2012年ESL之日常生活 02 Being in a Flood

 

Being in a Flood

Cherise: Well, that was a rude awakening¹ at 2:00 in the morning! 

Don: At least we got out of our room before it flooded. It serves us right for planning a vacation here during the rainy season. Our luggage is probably soaked. 

Cherise: Oh, no, I’d forgotten about our clothes. If the water doesn’t recede² soon, everything will have mold and mildew³ on it. 

Don: The sump pumps are working as we speak. Hopefully, we can retrieve⁴ our stuff soon. 

Cherise: Maybe I should go downstairs and try to salvage⁵ what I can, before things get washed away. 

Don: What?! You could drown in all that water. Forget it! 

Cherise: Drown in three feet of water? Don’t be silly. 

Don: I’ve seen you swim. Come on, let’s just wait until we get the go-ahead. 

Cherise: I still think I should try. 

Don: I have one word for you: snakes. 

Cherise: Enough said! 

 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

2 recede   

vi.退(去)，渐渐远去；向后倾斜，缩进

参考例句：

• The colleges would recede in importance.大学的重要性会降低。
• He saw that the dirty water had begun to recede.他发现那污浊的水开始往下退了。

3 mildew   

n.发霉；v.（使）发霉

参考例句：

• The interior was dark and smelled of mildew.里面光线很暗，霉味扑鼻。
• Mildew may form in this weather.这种天气有可能发霉。

4 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

5 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。