美国有线新闻 CNN 2016-6-15

 

The term "500-year flood event" basically¹ means there`s a rare 1-in-500 chance that a particular flood would hit in a given year. Southeast Texas has seen two of these 500-year flood events in two months, what a CNN meteorologist described as very bad luck.

“500年一遇的洪水事件”基本上意味着特定一年发生洪水的几率只有1/500。但是，在过去两个月，德克萨斯州东南部遭遇了两次五百年不遇的大洪水。请听CNN气象学家为您描述这一惨状。

Last week, there were record-setting rains in the region². At one point, the city of Brenham got 19 inches of rain in 48 hours. It stopped falling last Friday night, but not before swelling³ flood waters that killed six people, some of whom were trapped in cars and high water.

上一周，该地区的洪水量突破历史记录。其中，在48小时，布伦汉姆的降雨量达到19英尺。直到上周五晚上，才停止降雨。在洪水爆发导致6人遇难之前，一些人就被困在汽车以及高水位区而丧生。

The National Weather Service has given several warnings, telling people not to drive through flooded areas and to be careful need riverbanks. Hundreds of homes have been flooded or swept away. Another storm is in the forecast for later this week.

美国国家气象局发布警告，警戒人们不要开车驶入洪水区，同时要小心河岸地区。大量房屋被洪水淹没。预计另一场暴风雨将在本周晚些来临。

Today is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season. It runs from June 1st through November 30th, though forecasters say that these storms can form at any time. This is just when they`re more likely.

今天是大西洋飓风季第一天。尽管预测专家表示，暴风雨可能会随时到来，但大西洋飓风季的持续时间是从6月1日直到11月30日。但是一般而言，最近时间是暴风雨常发季节。

Predicting how many storms will form in a given season is not an exact science and predictions are often inaccurate⁴. But they give coastal⁵ residents⁶, emergency workers and insurance companies an idea of what to look out for.

科学尚不能精确预测在特定的季节暴风雨发生的次数。但是可以让沿岸居民、救援人员以及保险公司做好准备工作。

1 basically   

adv.基本上，从根本上说

参考例句：

• His heart is basically sound.他的心脏基本上健康。
• Basically I agree with your plan.我基本上同意你的计划。

2 region   

n.地区，地带，区域；范围，幅度

参考例句：

• The students went to study the geology of that region.学生们去研究那个地区的地质情况。
• It is unusual to see snow in this region.这个地区难得见到雪。

3 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

4 inaccurate   

adj.错误的，不正确的，不准确的

参考例句：

• The book is both inaccurate and exaggerated.这本书不但不准确，而且夸大其词。
• She never knows the right time because her watch is inaccurate.她从来不知道准确的时间因为她的表不准。

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。