VOA标准英语2008年-Hurricane Gustav Slams Into US Gulf Coast

Hurricane Gustav crashed into the U.S. gulf¹ coast Monday bringing strong rain but winds that were weaker than initially² expected. Most residents of New Orleans had already fled the city, where water is now splashing over the levees that were rebuilt after the devastating³ hurricane that hit the same area three years ago. Initial reports say the levees appear to be holding. VOA's Brian Wagner has this report from Miami.
　
A Louisiana National Guard vehicle in New Orleans, 01 Sep 2008

Weather forecasters in Miami said Hurricane Gustav weakened slightly before making landfall Monday southwest of the low-lying city of New Orleans. The latest conditions appeared to be good news for New Orleans residents and officials who feared the storm could be worse than Hurricane Katrina which caused massive flooding in 2005 and was blamed for about 1,400 deaths.

The National Hurricane Center said hurricane conditions from Gustav extended over a vast area along the gulf coast, including tornadoes⁴ in some areas. Some outlying areas along the coast were submerged as the hurricane came ashore⁵.

Forecaster Bill Read said the storm brushed past New Orleans around mid-day but the danger was not over.

"However adverse⁶ conditions continue in the New Orleans area with storm surge tides in the 10-11 foot range on the east-facing coastline of Louisiana, and rising tides to about the same level expected along the parishes [neighborhoods] along the west bank of the Mississippi River," said Bill Read.

Some two million people fled the coastline from Alabama to Texas ahead of the storm's arrival. New Orleans officials issued a mandatory⁷ evacuation for the city in an effort to prevent residents from being trapped in the city by flood waters.

Engineers in New Orleans said they expected heavy rains to cause some flooding, but the storm had not breached⁸ levee walls built to hold back Lake Pontchartrain. Hurricane Gustav has raised concern about the strength of the levee system, which is still undergoing repairs and reinforcement work following Hurricane Katrina.

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

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 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

5 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。

6 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

7 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

8 breached   

攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反

参考例句：

• These commitments have already been breached. 这些承诺已遭背弃。
• Our tanks have breached the enemy defences. 我方坦克车突破了敌人的防线。