国家地理-2008-06-16 Quake Lake Blasted 唐家山堰塞湖排洪成功

Chinese soldiers used anti-tank weapons to blast away rocks and mud, holding back waters in an earthquake-formed lake that threatens more than 1 million people living downstream. Soldiers fired at rocks to dislodge enough debris¹ to speed the drainage of waters in Tangjiashan Lake in Sichuan Province. CCTV reported that the runoff channel was getting wider and deeper, helping² to reduce the water level in the lake that was formed after last month's devastating³ earthquake.

 "We fired at the rock from a closer distance to make sure that the water gets through the channel. Usually we shoot from about 100 meters away, but this time we did it from 50 meters, gives a better result than shooting from further away."

 Other troops have been deepening the channel and digging on a second spillway. Officials fear that the so-called quake lake could burst its banks and cause catastrophic flooding if the water level is not brought down soon. Authorities were on alert both for increased rainfall and new aftershocks that could weaken the dam, or send more debris plunging⁴ into the lake.

 More than 250, 000 people downstream have been evacuated⁵ in recent weeks, adding to the turmoil⁶ created by last month's massive earthquake in Sichuan Province. Government officials have downplayed the threat of imminent⁷ flooding, though a variety of factors such as rain and aftershocks could set off a dam collapse⁸.

 The Tangjiashan Lake is the largest of more than 30 created by last month's quake. The lake was formed when rubble⁹ from a massive landslide¹⁰ set off by the deadly May 12th earthquake, blocked the flow of the Tongkou River, also known as the Jianjiang.

1 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

2 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。

3 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

4 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

6 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

7 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

8 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

9 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

10 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。