纽约时报 美国西部再度被大火吞没(2)

Mr. Walbrun of the National Weather Service

国家气象局官员沃尔布伦表示，

said that winds generated from a slow-moving storm system off the coast of Oregon

俄勒冈州海岸附近缓慢移动的风暴系统产生的风速

were expected to last most of the week and to blow at 15 to 30 miles an hour.

预计将持续到本周后半周，风速将达到15~30英里/小时，

The winds could have the beneficial effect of clearing some of the toxic¹ smoke haze² hovering³ in the atmosphere from Los Angeles to Seattle.

或将有助于驱散弥漫在洛杉矶到西雅图的大片地区大气层中的有毒烟雾。

But for firefighters, the shift in winds represents a 180-degree change in direction in many areas,

但对消防官兵而言，风向的转变意味着许多地区的火情都将发生180°大转变，

threatening their progress in containing the fires.

可能就会危及到他们在控制火灾方面的进展。

The National Weather Service issued a "red flag warning"

国家气象局已经发布“危险信号警告”，

because of the prospect⁴ of windy and dry weather in southern Oregon and nearby counties in California.

因俄勒冈州南部和附近加利福尼亚州各县近日可能出现大风和干燥天气。

In California, which has experienced catastrophic fires every year since the wine country north of San Francisco was devastated⁵ in 2017,

2017年旧金山以北的葡萄酒乡被摧毁以来，加利福尼亚州每年都会发生灾难性的火灾，

the fires are encroaching on many of the same areas previously⁶ burned, adding new trauma⁷.

许多之前已经遭受过火灾的地区这一次也未能幸免，旧疤未愈又添新伤。

The town of Paradise, where more than 80 people died in a 2018 firestorm and most structures were destroyed,

天堂镇，2018年的一场大火已经夺走了该镇80多条性命，摧毁了当地大部分建筑，

is on the edge of one of the largest fires now raging in the state.

此次或将再次沦为肆虐该州的最大火灾现场之一。

In Oregon, blazes are reaching into areas untouched by fire for decades.

在俄勒冈州，大火已经蔓延到已经几十年未被火灾染指的地区。

"We haven't had anything ever this close," said Margot Cooper,

“我们从未遇到了类似的问题，”

who for the last three decades has lived in Scio, Ore.,

过去30年一直住在俄勒冈州首府塞勒姆东南部的

a farming and logging town southeast of the state capital, Salem.

农业和伐木小镇肖奥的玛戈特·库博说道。

"It's the first time it's literally⁸ in our backyard."

“毫不夸张地说，这是我们第一次遇到大火烧到家门口的情况。”

Last week a 13-year-old boy was killed in a nearby canyon⁹,

上周，一名13岁的男孩就在附近的峡谷被大火吞没了，

apparently¹⁰ as he attempted to drive his grandmother to safety.

从现场来看，当时他正准备开车将自己的祖母送往安全的地方。

In nearby Gates, Ore., refugees from the fires were exhausted¹¹ after five days of living in dingy¹² motels or cars,

在附近的盖茨市，从大火中逃出来的居民此时都已精疲力尽，他们已经在昏暗的汽车旅馆或车上生活了五天，

eating donated pizzas for dinner and, all the while, not knowing whether their homes had burned down or were standing¹³.

吃着捐赠的披萨，一直不知道自己的家是被烧毁了还是幸存着。

Police cruisers blocked traffic along a highway heading into the mountains east of Salem, where the Beachie Creek¹⁴ Fire was still burning out of control.

警方的巡逻车封锁了一条通往塞勒姆以东山区的高速公路，因那里的“比奇溪”大火仍未得到控制。

Some families were able to pass through.

部分家庭得到了通行许可。

Other convoys¹⁵ of pickup¹⁶ trucks threaded their way onto side roads and skimmed the edges of farm fields in search of alternate routes.

其他的皮卡车队则穿过小路，掠过农田的边缘，试图寻找其他通行路线。

Some were seeking needed medications, others lost pets and signs of break-ins.

一些人试图找一些自己所需的药物，还有一些人试图找回丢失的宠物以及非法闯入的痕迹。

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

3 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

4 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

5 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

6 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

7 trauma   

n.外伤，精神创伤

参考例句：

• Counselling is helping him work through this trauma.心理辅导正帮助他面对痛苦。
• The phobia may have its root in a childhood trauma.恐惧症可能源于童年时期的创伤。

8 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

9 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

10 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

11 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

12 dingy   

adj.昏暗的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• It was a street of dingy houses huddled together. 这是一条挤满了破旧房子的街巷。
• The dingy cottage was converted into a neat tasteful residence.那间脏黑的小屋已变成一个整洁雅致的住宅。

13 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

14 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

15 convoys   

n.（有护航的）船队( convoy的名词复数 )；车队；护航（队）；护送队

参考例句：

• Truck convoys often stop over for lunch here. 车队经常在这里停下来吃午饭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A UN official said aid programs will be suspended until there's adequate protection for relief convoys. 一名联合国官员说将会暂停援助项目，直到援助车队能够得到充分的保护为止。 来自辞典例句

16 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。