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VOA慢速英语2013 海洋风暴造成了巨大的损失

时间:2013-09-11 14:47:40

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Ocean Storms Can Cause Great Damage 海洋风暴造成了巨大的损失

From VOA Learning English, this is Science in the News. I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m Caty Weaver1. Today we tell about the science of severe ocean storms. Severe storms that develop over the Indian Ocean are called cyclones3. Storms that form over the northwestern Pacific Ocean are typhoons. And storms that form over the eastern Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean are hurricanes.

Hurricane Sandy brought death and destruction to the eastern United States last October. Today rebuilding efforts are still in progress in some areas.

Sandy was one of the country’s deadliest hurricanes. It also was the second most costly4 in American history.

The storm kept hitting coastal5 states for a week. It caused major destruction in New Jersey6 and New York.

Estimates of the number of dead from the storm differ. But as a hurricane and what is called a post-tropical cyclone2, Sandy was said to be directly responsible for at least 117 deaths in the United States. It also was blamed for 69 other deaths in Canada and the Caribbean Sea.

Some experts have linked other deaths to the storm. People died of the cold because of loss of power in their homes – or loss of their homes. Others died in accidents while cleaning up the damage. Or, they suffered carbon-monoxide poisoning.

Experts say Sandy caused an estimated 50 billion dollars in property damage. That made it second only to Hurricane Katrina, the 2005 storm that caused 108 billion dollars in damage.

Sandy began as a tropical depression off the coast of Africa. At first, it produced rain and thunderstorms in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. By October 18th, it arrived in the Caribbean Sea. The storm weakened as it passed over Cuba. But it grew stronger as it moved toward the United States on October 27th.

Scientists say the hurricane joined with another weather system arriving from the west. The combined storms caused water levels to rise all along the east coast. Winds with speeds of over 65 kilometers an hour stretched 1,500 kilometers from side to side.

Sandy struck southern New Jersey before it began moving inland across the North American mainland. Some lives were changed forever along the coastlines of New Jersey, New York and other states.

How Do You Name a Hurricane?

How did Hurricane Sandy get its name? Naming storms and other natural events has been a tradition for centuries. For example, the name “Thor” was given to the mythical7 Norse god of thunder, the loud sound that follows lightning in the sky.

An Australian scientist began calling storms by women's names before the end of the 19th century. During World War Two, scientists called storms by the names of their wives or girlfriends.

American weather experts started to use women's names for storms in 1953. In 1979, they began to use men's names, too.

Scientists choose the names of storms many years before they are used. They decide on them at meetings of the World Meteorological Organization. The National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida has one list for each of six years for Atlantic storms. Its experts name storms when they reach wind speeds of 62 kilometers an hour. That is true even if they never grow stronger.

The first name used in a storm season begins with the letter A. The second begins with B and so on. The letters Q, V, X, Y and Z are never used. And the same list of names is not used again for at least six years. And different lists are used for different parts of the world.

A name is retired8 when the storm with this name has been very destructive9, like Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

That same year, Greek letters had to be used for the first time to name storms in the Atlantic. That was the plan -- to call storms Alpha, Beta and so on -- if there were ever more than 21 named storms in a season. As it happened, there were 28.

How Do Hurricanes Form?

Ocean storms develop when the air temperature in one area is different from the temperature nearby. Warmer air rises, while cooler air falls. These movements create a difference in atmospheric10 pressure.

If the pressure changes over a large area, winds start to blow in a huge circle. High-pressure air is pulled toward a low-pressure center. Thick clouds form and heavy rains fall as the storm gains speed and moves over the ocean. Storms can get stronger as they move over warm ocean waters.

The strongest, fastest winds of a hurricane blow in the area known as the eyewall. It surrounds the center, or eye, of the storm. The eye itself is calm by comparison.

Wind speeds in the most severe ocean storms can reach more than 250 kilometers an hour. Up to 50 centimeters of rain can fall. Some storms have produced more than 150 centimeters of rain.

These storms also cause high waves and ocean surges12. A surge11 is a continuous movement of water that may reach as high as six meters or more. The water strikes low coastal areas. Surges are commonly responsible for about 90 percent of all deaths from ocean storms.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami keeps close watch on severe storms. It works with government officials and with radio and television stations to keep people informed. Experts believe this early warning system has helped reduce deaths from ocean storms in recent years.

But sometimes people cannot or will not flee the path of a storm. That is what happened in some parts of Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina struck.

Studies have found that some people do not leave a storm-threatened area because they have no transportation or money for transportation. Another reason is that they fear their property will be damaged by other people, if not by the storm. Yet another reason is that people do not want to leave their farm animals or pets.

Weather experts use computer programs to create models that show where a storm might go. The programs combine information such as temperatures, wind speed, atmospheric pressure and the amount of water in the atmosphere.

Scientists collect the information with satellites, weather balloons and devices floating in the oceans. They also receive information from ships and passenger airplanes and other flights. Government scientists use specially-equipped planes to fly into and around storms. The crews drop instruments tied to parachutes. The instruments collect information about temperature, pressure and wind speed.

Scientists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale to measure the intensity13 of storms based on wind speed. This provides an idea of the amount of coastal flooding and property damage that might be expected. The scale is divided into five groups or categories.

The mildest hurricane is a category one. A hurricane called “Cat One” has winds of about 120 to 150 kilometers an hour. This storm can damage trees and lightweight structures. It can also cause flooding.

Wind speeds in a category two hurricane can reach close to 180 kilometers an hour. These storms are often powerful enough to break windows or blow the tops off houses.

Winds between about 180 and 250 kilometers an hour represent categories three and four. A more powerful storm is a category five hurricane. At its fiercest point, Hurricane Sandy was called a “Cat Three.”

Researchers say forces other than wind speed help cause extensive destruction. And the lower the air pressure, the stronger the storm. Water caused Hurricane Sandy’s worst damage. Flooding drowned many human victims. Farm animals and pets also suffered.

Some scientists believe climate change affects major storms. They say the warming of Earth’s atmosphere is already making the storms worse. Other scientists have published studies that dispute this.

In 2010, a special committee of the World Meteorological Organization reported on severe storms. The committee’s work appeared in the journal “Nature Geoscience.”  Ten scientists wrote the report. They represented both sides of the debate about climate change. The scientists reached no clear answer about whether rising temperatures on Earth had already intensified14 storms. Still, they made some predictions.

The committee said the changing climate might cause more powerful ocean storms in the future. It said the overall strength of storms measured by wind speed might increase two to 11 percent by the year 2100. And there might be an increase in the number of the most severe storms. But there might be fewer weak and moderate storms.

This Science in the News was written by Jerilyn Watson. Our producer was June Simms. I’m Mario Ritter.

And I’m Caty Weaver. Listen again next week for more news about science on the Voice of America.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 weaver LgWwd     
n.织布工;编织者
参考例句:
  • She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快,而且布的质量很好。
  • The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。
2 cyclone cy3x7     
n.旋风,龙卷风
参考例句:
  • An exceptionally violent cyclone hit the town last night.昨晚异常猛烈的旋风吹袭了那个小镇。
  • The cyclone brought misery to thousands of people.旋风给成千上万的人带来苦难。
3 cyclones 17cc49112c36617738bb1601499ae56d     
n.气旋( cyclone的名词复数 );旋风;飓风;暴风
参考例句:
  • The pricipal objective in designing cyclones is to create a vortex. 设计旋风除尘器的主要目的在于造成涡旋运动。 来自辞典例句
  • Middle-latitude cyclones originate at the popar front. 中纬度地区的气旋发源于极锋。 来自辞典例句
4 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
5 coastal WWiyh     
adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的
参考例句:
  • The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
  • This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
6 jersey Lp5zzo     
n.运动衫
参考例句:
  • He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
  • They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致,都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。
7 mythical 4FrxJ     
adj.神话的;虚构的;想像的
参考例句:
  • Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认,他是一个神话般的人物。
  • Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。
8 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
9 destructive cvaxr     
adj.破坏(性)的,毁灭(性)的
参考例句:
  • In the end,it will be destructive of our whole society.它最终会毁灭我们整个社会。
  • It is the most destructive storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的一次风暴。
10 atmospheric 6eayR     
adj.大气的,空气的;大气层的;大气所引起的
参考例句:
  • Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
  • Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。
11 surge Mrlwi     
n.汹涌,澎湃;vi.汹涌,强烈感到,飞涨;vt.放开,松手
参考例句:
  • The surge travelled southwards along the coast.浪涛沿着海岸向南涌去。
  • It failed to stimulate a surge of investment in industry.这没有能刺激工业投资的激增。
12 surges 48aaefca298cc52a954e31429e6637ac     
n.奔涌向前( surge的名词复数 );(数量的)急剧上升;(感情等)洋溢;浪涛般汹涌奔腾v.(波涛等)汹涌( surge的第三人称单数 );(人群等)蜂拥而出;使强烈地感到
参考例句:
  • The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping. 黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • The raging tide of revolution surges forward. 革命怒潮汹涌澎湃。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
13 intensity 45Ixd     
n.强烈,剧烈;强度;烈度
参考例句:
  • I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
  • The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。
14 intensified 4b3b31dab91d010ec3f02bff8b189d1a     
v.(使)增强, (使)加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
  • The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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