口译时事：俄克拉荷马州龙卷风遇难人数修正为24人

2013-05-23 00:00:00来源：可可英语

　　Rescuers pored over demolished neighborhoods Tuesday as this battered area began to regroup and assess the carnage a day after a massive and deadly tornado tore through towns just south of Oklahoma City, killing dozens, injuring hundreds and obliterating structures in its path.

　　救援人员周二仔细检查了穆尔市(Moore)被毁的社区，与此同时，这片受灾严重的地区也开始重整旗鼓，对灾难进行评估。一天前，一场剧烈的龙卷风袭击了俄克拉何马市(Oklahoma City)南部的一些城镇，导致数十人死亡，上百人受伤，并摧毁了行进路线上的建筑物。

　　At least 24 people died, nine of them children, according to a spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. The death toll, which had originally been reported at 51, was revised because victims were initially double counted, the spokeswoman said. More than 230 people were injured by the storm, officials said. One hospital, University of Oklahoma Medical Center, said it received 45 children.

　　俄克拉何马州应急管理部门(Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management)的一名发言人说，龙卷风导致至少24人死亡，其中九人为儿童。此前报告有51人死亡，原因在于重复计算。官员们说，超过230人在风暴中受伤。俄克拉何马大学医学中心(University of Oklahoma Medical Center)说，已经收治了45名儿童。

　　Meanwhile, heavy equipment and bulldozers arrived by the dozens to clear debris-strewn streets. Disaster relief workers walked neighborhoods, asking dazed people what they needed.

　　与此同时，数十台重型机械和推土机抵达了灾区，它们将用来清理街道上散落的瓦砾。救灾人员在社区走动，向惊慌失措的人们提供帮助。

　　The bad weather continued Tuesday, with lightning and hail delaying rescue efforts and turning the skies a bleak gray that mirrored the collective mood.

　　恶劣的天气持续到了周二，雷电和冰雹导致救援行动被拖延，天空和人们的心情一样呈现出阴郁的灰色。

　　'It's been a very heartbreaking experience, especially the loss of children,' said Gov. Mary Fallin, who flew over the devastated community Tuesday, and said the destruction and downed street signs had rendered some areas unidentifiable.

　　俄克拉何马州州长法林(Mary Fallin)说，这场经历让人心碎，尤其是儿童的死亡。法林周二乘飞机在受灾社区上空巡视，她表示，由于房屋损坏和路牌被吹倒，一些区域难以辨认。

　　One Moore resident, Robert Centers, couldn't find his street as he drove through his Moore neighborhood, which had been squashed to mostly rubble. Some houses simply vanished, but most were flattened, leaving empty plots dotted with mangled cars and littered with piles of wood and brick. Whole tree trunks were sucked from the earth exposing their long, twisted roots.

　　穆尔市的居民森特斯(Robert Centers)开车在穆尔市的居民区行进，他已经无法找到自己居住的街道，这个社区基本上已是一片瓦砾。一些房子彻底消失不见，但是大多数只是倒塌了，一些空荡荡的地上散落着严重受损的汽车，以及一堆堆的木头和砖块。一些大树被连根拔起，暴露出长长的、盘绕着的树根。

　　Some lots had tents set up and neighbors were picking through the detritus to find photos and family mementos.

　　人们在一些空地上支起了帐篷，居民们在瓦砾中搜寻着照片和家庭纪念物品。

　　'I think this is my street,' said Mr. Centers, a retired purchasing agent for Tinker Air Force Base, who turned 59 on Monday. He shares a birthday with his wife Judy, who turned 63. The Centers were luckier than many of their neighbors.

　　森特斯退休前是廷克空军基地(Tinker Air Force Base)的一名采购代理，周一是他59岁的生日，也是他妻子茱蒂(Judy)63岁的生日。他说，我觉得这就是我居住的街道。森特斯一家要比他们的许多邻居更幸运一点。

　　The fierce winds battered their compact brick house, smashing some windows, but it was still standing. Although authorities have told them they may not have power or water for a month, they plan to stay regardless. 'This is all I have,' said Mr. Centers, who lost a house in another tornado. 'I have no plan B.'

　　狂风袭击了他们结实的小砖房，打破了一些窗户，但是房子仍然挺立。尽管有关部门告诉他们，没电没水的状态可能会持续一个月，他们仍然打算待在房子里。森特斯说，这就是我的全部，我没有备用方案。森特斯以前的一栋房子就曾在龙卷风中被毁。

　　The Department of Emergency Management said at least three tornadoes touched down Monday in Oklahoma, including in Oklahoma City, Moore and Duncan, but Moore took the hardest hit. The National Weather Service Tuesday afternoon rated the tornado that tore through Moore as an EF-5 with winds in excess of 200 mph. It stretched about 17 miles long and 1.3 miles wide, remaining on the ground for about 40 minutes, the agency said.

　　应急管理部门说，周一俄克拉何马州至少发生三次龙卷风，受灾地区包括俄克拉何马市、穆尔市和邓肯(Duncan)，但是穆尔市受灾最为严重。美国国家气象局(National Weather Service)周二下午称，经过穆尔市的龙卷风属EF-5级，风速超过每小时200英里（合320公里）。该机构说，龙卷风行驶路径长17英里，宽1.3英里，在陆地上的时间大约40分钟。

　　Moore, a city of 56,000 on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, has an infamous history of being battered by twisters, having been struck by significant tornadoes three times--including Monday-- since 1999, according to the National Weather Service.

　　穆尔市位于俄克拉何马市郊区，拥有5.6万人口，历史上一直是龙卷风的多发地，美国国家气象局的数据显示，包括周一的这次，穆尔市自从1999年以来已经遭受了三次大型龙卷风的袭击。

　　Property-casualty insurance companies are expected to face at least a couple billion dollars of insured losses from the Moore tornado, according to rough calculations by Wall Street analysts, based on damages from other major tornadoes in recent years, including tornadoes in Joplin, Mo., and Tuscaloosa, Ala., in 2011.

　　根据华尔街分析师的粗略估计，预计财产保险公司将面临穆尔市龙卷风造成的至少数十亿美元的保险损失，分析师们根据的是最近几年其他大型龙卷风造成的损失，其中包括2011年密苏里州乔普林(Joplin)和阿拉巴马州塔斯卡卢萨(Tuscaloosa)的龙卷风。

　　President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the prayers of the nation are with the people of Oklahoma and vowed to provide as much federal assistance as necessary to help the devastated towns deal with one of the worst tornadoes in history.

　　美国总统奥巴马(Barack Obama)周二说，全国人民都在为俄克拉何马州的灾民祈祷，并承诺将提供必要的联邦援助，以帮助受灾城镇应对这次历史上最严重的一次龙卷风。

　　参加口译考试的同学们在平时要积累大量素材，尤其是像上文这样的双语时事内容。帮助同学们练习。

本文关键字: 龙卷风袭击