新闻周刊:俄勒冈州野火不休(3)

NASA satellite images showing a wider view of Oregon reveal the large number of fires currently burning across the state and the vast amounts of smoke they are producing. According to the OEM, there are currently 37 active fires raging across the state, which have burned more than 670,000 acres. The largest of these are the Beachie Creek¹, Riverside and Lionshead fires located in the north of the state, which have all burned more than 100,000 acres each.

美国宇航局卫星图像更广阔地显示了俄勒冈州的情况，揭示了该州目前还在燃烧的大量火灾及其产生的大量烟雾。根据俄勒冈州应急管理办公室的数据，目前全州有37处大火肆虐，烧毁了67万多英亩的土地。其中俄勒冈州最大规模的野火是发生在北部的比奇溪野火、河滨野火和狮头大火，烧毁面积都超过了10万英亩。

Over the last 24 hours, Oregon has experienced unprecedented² fires, with devastating³ consequences across the state," state Governor Kate Brown tweeted on Wednesday. "Our number-one priority right now is saving lives. This could be the greatest loss of human lives and property due to wildfires in our state's history."

俄勒冈州州长凯特·布朗周三在推特上表示：“俄勒冈州经历的野火灾害史无前例，给整个州带来了毁灭性的后果。”。“我们现在的首要任务是拯救生命。这可能是美国历史上因野火造成的最大的人员伤亡和财产损失。”

For the first time, Brown invoked⁴ a fire conflagration⁵ act for the entire state. The governor has also directed the OEM to request a federal emergency declaration, which would free up resources for response efforts. "Winds continue to feed the fires. Places not burning now still face the worst fire condition risks in 30 years: dry air, dry brush, and hot winds. Everyone must be on high alert. Pay attention to directions from firefighters, local officials and emergency responders. If you are asked to evacuate⁶, do so immediately. Your choices could save lives."

布朗第一次提出了整个州的火灾法案。州长还指示俄勒冈州应急管理办公室向联邦请求发布紧急声明，这将腾出资源用于应对工作。“风继续助长火灾，由于干燥的空气、干燥的灌木丛和热风因素，没有燃烧的地方现在仍然面临着30年来最严重的火灾风险。每个人都必须高度警惕。注意消防员、当地官员和应急人员的指示。如果你被要求撤离，那么请立即撤离。你的选择可以拯救生命。”

1 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。

2 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

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 invoked   

v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求

参考例句：

• It is unlikely that libel laws will be invoked. 不大可能诉诸诽谤法。
• She had invoked the law in her own defence. 她援引法律为自己辩护。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 conflagration   

n.建筑物或森林大火

参考例句：

• A conflagration in 1947 reduced 90 percent of the houses to ashes.1947年的一场大火，使90%的房屋化为灰烬。
• The light of that conflagration will fade away.这熊熊烈火会渐渐熄灭。

6 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。