国家地理-2008-10-23 沙尘暴袭击巴格达

 

A heavy sandstorm blanketed Baghdad on Thursday, causing havoc¹ for residents of the Iraqi capital with flights delayed and dozens of residents with respiratory problems taken to hospitals.

 

Many people on the streets of Baghdad wore scarves or masks over their mouths as breathing aides.

 

One man at a hospital told AP Television that he finds it hard to breathe when sandstorms take place, and so he goes to the hospital to help himself feel better.

 

The number of cases is increasing year by year, and the most aggravating² factors is the bad weather that happens along of the year.

 

Dust and sandstorms are persistent³ problem in Iraq and other areas in the Middle East. Many Iraqi wetlands have been drained for agriculture or seriously deprived of water by reservoirs upstream.

 

This can exacerbate⁴ dust as wind lifts dry silt⁵ from exposed lake and marsh⁶ beds.

 

Sandstorms are most prevalent in the spring and summer months due to the strong winds that characterize the weather during the seasonal⁷ transitions.

 

Blanket: to cover something with a thick layer
Havoc: disorder or chaos
Respiratory: relating to breathing or your lungs
Exacerbate: to make a bad situation worse
Silt: sand, mud, soil etc that is carried in water and then settles at a bend in a river, an entrance to a port etc

 

1 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

2 aggravating   

adj.恼人的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• How aggravating to be interrupted! 被打扰，多令人生气呀！
• Diesel exhaust is particularly aggravating to many susceptible individuals. 许多体质敏感的人尤其反感柴油废气。

3 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

4 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

5 silt   

n.淤泥，淤沙，粉砂层，泥沙层；vt.使淤塞；vi.被淤塞

参考例句：

• The lake was almost solid with silt and vegetation.湖里几乎快被淤泥和植物填满了。
• During the annual floods the river deposits its silt on the fields.每年河水泛滥时都会在田野上沉积一层淤泥。

6 marsh   

n.沼泽，湿地

参考例句：

• There are a lot of frogs in the marsh.沼泽里有许多青蛙。
• I made my way slowly out of the marsh.我缓慢地走出这片沼泽地。

7 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。