新西兰英语 337 Landslide on Road and Rail to Christchurc

　　A landslide¹ near Kaikoura blocked the road and railway from Picton to Christchurch on Friday night. While small landslides² on the narrow road near Kaikoura are quite common, this is the biggest one ever in this area. It is about 100m long and covers both the road and railway. Road workers think it contains about 15,000 cubic metres of rock and soil. It will take several days to clear the landslide because of the rain and the danger from more falling rock.
It was probably caused by heavy rain but it is possible that the Canterbury earthquake also was a cause. Kaikoura is 184km north of Christchurch.
100 containers of goods that have come by rail and ferry from the North Island are waiting for trucks to take them to Christchurch. The journey by train or truck from Picton to Christchurch usually takes about five hours but now the trucks have to detour³ via the Lewis Pass which adds about another two and a half hours to the trip. After the earthquake, which destroyed so much food in warehouses⁴, supermarket shelves are half empty in Christchurch.
Car traffic can take the Inland Kaikoura route which is not a main road. It is not suitable for trucks. This route adds one and a half hours to the trip from Kaikoura to Christchurch which is usually about two and a half hours.
Kaikoura is a popular tourist town where people can go out on a boat to see whales.

1 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

2 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

3 detour   

n.绕行的路，迂回路；v.迂回，绕道

参考例句：

• We made a detour to avoid the heavy traffic.我们绕道走，避开繁忙的交通。
• He did not take the direct route to his home,but made a detour around the outskirts of the city.他没有直接回家，而是绕到市郊兜了个圈子。

4 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。