新西兰英语 336 A week after the earthquake

　　It’s now a week after the major earthquake that caused so much damage to the people and places in Canterbury.
Many people are suffering because they will lose their homes. At the moment, some are staying in a school. Tomorrow they will have to move out of the school and into another centre. Some of these places have 200 people sleeping on mattresses¹ on the floor and waiting to use toilets and showers. It’s uncomfortable, it’s boring, there’s no privacy² and it’s not home. They need to find a safe place to live and this is not easy because so many people are looking for accommodation³.
Some people are feeling nervous about the after-shocks although there are not many now. In the first 24 hours there were nearly 100 after-shocks, some of them big, but in the last 24 hours there were only 8 and most of them were small.
The demolition⁴ of so many buildings in the central city will change the face of Christchurch. It’s possible that some shops and office blocks will never be rebuilt and the building site will remain empty. For years now, shoppers have preferred the suburban⁵ shopping malls close to home where parking⁶ is free, shops are all under one roof and the temperature is comfortable. Near the malls are businesses like insurance companies, travel agents, lawyers and dentists. Time will tell whether the face of Christchurch is better or worse after this major earthquake.
One thing that is better is a wonderful sense of community. Neighbours have helped neighbours. Students are helping⁷ with the clean up. Many volunteers are helping those people with no home to go to. Donations⁸ are coming in to help people who have lost so much.
We also have to remember that no one died in this earthquake. Although it has been a terrible experience, it could have been so much worse.
Questions
1. Some people say this has been a wake-up call to the rest of New Zealand. Will other New Zealanders now think about how they would manage in an earthquake?
2. 500 or more houses which will be demolished⁹. How long will it take for houses to be demolished and new houses built?
3. Can houses be built in the same places?
4. Will there be new building regulations¹⁰?

1 mattresses   

褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
• The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。

2 privacy   

n.私人权利，个人自由，隐私权

参考例句：

• In such matters,privacy is impossible.在这类事情中，保密是不可能的。
• She wept in the privacy of her own room.她在自己房内暗暗落泪。

3 accommodation   

n.设备，膳宿，旅馆房间；容纳，提供，适应；调解，妥协；贷款

参考例句：

• Many old people choose to live in sheltered accommodation.许多老年人选择到养老院居住。
• Have you found accommodation?找到住处没有？

4 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。

5 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

6 parking   

n.停车，停机，停放

参考例句：

• A bus is parking on the road.路上停着一辆公共汽车。
• Next you must learn how to back a car into a parking space.下一步你应该学会如何把车倒入停车的空地。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 donations   

n.捐赠( donation的名词复数 )；赠送；捐款；捐赠物

参考例句：

• The hospital receives a good deal of money in donations. 这家医院收到捐赠来的大笔款项。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The charity is completely reliant on public donations. 这一慈善团体完全依靠公众捐款。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

10 regulations   

规程； 规章； 守则； 条例； 管理( regulation的名词复数 )； 控制； 规章； 规则

参考例句：

• The new regulations will not make an appreciable difference to most people. 新的规定对大多数人将无大影响。
• The company was found guilty of contravening safety regulations. 那家公司被判违反了安全条例。