VOA慢速英语2014 纪念印尼海啸十周年

 

AS IT IS 2014-12-27 Asian Tsunami¹ 10th Anniversary 纪念印尼海啸十周年

December 26 marks the 10th anniversary of a powerful and deadly earthquake in the eastern Indian Ocean. It was the most powerful quake to hit the area in 40 years. The quake was so forceful it caused the Earth’s axis² to move a few centimeters.

Scientists measured the quake as a magnitude nine. It caused an ocean wave, or tsunami, so big it destroyed entire coastal³ communities.

The deadly tsunami killed about 220,000 people- one-third of them children. The disaster left nearly 5 million people homeless. The disaster affected⁴ at least 12 countries. Indonesia was hardest hit by the tsunami, with more than 160,000 dead. Thousands more were killed in Thailand and Sri Lanka. The tsunami waves traveled as far as Africa.

Ten years later, VOA Correspondent Steve Herman reports from Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

All across beaches in Aceh, Indonesia, there are monuments, cemeteries⁵ and mass graves. One of these monuments marks the nearest point on land to where the massive undersea earthquake struck.

A woman named Salmi Hardiyanti lost 23 relatives. Like tens of thousands of other victims, their bodies were never found.

“I try to visit every mass grave in Banda Aceh to pray for them.” 

Samsul Bahri’s wife was at their home just 20 meters from the beach when the waves hit. She and others near the beach were among the first to die.

An aid group rebuilt his house in the same location. 

“I can’t afford to live anywhere else. So I had to come back here even though I’m afraid.”

Three kilometers from the coast is a monument that shows the force of the tsunami that destroyed a village. This monument is a huge 2,700-ton ship -- 69 meters long and 19 meters wide. This ship was making electricity offshore⁶. The second tsunami wave moved the boat five kilometers from its position. It came to rest on top of two homes.

At a high school located in the area, only 60 of the 400 students survived the tsunami. A young man named Surya now goes to school there.

He was seven at the time of the disaster and lost 12 family members. International aid workers found him with a broken leg and other injuries.

He remembers trying to survive the deadly waves of the tsunami.

“Wherever we go, wherever we sit, wherever we run, death will eventually come. By the grace of Allah, we live and we die."

Many of the areas hit by the tsunami were underdeveloped. They struggled to recover from the disaster. But the international aid community responded quickly. Aid groups collected over $13 billion to aid in recovery and rebuilding efforts.

Scientists say destructive tsunamis⁷ have struck Indonesia before and will again. They warn that people living on the coast should always be prepared.

Words in This Story

monument – n. a structure, building or statue that honors a person or event

cemetery⁸ – n. a place for burial of the dead

destroy – v. to break into pieces; to end the existence of

tsunami – n. an extremely powerful ocean wave that results from an undersea earthquake

1 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

2 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

3 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 cemeteries   

n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like. 不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease. 在其它地区里，邻近墓地的地方，时疫大概都要严重些。 来自辞典例句

6 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

7 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

8 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。