VOA慢速英语2019 澳洲将"不惜一切代价"灭火（在线收听）

Australia to Pay ‘Whatever it Takes’ to Recover from Wildfires

Australia's government has promised to pay "whatever it takes" to help communities recover from ongoing wildfires.

澳大利亚政府承诺将“不惜一切代价”帮助社区从持续的野火中恢复。

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday an additional $1.4 billion in government aid for recovery efforts. Officials had already promised tens of millions of dollars to help rebuild from the fires.

澳大利亚总理斯科特·莫里森（Scott Morrison）周一宣布，政府将为灾后恢复工作新增14亿美元的援助。官员们已经承诺提供数千万美元帮助灾后重建。

About 200 wildfires have burned more than 6 million hectares of land in the southern Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. At least 24 people have been killed. More than 2,000 homes have been destroyed by the fires.

澳大利亚南部新南威尔士州和维多利亚州约有200处野火烧毁了600多万公顷土地。造成至少24人死亡。2000多所房屋被大火烧毁。

"The fires are still burning. And they'll be burning for months to come," Prime Minister Morrison said, in announcing the new aid. He added, "If more is needed and the cost is higher, then more will be provided."

莫里森总理在宣布新增援助时表示，“大火还在燃烧。在未来的几个月里，大火还会继续肆虐”。他补充说，“如果受灾面积越大，代价会更高，那么将会提供更多资金。”

The government assistance is to be used to help rebuild towns and repair infrastructure damaged by the fires. Morrison said the military was now attempting to get food, fuel and water to burned-out communities. Engineers were working to reopen roads and resupply evacuation centers.

政府援助将用于帮助重建城镇和修复被大火损坏的基础设施。莫里森表示，军方目前正试图向受灾的社区运提供食品、燃料和水。工程师们正在努力重新开放道路，为疏散中心提供物资补给。

Officials said dry conditions and strong winds were feeding more than 135 fires burning across New South Wales. The fires hit earlier than usual this year after a severe lack of rain led to Australia's hottest and driest year on record. Scientists partly blame global warming caused by human activity for creating a high fire danger.

官员表示，干旱气候和强风导致新南威尔士州发生135起火灾。由于严重缺雨，今年的火灾发生得比往年早，这也是澳大利亚有记录以来最热最干燥的一年。科学家认为人类活动导致的全球变暖是造成火灾高发风险的部分原因。

On Monday, rain and cooler temperatures provided a short break to some communities battling the wildfires. But the rain also made it more difficult for fire crews attempting to carry out controlled burning operations.

周一，降雨和较低的气温为一些与野火作斗争的社区提供了短暂的喘息时间。但这场雨也让消防人员更难进行受控燃烧行动。

The latest weather was welcomed in Victoria state. However, emergency officials there noted that at least 20 centimeters of rain would be needed to put out the fires. That is about 20 times the amount of rain that fell during the past day.

维多利亚州最近的天气状况喜人。然而，当地的紧急情况官员指出，至少需要20厘米的降雨量才能扑灭大火。这大约是过去一天降雨量的20倍。

Drier conditions and higher temperatures were expected to return to the area later this week.

本周晚些时候，该地区将重返干旱和高温天气。

"We've got big fire danger coming our way toward the end of this week," Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne. "We are by no means out of this. And the next few days, and indeed the next few months, are going to be challenging."

维多利亚州州长丹尼尔·安德鲁斯(Daniel Andrews)在墨尔本对记者表示：“本周末，我们将面临严重的火灾风险。”“我们是绝对摆脱不了这一风险的。接下来的几天，甚至接下来的几个月，都将充满挑战。”

The wildfires led Australia's capital, Canberra, to experience the worst air quality of any major city in the world for most of Monday. Officials urged people in the city to remain indoors to avoid the thick smoke covering the area.

野火导致澳洲首都堪培拉周一大部分时间的空气质量是世界上主要城市中最糟糕的。官员们敦促市民留在室内，避免出现在浓烟笼罩的地区。

Words in This Story

infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) needed for an area to operate

evacuation – n. the act of removing (a person or people) from a dangerous place

challenging – adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable