VOA标准英语2010-A Visit to Flood City, USA

Despite Hurricane Katrina, it isn't New Orleans

Ted¹ Landphair | Washington, DC 26 April 2010

This Harper's Weekly illustration, published shortly after the flood, was no exaggeration of the churning, watery² wall of death that befell Johnstown.

One of the most famous small towns in America is Johnstown, Pennsylvania, population 24,000.

Unfortunately, it owes that fame to a tragedy.

In the late 19th Century, Johnstown was the nation's mightiest³ steel center - more prosperous than Pittsburgh - turning out steel rails and barbed wire. The air was yellow and black from the smoke, but the pay was good.

Johnstown, Pennsylvania after the Great Flood of 1889

The town lay on a flat plain at the base of an Allegheny Mountain valley so steep that the hillsides rose straight upward along the Little Connemaugh River.

It was a natural funnel⁴, pointed⁵ directly downhill at Johnstown.

High in those mountains, behind a crude earthen dam, wealthy Pittsburgh industrialists⁷ and their friends sailed yachts on a pretty private lake.

Naysayers warned of a catastrophic flood should the dam break, but amid the prosperity, the warnings were ignored. Town leaders said any floodwaters coursing down the mountain would flatten⁸ out once they reached the valley.

This monument to unknown victims - there were 777 unidentified - stands at a national park commemorating⁹ the Great Flood in Johnstown.

But one spring night in 1889 and on into the next day, drenching¹⁰ thunderstorms pounded the mountainsides.

The lake rose, intensifying¹¹ pressure against the dam.

With the force of a giant waterfall, the dam burst, launching a wall of water 18 meters [60 feet] high down the funnel toward Johnstown faster than warnings could be sounded.

Grinding up trees, houses, boulders¹², locomotives, humans, and animals in its path, it slammed into Johnstown, pulverizing¹³ the center of town.

Afterward¹⁴, most observers blamed the rich yachtsmen and their leaky earthen dam for the deaths of 2,200 men, women and children.

Johnstown is still flood-prone. This shot was taken in 1977, when 85 people died, hundreds were left homeless, and property damage topped $300 million in flooding that followed a summer deluge¹⁵.

These days, tourists make a point of visiting a museum that tells the dramatic story. Ironically, it's located in a building donated by industrialist⁶ Andrew Carnegie.

He was one of the owners of the pleasure club whose members cavorted¹⁶ high above ill-fated Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
 

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 watery   

adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的

参考例句：

• In his watery eyes there is an expression of distrust.他那含泪的眼睛流露出惊惶失措的神情。
• Her eyes became watery because of the smoke.因为烟熏，她的双眼变得泪汪汪的。

3 mightiest   

adj.趾高气扬( mighty的最高级 )；巨大的；强有力的；浩瀚的

参考例句：

• \"If thou fearest to leave me in our cottage, thou mightiest take me along with thee. “要是你害怕把我一个人留在咱们的小屋里，你可以带我一块儿去那儿嘛。 来自英汉文学 - 红字
• Silent though is, after all, the mightiest agent in human affairs. 确实，沉默毕竟是人类事件中最强大的代理人。 来自互联网

4 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 industrialist   

n.工业家，实业家

参考例句：

• The industrialist's son was kidnapped.这名实业家的儿子被绑架了。
• Mr.Smith was a wealthy industrialist,but he was not satisfied with life.史密斯先生是位富有的企业家，可他对生活感到不满意。

7 industrialists   

n.工业家，实业家( industrialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This deal will offer major benefits to industrialists and investors. 这笔交易将会让实业家和投资者受益匪浅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has set up a committee of industrialists and academics to advise it. 政府已成立了一个实业家和学者的委员会来为其提供建议。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 flatten   

v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽

参考例句：

• We can flatten out a piece of metal by hammering it.我们可以用锤子把一块金属敲平。
• The wrinkled silk will flatten out if you iron it.发皱的丝绸可以用熨斗烫平。

9 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

10 drenching   

n.湿透v.使湿透( drench的现在分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体）

参考例句：

• A black cloudburst was drenching Siena at midday. 中午，一场天昏地暗的暴风雨在锡耶纳上空倒下来。 来自辞典例句
• A drenching rain poured down and the rising hurricane drove it in sheets along the ground. 一阵倾盆大雨泼下来了，越来越大的狂风把它顺着地面刮成了一片一片的雨幕。 来自辞典例句

11 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

12 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 pulverizing   

v.将…弄碎( pulverize的现在分词 )；将…弄成粉末或尘埃；摧毁；粉碎

参考例句：

• Marcus had proved his prowess in the ring by pulverizing all challengers. 拳击台上，马科斯彻底击败了所有挑战者，从而证明了他高超的本领。 来自互联网
• Its large caliber enables fast and pulverizing of material. 进料口径大可快速粉碎进料。 来自互联网

14 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

15 deluge   

n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥

参考例句：

• This little stream can become a deluge when it rains heavily.雨大的时候，这条小溪能变作洪流。
• I got caught in the deluge on the way home.我在回家的路上遇到倾盆大雨。

16 cavorted   

v.跳跃( cavort的过去式 )

参考例句：

• URGELLING, India-He drank wine, cavorted with women and wrote poetry that spoke of life's earthly pleasures. 他喝着酒，和女人跳着舞，写着述说生命最纯美的诗。 来自互联网
• St. Paul cavorted to Christianity. He preached holy acrimony, which is another name for marriage. 圣保罗欢闹了基督教。他传讲了圣恶毒，就是婚姻的另一个名字。 来自互联网