美国国家公共电台 NPR--Northern California is experiencing a short break between significant rainfall

Northern California is experiencing a short break between significant rainfall

Transcript¹

Sacramento was hit hard over New Year's weekend, followed by another deluge² this week. And more rain is expected in the coming days.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Northern California is currently experiencing a short break between significant rainfall. Storms this week and last weekend brought strong winds and heavy rain to the coast and the Sacramento Valley. And in Sacramento, residents such as Bella Dalton are preparing for another storm expected this weekend.

BELLA DALTON: I am making some sandbags to help with flooding in our garage. Our patio³ area currently looks like a creek⁴.

MART?NEZ: This atmospheric⁵ river brought down trees and power lines and left hundreds of thousands of people without electricity, some for days. CapRadio's Kate Wolffe joins us from Sacramento. Kate, how are things looking?

KATE WOLFFE, BYLINE⁶: Hi, A. So we weren't prepared for the New Year's Eve storm that hit last weekend, but we overprepared for the rains that hit Wednesday and Thursday, and those ended up being relatively⁷ mild. That being said, we're not out of the woods yet with many more days of rain coming. Out here in Sacramento, we're seeing lots of downed trees. Arborists, city workers, utility folks are out there working overtime⁸ to clear roadways, assess damage and get the lights back on for people. We've seen at least six deaths caused by these storms, including a 2-year-old. Some folks have been trapped in cars on flooded highways. And it's really been a test of some decades-old levees along highways. Some have been breached⁹ out here.

MART?NEZ: All right. So what about the rest of the state? How's it doing?

WOLFFE: So if it was lighter¹⁰ than expected in Sacramento, it was not so up in the mountains, where strong winds and snow knocked out power in many places. And there was a lot of damage, actually, along the coast, especially near Santa Cruz. Down there, we saw water overflowing¹¹ onto properties, destroying some beachfront businesses and crushed a pier¹² that was a well-known tourist attraction, too.

MART?NEZ: I know that pier. I know that pier well. Now, you spoke¹³ to a lot of people who are taking advantage of the break in the rain. Who'd you meet?

WOLFFE: Right. So I went down to a sandbag pickup¹⁴ location, where dozens of people were coming through, filling up bags with the help of city employees. And Don Adcock has lived in the area for a long time. He said he's seen rain like this before, but not for a long while. He was picking up 10 sandbags for his property but said he'd be back for more later.

DON ADCOCK: Definitely should've been here a couple of days ago, getting this ready and being prepared, as opposed to doing it out here in an emergency in the rain.

WOLFFE: And a few months ago, Sacramento resident Bella Dalton, who we heard from earlier, bought her first home in the city. She and her partner have seen some flooding in their garage.

DALTON: California has needed rain for years and years. We didn't need it all at once. But now that it's here, I think it's just really a lot of prep and hoping that there's minimal¹⁵ damage.

MART?NEZ: Didn't need it all at once. She is absolutely right there. What are officials saying about people? And what should they expect this coming weekend?

WOLFFE: Right. So officials want people to stay indoors as much as possible, stay off those roadways and to be prepared for power outages. And they especially want people who live near bodies of water that are overflowing and could flood to be cautious. There are also concerns about debris¹⁶ flows in areas that have seen massive wildfires in recent years. So officials are keeping an eye on those areas. And overall, they say people need to be patient, too, when it comes to getting power back because emergency repair crews for utilities will likely be working in stormy weather.

MART?NEZ: That's Kate Wolffe of CapRadio in Sacramento, Calif. Kate, thanks a lot.

WOLFFE: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF BAEGEL'S "WATCH YOUR BACK")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 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。

3 patio   

n.庭院，平台

参考例句：

• Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子，我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
• They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。

4 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

5 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

8 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

9 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。

10 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

11 overflowing   

n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The stands were overflowing with farm and sideline products. 集市上农副产品非常丰富。
• The milk is overflowing. 牛奶溢出来了。

12 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

13 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

14 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。

15 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

16 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。