新奥尔良显示出复兴的迹象

Signs of Renewal¹ Seen in New Orleans

新奥尔良显示出复兴的迹象

 

Less than half of New Orleans is still under water, but 80 percent of the city is damaged.  

 

The water goes down each day, drained by pumps into the huge Lake. 

 

But the water is filthy² -- full of sewage, gasoline, and garbage. In some neighborhoods, the flood's watermarks can be seen on the houses. But in other areas, homes and businesses still sit in meters of stagnant³, polluted water. 

 

Captain Robert Atkinson is with the National Guard of California -- the state militia⁴. He is with a unit which is helping⁵ bring New Orleans back to life.

 

Robert Atkinson: The waterline here has dropped substantially in the last few days that we've been here. It has dropped, after we got most of the pumps going, anywhere from 48 inches (1.2 meters) to 64 inches (1.6 meters) per day.

 

It is hard to estimate how long the cleanup will take. Concrete was lifted from roads and debris⁶ is everywhere. Powerful winds from the hurricane blew boats out of the water into a pile that looks like a massive traffic accident. At a small airport, a truck was thrown into a plane, which crashed into a car.

 

This major highway is usually full of traffic. Now only emergency, police and military vehicles travel down the road.

 

Dorin Bodor, from Romania, is a researcher at the University of Louisiana. He says it is hard to believe New Orleans was the vibrant⁷ city he once knew.

 

Dorin Bodor: The most striking thing is that the city is completely deserted⁸ except for the police and the army, which seem to be everywhere.

 

Most traffic lights you are not walking and there is no clean water. Although most people have left, a few are determined⁹ to stay, including Bob Rue¹⁰. He says his rug business did not get flooded because it was above sea level and not near a levee, the raised barriers along canals and waterways that were meant to keep the rest of the city dry.

 

Bob Rue: People who do come back need to build their houses up in the air. They can't build below sea level anymore just because there's a levee.

 

But a sign of hope came to the city as the first container ship since the hurricane arrived in New Orleans to deliver goods.  

 

Port official Gary LaGrange: It has proven that we can open a terminal, which the experts said, two weeks ago, could not be open for six months. 

 

He says despite the devastation¹¹ in New Orleans, the shipment shows the city can become the economic center of the Gulf¹² Coast again.

 

Deborah Block, VOA news, New Orleans.

 

注释：

filthy [5filWi] adj. 不洁的，污秽的

watermark [5wC:tEmB:k] n. 水印

militia [mi5liFE] n. 民兵组织，预备役部队

debris [5debri:] n. 碎片，残骸

rug [rQ^] n.（小）地毯，垫子

levee [5levi] n. 防洪堤，码头，大堤

devastation [7devEs5teiFEn] n. 毁坏

1 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

2 filthy   

adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的

参考例句：

• The whole river has been fouled up with filthy waste from factories.整条河都被工厂的污秽废物污染了。
• You really should throw out that filthy old sofa and get a new one.你真的应该扔掉那张肮脏的旧沙发，然后再去买张新的。

3 stagnant   

adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的

参考例句：

• Due to low investment,industrial output has remained stagnant.由于投资少，工业生产一直停滞不前。
• Their national economy is stagnant.他们的国家经济停滞不前。

4 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 vibrant   

adj.震颤的，响亮的，充满活力的，精力充沛的，(色彩)鲜明的

参考例句：

• He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
• She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。

8 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

11 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。