考例句：

• A conflagration in 1947 reduced 90 percent of the houses to ashes.1947年的一场大火，使90%的房屋化为灰烬。
• The light of that conflagration will fade away.这熊熊烈火会渐渐熄灭。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 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。

9 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

10 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。