英语听力精选进阶版 13903

Californian stink¹!

Summary

13 September 2012

Air quality inspectors² in southern California have traced a terrible smell which wafted³ 150 miles towards Los Angeles, to an inland sea created by mistake a hundred years ago when the entire Colorado River was accidentally diverted into the desert for 18 months. Recent unusual weather has spread the unpleasant odour, prompting hundreds of complaint calls.

Reporter:

Alastair Leithead

Report

The complaint calls came in as people wondered where the overwhelming odour was coming from. Air quality officials went searching for the sulphur smell, checking rubbish dumps, refineries⁴ and the usual suspects.

But finally the stink was linked to the Salton Sea - the state's biggest lake - created by mistake a century ago when water irrigation engineers accidentally diverted the entire Colorado River into the desert for 18 months. Fed since then by fertiliser-laden irrigation run-off water, the sea suffers periodic booms and busts⁵ of life. Millions of fish recently perished and stormy weather whipped up the stink from the bottom of the shallow lake and spread the smell of rotten eggs 150 miles.

"It was a very large and unusual odour event", the air quality inspectors informed the public, but now the wind's changed and much of southern California is smelling sweetly once again.

1 stink   

vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭

参考例句：

• The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
• The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。

2 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 wafted   

v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The sound of their voices wafted across the lake. 他们的声音飘过湖面传到了另一边。
• A delicious smell of freshly baked bread wafted across the garden. 花园中飘过一股刚出炉面包的香味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 refineries   

精炼厂( refinery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The efforts on closedown and suspension of small sugar refineries, small saccharin refineries and small paper mills are also being carried out in steps. 关停小糖厂、小糖精厂、小造纸厂的工作也已逐步展开。
• Hence the sitting of refineries is at a distance from population centres. 所以，炼油厂的厂址总在远离人口集中的地方。

5 busts   

半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕

参考例句：

• Dey bags swells up and busts. 那奶袋快胀破了。
• Marble busts all looked like a cemetery. 大理石的半身象，简直就象是坟山。