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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Bushfires in southeastern Australia have killed 108 people and the authorities are warning that the number of victims could increase as outbreaks continue to burn out of control. Giant walls of flame have destroyed hundreds of homes, forests and farmland in the country's worst ever wildfire disaster.
A fire erupts in a pine tree plantation1 northeast of Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, 08 Feb. 2009
Witnesses recount seeing trees explode and the sky raining ash as temperatures reach 47 degrees Celsius2.
Up to 400 fires raged around the southern city of Melbourne, where embers rode on furnace-like winds pushing the front forward, devouring3 hundreds of homes and vast areas of forest and farmland. There are concerns that entire towns may have been lost.
Charred4 bodies have been found in cars. It is thought many of the victims had tried to escape the onslaught only to be overcome by its sheer speed and ferocity.
Many communities have seen whole streets reduced to smoking ruins, with piles of blackened bricks and iron roofing sheets twisted in the heat, while burned-out cars littered the roadside.
The Victorian state Premier5, John Brumby, says the fires are the worst the region has ever endured.
"They are unprecedented6 conditions the likes of which we have never seen before in the history of the state. We've also had some cases of arson7 as you know across the state," Mr. Brumby said.
Vehicles and a barn burn in bushfires close to Labertouche, some 125 kilometres west of Melbourne, Australia, 07 Feb 2009
Residents who did manage to escape have spoken of their close encounters with the bushfires.
"I just said to my wife pack all your stuff, let's go. Before we knew it there were flames all around the house, behind us and we just sort of evacuated8 straight away. We're unsure if the house is still standing9 but it didn't look good when we left."
Touring the devastated10 region, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he was "absolutely horrified11" by the disaster.
Thousands of exhausted12 volunteer firefighters are still battling dozens of uncontrolled outbreaks in Victoria, although conditions have eased considerably13 in the past 18 hours.
Australian government officials said the army would be deployed14 to help out, and officials have announced immediate15 emergency aid of seven million dollars.
Australia's deadliest fires were in 1983, when blazes killed 75 people and destroyed more than 3,000 homes in Victoria and South Australia.
The continent's southeastern corner is one of the world's most fire-prone regions. Criminologists have said that half of all bushfires are set deliberately16 by arsonists17. Others are started by lightning strikes, sparks from trains or accidentally by discarded cigarettes.
1 plantation | |
n.种植园,大农场 | |
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2 Celsius | |
adj.摄氏温度计的,摄氏的 | |
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3 devouring | |
吞没( devour的现在分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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4 charred | |
v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式);烧焦 | |
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5 premier | |
adj.首要的;n.总理,首相 | |
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6 unprecedented | |
adj.无前例的,新奇的 | |
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7 arson | |
n.纵火,放火 | |
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8 evacuated | |
撤退者的 | |
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9 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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10 devastated | |
v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词);摧毁;毁灭;在感情上(精神上、财务上等)压垮adj.毁坏的;极为震惊的 | |
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11 horrified | |
a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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12 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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13 considerably | |
adv.极大地;相当大地;在很大程度上 | |
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14 deployed | |
(尤指军事行动)使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 ); 施展; 部署; 有效地利用 | |
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15 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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16 deliberately | |
adv.审慎地;蓄意地;故意地 | |
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17 arsonists | |
n.纵火犯( arsonist的名词复数 ) | |
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