VOA标准英语2008年-In US Midwest, People Looking to Clean Up, Rebu

Heavy flooding in America's Midwest in recent weeks has caused severe damage. In one of the hardest-hit cities, Cedar¹ Rapids, in the state of Iowa, as many as 2,000 homes may have to be demolished². VOA Correspondent Scott Stearns is in Cedar Rapids and reports that, despite the widespread devastation⁴, people are optimistic that they will be able to rebuild.
　
Railroad workers tried to anchor an iron bridge in downtown Cedar Rapids with 16 hopper cars of rock then the flood-swollen Cedar River knocked it down

Along the streets of downtown Cedar Rapids, mounds⁵ of water-damaged household goods are waiting to be hauled away - molding carpets, bloated couches, rows of refrigerators and piles of silt-stained insulation⁶.

The City Council has decided⁷ to demolish³ at least 300 homes too dangerous to enter. Another 1,700 in the flood plain may be razed⁸ once residents salvage⁹ what they can.

University of Iowa tests on the sludge left behind by the flood have found contamination from sewage, industrial chemicals and diesel¹⁰ fuel.

"If you have to go into a building, protect yourself at all costs," said Ryan Sunderman, the medical director at St. Luke's Hospital. "We are seeing people come in. It's hot. People want to wear shorts, so they might put on some rubber boots. It's not enough. They need to be fully¹¹ wrapped."

Storms and high water have killed 24 people and caused billions of dollars in damage to buildings and farmland since late May. More than 38,000 people are displaced, most of them here in Iowa.

Cedar Rapids city council has requested 500 trailers from the federal government to house those displaced. The city's manager says reimbursement¹² from a federal buyout program could take as long as 18 months.

Hundreds of out-of-town construction crews have arrived to help with rebuilding. Concerned about potential fraud, Cedar Rapids Police Chief Greg Graham is conducting criminal background checks, and making sure skilled workers have proper liability insurance.

"For the community, as you are getting contacted by these contractors¹³ and these outside vendors¹⁴, ask to see their city ID," he said. "If they don't have a city ID, they have not been cleared through the city of Cedar Rapids with background checks, so don't employ them."
　
Morris Parrish takes a break after clearing debris¹⁵ out of flood-damaged downtown business in Cedar Rapids, 26 June 2008

Tony Golobic owns a company that provides financing and business services to healthcare, telecommunications and office equipment firms. Golobic came to Cedar Rapids 20 years ago and has no doubt the city will rebuild itself stronger than before.

"There is something that I would say is very unique to the American spirit and that uniqueness is especially pronounced here in the Midwest, places like Iowa, places like Cedar Rapids, and that uniqueness is reliance on self help, " he said. "We are not going to wait on anybody else to help us. We are going to be here trying to help ourselves, and if somebody else wants to help us, great. But we are not counting on anybody. We are doing it ourselves."

The city's minor¹⁶ league baseball team, the Cedar Rapids Kernels¹⁷, has started a food drive for those displaced by the floodwater.

"We do feel it is a good outlet¹⁸ for people to be able to come out here for a few hours and have some fun, and maybe get away from the reality of what has happened to them at least for a few hours," said Jack¹⁹ Roeder, the team's general manager.

Collection buckets are passed among the spectators. The team has raised $6,000 for the local Red Cross.

"Everyone helps, everyone steps up, and everyone knows what they need to do," Roeder said. "That's exactly what is happening in this community. It is extraordinary people putting forth²⁰ great efforts. It is going to take a long time. I don't think there are any short cuts to get to where the city wants to be again, but we will, just because of the people that live here.

Marshall Blake is an usher²¹ at Memorial Stadium, where the minor league games are played.

"I was fortunate to be on high ground you might say, had no problems, had some very good friends who have lost everything," he said. "It is just unbelievable. I saw the floodwater, and of course the devastation left after it. I still have a hard time comprehending."

The damage in Cedar Rapids inspired a song from the local duo Bound2Be, aptly titled "Flood."

A dusk-to-dawn curfew remains²² in effect, as more than 3,000 people are still without electricity.

Many citizens are boiling their drinking water because one-third of the city's private wells are contaminated.

The first six months of the year have been the wettest in Iowa history, and flash flood warnings remain in effect across much of the state.

 

1 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

2 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

3 demolish   

v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等)

参考例句：

• They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
• He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库，屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。

4 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》

5 mounds   

土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆

参考例句：

• We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
• Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊，这就是同墓，”——我想他要说的一定是公墓，“看到那些土墩了吗？

6 insulation   

n.隔离；绝缘；隔热

参考例句：

• Please examine the insulation of the electric wires in my house.请检查一下我屋子里电线的绝缘情况。
• It is always difficult to assure good insulation between the electric leads.要保证两个电触头之间有良好的绝缘总是很困难的。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 razed   

v.彻底摧毁，将…夷为平地( raze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The village was razed to the ground . 这座村庄被夷为平地。
• Many villages were razed to the ground. 许多村子被夷为平地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

10 diesel   

n.柴油发动机，内燃机

参考例句：

• We experimented with diesel engines to drive the pumps.我们试着用柴油机来带动水泵。
• My tractor operates on diesel oil.我的那台拖拉机用柴油开动。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 reimbursement   

n.偿还，退还

参考例句：

• He received reimbursement for his travel expenses.由于出差的花费他可以得到公司的补偿。
• Which forms do I need to complete for my travel reimbursement?我需要填什么表来报我的旅费？

13 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》

14 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

15 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

16 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

17 kernels   

谷粒( kernel的名词复数 )； 仁； 核； 要点

参考例句：

• These stones contain kernels. 这些核中有仁。
• Resolving kernels and standard errors can also be computed for each block. 还可以计算每个块体的分辨核和标准误差。

18 outlet   

n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄

参考例句：

• The outlet of a water pipe was blocked.水管的出水口堵住了。
• Running is a good outlet for his energy.跑步是他发泄过剩精力的好方法。

19 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

20 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

21 usher   

n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员

参考例句：

• The usher seated us in the front row.引座员让我们在前排就座。
• They were quickly ushered away.他们被迅速领开。

22 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。