VOA标准英语2009年-Tsunamis Devastate Pacific Islands

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
30 September 2009
 
People walk along scene of devastation¹ following powerful quake in Pago Pago village on American Samoa, 30 Sep 2009
A series of tsunamis³ has caused widespread death and destruction in the South Pacific. The waves were triggered by a powerful deep sea earthquake between Samoa and American Samoa. Scores of people are reported to have been killed.
 
Each hour brings more reports of loss of life and immense damage to what is normally a serene⁴ corner of the South Pacific. Parts of Samoa and American Samoa were pounded by a series of large waves unleashed⁵ by a magnitude eight earthquake early Tuesday.

Island residents said they were shaken by a huge jolt⁶, which was followed by tremors⁷ that lasted for several minutes. Then the tsunamis struck.
 
Nathan Becker from the Pacific Tsunami² Center in Hawaii says that large walls of water would have crashed onto the shoreline.
 
"I think it's on the order of several meters probably," Becker said. "That's a damaging and dangerous tsunami. A half meter tsunami can take you off your feet and drag you under, so three meters could be quite damaging and dangerous.' "
 
Damage reports are hard to get, because telecommunications and power supplies have been knocked out or overloaded⁸ in the islands. Scores of people are reported to have been killed. Officials fear entire villages have been washed away and that many bodies may be buried in the sand. The lucky ones managed to reach higher ground before their homes were swallowed up. Treating the injured and housing the displaced will be enormous challenges and the true scale of the disaster could take weeks to emerge.

Among the first relief flights to reach the islands will be a U.S. Coast Guard plane from the state of Hawaii. Coast Guard Lieutenant⁹ John Titchen says the flight is expected to reach American Samoa very early Wednesday and will try to get a preliminary assessment¹⁰ of the damage.

"They are taking the governor of American Samoa, who is here in Honolulu, back to Pago Pago," Titchen said. "Before they land, the aircrew intends to conduct an over-flight of the island, the port of Pago Pago and some of the outlying islands."

Titchen says one of the Coast Guard's key concerns is the condition of the sea port. A functioning port is key to getting relief supplies to the islands. He says two Coast Guard vessels¹¹ also are on the way, one from Hawaii and one from the U.S. Pacific territory Guam.

The Australian government is concerned about foreign tourists at resorts on Samoa's southeast coast, which is one of the worst-hit regions. There are reports that two South Koreans and an Australian visitor are among the dead.
 
A tsunami alert was issued for other parts of the South Pacific, including New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji and Hawaii, but was later canceled. Authorities in Japan put its eastern seaboard on high alert.
 
President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in American Samoa and federal aid will supplement local recovery efforts.
 
The Samoa islands comprise the nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a U.S. territory - with a total population of about 250,000 people.

1 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》

2 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。

3 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

4 serene   

adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的

参考例句：

• He has entered the serene autumn of his life.他已进入了美好的中年时期。
• He didn't speak much,he just smiled with that serene smile of his.他话不多，只是脸上露出他招牌式的淡定的微笑。

5 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

7 tremors   

震颤( tremor的名词复数 )； 战栗； 震颤声； 大地的轻微震动

参考例句：

• The story was so terrible that It'sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。
• The story was so terrible that it sent tremors down my spine. 这故事太可怕，它使我不寒而栗。

8 overloaded   

a.超载的，超负荷的

参考例句：

• He's overloaded with responsibilities. 他担负的责任过多。
• She has overloaded her schedule with work, study, and family responsibilities. 她的日程表上排满了工作、学习、家务等，使自己负担过重。

9 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

10 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

11 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》