Tsunami Waves Reach US West Coast

    VOA News March 11, 2011 - The first tsunami¹(海啸) waves have reached the U.S. West Coast after sweeping² past the country's Pacific island state of Hawaii. There have been no immediate³ reports of casualties in the U.S.
    Waves of a meter or more hit the coastal⁴ state（沿海国家） of Oregon on the U.S. mainland Friday. Residents in Oregon and northern California have been advised to evacuate⁵ low-lying areas. Emergency officials warned of possible flooding spawned⁶ by the tsunami, which developed after the 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan.
    Waves of up to two meters hit the Hawaiian chain of islands, swamping the beach at the Waikiki resort on the island of Oahu. But there were no immediate reports of widespread damage.
    In Washington, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said there did not appear to be "any enormous impact" from the tsunami in Hawaii. He said the "enormous fears" about damage on the island state had "diminished greatly."VOA's Kate Woodsome's Q&A with Bill Dorman of Hawaii Public Radio:
    Emergency officials in Hawaii had hours to prepare after the quake struck. Residents in low-lying coastal areas were moved to community centers and schools on higher grounds. Many people waited in long lines to buy gas and groceries.
    In a statement, President Barack Obama expressed condolences（慰问） to the people of Japan and also said he has directed the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be prepared to assist residents of Hawaii, U.S. Pacific territories and the U.S. West Coast.
    Mr. Obama, who was born in Hawaii and lived there in his youth, was alerted about the earthquake and tsunami in the early hours Friday at the White House.
    The U.S. Navy ordered its warships⁷ to remain in port at Pearl Harbor to support possible rescue missions.
    Emergency sirens blared throughout the night in Hawaii in advance of the tsunami. When it hit, water washed ashore⁸ in the pre-dawn hours at Waikiki, but stopped short of the region's high-rise tourist hotels.
    Meanwhile, the U.S. Tsunami Warning Center for the West Coast and Alaska issued a tsunami warning for the entire U.S. West Coast - covering Alaska, Washington state, Oregon and California - plus the northwestern Canadian province of British Columbia.
    Warnings are also posted for Mexico and parts of Central and South America.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

2 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 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。

6 spawned   

（鱼、蛙等）大量产（卵）( spawn的过去式和过去分词 )； 大量生产

参考例句：

• The band's album spawned a string of hit singles. 这支乐队的专辑繁衍出一连串走红的单曲唱片。
• The computer industry has spawned a lot of new companies. 由于电脑工业的发展，许多新公司纷纷成立。

7 warships   

军舰，战舰( warship的名词复数 )； 舰只

参考例句：

• The enemy warships were disengaged from the battle after suffering heavy casualties. 在遭受惨重伤亡后，敌舰退出了海战。
• The government fitted out warships and sailors for them. 政府给他们配备了战舰和水手。

8 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。