VOA标准英语2011--Death Toll From US Tornados Rises to at

Death Toll¹ From US Tornados³ Rises to at Least 292

U.S. authorities say the number of people killed in a series of tornadoes⁴ and thunderstorms across the southern United States has risen to at least 292, making it the country's deadliest tornado² outbreak in almost four decades.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley says the tornadoes that struck his state on Wednesday killed at least 194 people, by far the highest toll of the eight southern states hit by deadly storms. Speaking Thursday, he said Alabama's final death toll may not be known for another day or two.
U.S. President Barack Obama said the loss of life has been "heartbreaking, especially in Alabama." In a White House address, he said the damage from the storms has been "catastrophic" and promised the federal government will do "everything it can" to help the region recover.
The National Weather Service says about 150 tornados tore through parts the southern states of Mississippi and Alabama on Wednesday. Alabama's city of Tuscaloosa was one of the hardest hit. Several buildings were flattened⁵, and many city operations are unable to function.
Water dripped through the roof of the grocery store Mike Honeysutt manages in Tuscaloosa. He watched as it was destroyed.
"The power went out and the building started shaking, the windows were shaking and part of the roof was flying off the building, the windows came into the front and then the wind started blowing stuff of the shelves," said Honeysutt.
Honeysutt said the tornado was gone 15 or 20 seconds later. The damage was not, however, and many people are missing among the rubble⁶.
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley has deployed⁷ 2,000 National Guard troops to assist in search-and-rescue efforts.
"We do have major destruction in the state, especially in the northern part of Alabama," said Bentley. "We have 131 confirmed fatalities⁸ at the present time. We expect that number to rise today. In fact, we are sure it will. There may be as many as a half million to a million people in the state without power at this time."
Bentley also reported the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in northern Alabama automatically shut down after it lost power to its three units. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the plant's safety systems are operating as needed.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed teams to the region to assist in response efforts, after U.S. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Alabama.
Bentley said Alabama was as prepared as it could be to face tornados, with winds averaging 400 to 500 kilometers per hour. That measure is the most destructive on the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale.
"When you have a catastrophic F 4 and F 5 tornado that hits, there is not much you can do to change the outcome of that," he said. "But we did have a good response from the weather bureau and we have had a good response from our Emergency Management Agency. We were prepared."
FEMA Director Craig Fugate said the violent streak⁹ of tornados that have struck the southern United States in recent weeks is not uncommon¹⁰.
"Actually what we are seeing is springtime. Unfortunately many people think of Oklahoma as tornado ally and forget that the southeast United States actually has a history of actually longer and more powerful tornados that stay on the ground longer," said Fugate.
Severe weather that began Monday also caused dozens of fatalities in Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Arkansas, making it the deadliest series of storms to hit the southern U.S. region in four decades.

1 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

2 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。

3 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

4 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

5 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 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

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

8 fatalities   

n.恶性事故( fatality的名词复数 )；死亡；致命性；命运

参考例句：

• Several people were injured, but there were no fatalities. 有几个人受伤，但没有人死亡。
• The accident resulted in fatalities. 那宗意外道致多人死亡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

10 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。