Tornado sweeps out beachfront neighborhood in New York City

 Tornado¹ sweeps out beachfront neighborhood in New York City

NEW YORK, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- A tornado ripped through a beachfront neighborhood in Queens, New York on Saturday, hurling² debris³ into the air, knocking out power, flooding roads and even forcing the delay of the U.S. Open tennis tournament.

But so far no injuries have been reported, according to the local media.

The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed that an EFO tornado touched down near Breezy Point, Queens earlier in the day. The swirling⁴ column of wind and water was captured by dozens of people on cell phone cameras, and instantly posted on the Internet.

The tornado lasted only minutes, according to witnesses, but already long enough for it to tear down walls, lift roofs off homes and tangle⁵ power lines as it cut a path through the Rockaways, near Breezy Point.

New York City Police Commissioner⁶ Raymond W. Kelly arrived at Breezy Point on Saturday afternoon to assess the damage, media reports said.

The NWS issued a tornado warning for Queens and Brooklyn as a line of strong thunderstorms moved through the city, the reports added.

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 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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。

4 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

5 tangle   

n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱

参考例句：

• I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
• If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你，我就不跟他们争吵。

6 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。