2007年VOA标准英语-Severe Weather Wreaks Havoc from Texas to Iowa

By Greg Flakus
Marshall, Texas
25 April 2007

Deadly storms tore across the Mexico-Texas border Tuesday. A tornado¹ killed six people and left a path of destruction in the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas. At least three people were reported dead on the other side of the border in Piedras Negras, Mexico. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Marshall, Texas.

debris2 of their neighbor's home in Eagle Pass, Texas, 25 Apr 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070601/1127410.jpg" width="163" vspace="2" border="0" />

Lorenzo Tijerina, 9, (r) and his brother, Armondo, 5, look through the debris of their neighbor's home in Eagle Pass, Texas, 25 Apr 2007

People all across Texas are paying close attention to weather reports as the news of devastation³ wrought⁴ by tornados⁵ comes in.

A tornado obliterated⁶ mobile homes and heavily damaged an elementary school in Eagle Pass, leaving debris spread over a wide area.

Power lines are down and several buildings lost roofs. Dozens of people have flocked to nearby clinics and hospitals on both sides of the border.

Mexican authorities say at least 40 people were injured by the storms and they are continuing rescue operations to help people who may have been left stranded⁷.

In the Eagle Pass area, local police, the Border Patrol and National Guard units are assisting local agencies in search and rescue efforts. More than 350 people crowded into shelters and many more are believed to have gone to the homes of relatives and friends whose homes were not affected⁸ by the storm.

The same storm system that generated the tornados in Texas moved on over eastern Colorado and produced heavy, wet snow. Many motorists were stranded by snow drifts across roads and some 60 school children had to be taken to shelters south of Denver when their buses were halted by the storm.

A motorist sits in his stuck Chevrolet Cavalier after spinning out on Interstate 25 and ending up in the median near Monument, Colorado, 24 Apr 2007

A tornado damaged buildings in the community of Wild Horse, Colorado, about 175 kilometers southeast of Denver, but there were no injuries reported.

Severe thunder storms and high winds swept across northern Texas and as far north as Nebraska and Iowa, where heavy rains caused flooding in some areas.

In Dallas, American Airlines canceled about 200 flights because of the weather. Many Dallas-bound flights were diverted to San Antonio, where hotels were quickly filled and the local Red Cross set up a refuge for passengers at a school near the airport.

On Wednesday, a wave of storms moved across southeast Texas, threatening the Houston area and southwestern Louisiana with high winds and heavy rain.

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 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。

3 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》

4 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

5 tornados   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• And the national weather service reports several tornados touch down. 国家气象中心报告预测龙卷风将来袭。 来自互联网
• They had stock footage of lightning, tornados, and hurricanes. 他们存有关于闪电、龙卷风和飓风的电影胶片。 来自互联网

6 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

8 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。