CNN 2010-06-07

AZUZ: Around 25 percent of those tornadoes² form in an area that's called Tornado¹ Alley³. Colorado is part of that, and it's where this tornado showed up on Monday. These pictures are amazing; look at this. Twisters like this one can sometimes do a lot of damage. But early reports indicated no injuries or major problems with this one, just a lot of power lines knocked down. Tornado Alley sees a lot of twisters pop up in the spring. But forecasters point out that these storms can happen anywhere, at any time.

 

Attorney General Eric Holder⁴ says he's launching a criminal investigation⁵ into the Gulf⁶ of Mexico oil spill. And down in the Gulf, there's more bad news for the fishing industry. Officials have closed off more waters to fishing. Nearly a third of the Gulf now is off limits. Meanwhile, BP is starting the "cut and cap" plan. We told you about this yesterday. They're going to cut part of the leaking oil well and then put a cap on it. Hence, cut and cap. Making the cut, though, could increase the flow of oil spilling into the Gulf by up to 20 percent. Now, you've heard a lot from Rob Marciano since this oil leak started. He's one of our reporters covering the story from down on the Gulf Coast. Today, he explains how hurricane season could impact the oily situation.

 

Almost five years later, signs of Hurricane Katrina are still evident in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. And this year's NOAA hurricane forecast calls for up to 23 named storms. Oil from the BP spill is already in the barrier wetlands here.

 

I'm scared to death. You saw Pass a Loutre. You saw the pelicans⁷. Imagine a storm rolling that oil up and bringing it in here and laying it down.

 

That's just the kind of unimaginable devastation⁸ that Dauphin Island, Alabama is trying to avoid.

 

What you see here is the tide is down right now. So, the water is below the basket.

 

The Alabama National Guard is erecting⁹ a four-and-a-half mile barrier to keep the oil from impacting protected wildlife here. The baskets are filled with a polymer powder which can turn the wet oil into a solid, making it easier to collect by hand. But what happens to these oil barriers if a major hurricane hits?

 

They'll be gone just like everything else around here too. That category five will take out the houses and take out every building and structure on this island, probably.

 

We're out on part of the thick oil here in the Gulf of Mexico. What does the oil do for hurricanes? Well, it would have a hard time developing right over the oil, because the oil actually suppresses evaporation¹⁰. But that's actually one of the ways that the water actually cools. So, between the lack of evaporation and the darkness of that oil, actually heats up the Gulf. This is going to actually feed it, if anything, and bring it onshore and everything with it, including this big mess.

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 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

3 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

4 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

5 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

6 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。

7 pelicans   

n.鹈鹕( pelican的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Kurt watched the Pelicans fire their jets and scorch the grass. 库尔特看着鹈鹕运兵船点火，它们的喷焰把草烧焦。 来自互联网
• The Pelican Feeding Officers present an educational talk while feeding the pelicans. 那个正在喂鹈鹕的工作人员会边喂鹈鹕边给它上一节教育课。 来自互联网

8 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》

9 erecting   

v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立

参考例句：

• Nations can restrict their foreign trade by erecting barriers to exports as well as imports. 象设置进口壁垒那样，各国可以通过设置出口壁垒来限制对外贸易。 来自辞典例句
• Could you tell me the specific lift-slab procedure for erecting buildings? 能否告之用升板法安装楼房的具体程序？ 来自互联网

10 evaporation   

n.蒸发，消失

参考例句：

• Be careful not to lose too much liquid by evaporation.小心不要因蒸发失去太多水分。
• Our bodies can sweat,thereby losing heat by evaporation.我们的身体能出汗，由此可以蒸发散热。