365个英语简短小故事-357. The Cyclone in Myanmar

The first report was that hundreds in the delta¹ had died. But by the third day, estimates were that 40,000 people could be dead or missing, and perhaps one million might be left homeless. Bodies were floating in rivers that were mixed with ocean water. There was little fresh water and little food. For unknown reasons, the government was refusing most offers of international aid.

The cyclone² had hit the capital of Myanmar with winds of 120 mph. It was as powerful as Hurricane Katrina, which in 2005 destroyed much of New Orleans. Katrina killed 1,800 people and left about 100,000 people homeless.

Meteorologists watched the cyclone closely and warned the Myanmar government about it two days before the cyclone hit the country. But the Myanmar government failed to warn citizens to prepare for the dangerous storm.

“We were in our hotel,” said an American tourist who was visiting the capital with his wife. “We could see the weather changing, but the locals didn’t seem to be worried. When the wind smashed the windows in our hotel room, we started worrying. The wind blew the rain and tree branches and other debris³ into our room. We went into the bathroom and got into the tub. We didn’t feel safe in the bathroom, but where could we go? The wind howled and things banged around forever. We thought we were going to die for sure. When the storm finally passed, we looked outside. We couldn't believe the destruction. Mostly all we could see was just water.” There was no telling when power would be restored or when roads would be usable. The Myanmar government was doing nothing to help matters. “That’s because they prefer that we all die,” said an angry survivor⁴.

 

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 cyclone   

n.旋风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
• The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。

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 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。