2007年VOA标准英语-Indonesia's Capital Under Water as Flooding Wor

By Nancy-Amelia Collins
Jakarta
05 February 2007

Indonesians walk through their flooded neighborhood in Jakarta, 5 Feb 2007

About two-thirds of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, is under water. Heavy seasonal¹ rains have caused massive flooding, leaving at least 25 people dead and more than 350,000 homeless. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins reports from Jakarta.

Government workers used rubber boats Monday to rescue people from flood-stricken parts of the capital while others sought safety at makeshift shelters in schools and mosques³. Electricity and water is cut off in many parts of the city and floods block dozens of major roads.

Although seasonal rains bring floods annually⁴ to Jakarta, this is the worst flooding in the last five years. Many people here are angry and say the government is not doing enough to help those in need.

Jaya, a coordinator⁵ with the country's largest Islamic organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama, sits on a busy street distributing food, water, and clothes to victims.

He says the government is not helping⁶ enough with the basics of food and shelter, and this is why his organization has to help the people.

A nearby mosque² is filled with hundreds of people forced to flee their homes by water up to four meters high. Thirty four year old Pagor ties supplies to an inner tube that he will use to swim back to his house.

He says he came to the mosque to get food and water and will now swim back to where he and 17 family members are living on the roof, guarding their home against looters.

His story is repeated all over this sprawling⁷ capital of 12 million people, with poor and rich alike fearful to leave flooded homes because of the threat of looting.

Warini says she and her family of seven have lost everything and have come to the mosque for shelter. Her small baby is sick and she fears for the health of her other four children.

She says her house is submerged in water and she does not know when she and her family can return home.

The sun came out briefly⁸ Monday prompting many to scramble⁹ to dry out bits and pieces of papers and clothes, in a desperate bid to salvage¹⁰ some of their belongings¹¹.

Facing heavy criticism by many Jakarta residents for failing to prepare for the annual rains and flooding, city governor Sutiyoso called the disaster a "natural phenomenon" and said he cannot be held responsible.

The government has sent medical teams on rubber rafts to the worst hit areas of the city over fears disease may spread among people living in squalid, unsanitary conditions with limited or no access to clean drinking water.

Indonesia's meteorological agency says heavy rains will continue to inundate¹² Jakarta over the next two weeks.

1 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。

2 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

3 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

4 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

5 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

6 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。

7 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

8 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

9 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

10 salvage   

v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救

参考例句：

• All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed.抢救失事船只的一切努力都失败了。
• The salvage was piled upon the pier.抢救出的财产被堆放在码头上。

11 belongings   

n.私人物品，私人财物

参考例句：

• I put a few personal belongings in a bag.我把几件私人物品装进包中。
• Your personal belongings are not dutiable.个人物品不用纳税。

12 inundate   

vt.淹没，泛滥，压倒

参考例句：

• If the dam breaks,it will inundate large parts of the town.如果水坝坍塌，该城的大部分将被淹没。
• The course changes frequently,and the area is so flat that a small change in the level of the river may inundate a considerable area.河道变化多端，下游地区却很平坦，水位少许上涨河流就会淹没一大片土地。