新西兰英语 711 Tornado hits Auckland

 　　A tornado¹ hit parts of west Auckland around midday today. Three construction workers were killed when concrete panels³ fell on top of them. Seven other construction workers were injured. Roofs lifted off houses in the strong wind and trees fell on top of houses. About 270 people who could not stay in their damaged homes moved to an emergency shelter.

　　Roads were closed because of fallen trees. Power lines were down in many places. Flights in and out of Auckland airport have been delayed or cancelled.

　　Another smaller tornado hit Rotorua mid² afternoon. The weather in the upper part of the North Island was frightening. There was heavy rain and strong winds. It was difficult for people outdoors to stay on their feet. Many were blown over in the wind. It was also frightening for drivers.

　　Listen to May 3rd 2011 to hear about another tornado last year.

　　Vocabulary

　　?tornado – sudden wind twister. See May 3rd 2011 for more about a tornado.

　　?construction – building; they were building a new school

　　?concrete panels – large rectangles⁴ of concrete for a wall

　　?shelter – a building where people could stay safely

　　?delayed – many hours late

　　?blown – past participle of blow

　　?blown over – the wind made people fall on the ground

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 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

3 panels   

镶板( panel的名词复数 )； 面； （门、墙等上面的）嵌板； 控制板

参考例句：

• One of the glass panels in the front door was cracked. 前门的一块方玻璃破裂了。
• Make sure the panels are treated with a wood preservative. 确保镶板用木材防腐剂处理过。

4 rectangles   

n.长方形，矩形( rectangle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The open rectangles represent typical elements of the ion fluid. 空心的矩形表示典型的离子流体元。 来自辞典例句
• Label the rectangles, and illustrate and describe how one grouping or element affects others. 为每个方块图添加上标签和注解，并描述每个分组或者元素如何影响其他分组和元素。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓