【英文學習專區-時事閱讀測驗0524】－花旗美語Whats Englis

Oklahoma tornado smashes 1200 homes as thunderstorms hamper relief efforts
奧克拉荷馬州的龍捲風重創了1,200個家庭且大雷雨阻礙了救援工作

(AFP—May 24, 2013) THE tornado in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore damaged or destroyed 1200 homes and affected 33,000 people, officials said.
官方表示，這次的龍捲風造成奧克拉荷馬州郊區的穆爾市有1,200個家庭受創或遭摧毀，且影響了33,000位民眾。

Severe thunderstorms barreled through Moore overnight, upsetting relief and clean-up efforts three days after a powerful tornado killed 24 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
一夜之間，嚴重的大雷雨高速侵襲了穆爾市，攪亂了在威力驚人的龍捲風奪走24人性命與摧毀數千間房舍後的救援與清理工作。

The dark threatening skies cast a pall over the first of a series of funerals in the coming days for the seven children killed in an elementary school that took a direct hit from the twister.
灰暗而充滿威脅感的天空，為接下來數天一連串葬禮中的第一場覆上了棺罩，因為有七名孩童在就讀的小學校舍遭受龍捲風直接襲擊時身亡。

Updating figures from one of the worst US tornados in recent years, officials said the death toll from the powerful twister - which struck with little notice in mid-afternoon - remains at 24, with 377 injured.
官方為這起近年來最慘重美國境內龍捲風的其中之一做數據更新時，表示自這起下午來襲且沒引起太多注意的強力龍捲風下，喪生的死亡人數統計，維持在24的數字，另外有377人受傷。

"We hope and pray that those numbers will hold steady and not go up," said Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin at a press conference in Moore city hall alongside law enforcement, disaster relief and other officials.
在穆爾市執法人員、賑災組織，與其他官員的陪同下，奧克拉荷馬州州長Mary Fallin於穆爾市市政廳開記者會並道出：「我們希望並祈求那些傷亡數字將會維持現狀且不再攀升」。

The 24 fatalities included two infants and seven students from Park Towers Elementary School, one of two schools in the path of the twister that cut a 27-kilometre long swath through the mainly residential city of 56,000.
在24名死者中，包含了兩位嬰兒，及七名就讀於Park Towers小學的學生。Park Towers就是那位於龍捲風襲擊路徑的兩所小學其中一間，而龍捲風掃過了擁有56,000居民且主要為住宅區的城市，留下了寬達27公里長的破壞痕跡。

Heavy rain was forecast for much of the day, soaking the disaster zone where residents had just the day before, under clear blue skies, picked through the rubble of their shattered houses to recover personal effects.
天氣預報指出當天大部分時間會下大雨，將受災區淋成濕漉漉一片，而當地居民在前一天，才趁晴朗天氣時，從他們受損房舍形成的瓦礫堆中撿拾剩餘細軟，望能找回一些個人財物。

WORD STOCK

1. hamper	(v) to prevent the free movement, action, or progress of妨礙；阻礙
2. relief efforts	(n ph) something done or produced through exertion for a disaster 救援工作
3. barrel	(v) to move rapidly, often recklessly 高速前進
4. upset	(v) to disturb the normal state, course, or stability of something 擾亂；打攪
5. pall	(n) a cloth covering, usually black, spread over a coffin or tomb 棺罩
6. death toll	(n ph) the number of deaths resulting from some particular cause such as an accident or a battle or a natural disaster 死亡人數統計
7. alongside	(prep) by the side of; side by side with 鄰近的；緊貼著的
8. law enforcement	(n ph) ensuring obedience to the laws 執法機關；執法人員
9. disaster relief	(n ph) money, food, clothes etc given to people who suffer in a disaster 賑災活動
10. fatalities	(n) a death resulting from an accident or a disaster (因意外事故而喪命的)死者
11. cut a swath	(v ph) to extend in distinctive physical length and width 形成大範圍的痕跡
12. rubble	(n) fragments of broken stones, bricks, etc. 碎石堆
13. shattered	(adj) relating to breaking or bursting suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow 粉碎的
14. personal effects	(n ph) privately owned items, such as keys, an ID card, or a wallet or watch 個人財物

閱讀測驗練習

About Tornado

A product of an unusually powerful thunderstorm, a tornado is a naturally occurring atmospheric vortex of air spiraling at a very high speed, usually about 250 miles per hour or more, forming a funnel, and extending from the ground to the base of a convective cloud. The shape of the funnel depends on air pressure, temperature, moisture, dust, rate of airflow in the vortex, and whether the air in the tornado's core is moving upward or downward. A tornado can also have multiple vortices. Double vortices are often produced when the upper vortex turns in the direction opposite to the circular motion of the lower vortex. Because of all these factors, very few tornadoes look like true funnels. Tornadoes cause one-fifth of natural-disaster losses each year in the United States. The most intense tornadoes can toss a car a half-mile or shatter a house. However, about 80 percent of tornadoes are weak and cause no more damage than severe winds. A tornado can last fewer than 10 seconds or more than two hours. Tornadoes can occur singly or in swarms. There is no agreement among experts on any single theory of tornado formation.

The typical tornado has ground contact for about six miles, marking a path up to 500 feet wide. Tornadoes travel as fast as 35 to 60 miles per hour. The average number of tornadoes in the United States ranges between 700 and 800 per year, exceeding 1,000 in some years, most notably 1973, 1982, 1990, and 1992. Tornadoes occur most frequently in Texas, followed by Oklahoma and Kansas. Most tornado fatalities happen in the deep South and generally total fewer than 100 per year, although 350 people died in the 1974 tornado that swept through Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Oklahoma on 3 and 4 April.

Although tornadoes have been reported in every state, most occur in the Gulf States and in the Midwest. The west-to-east airflow across the United States is interrupted by the Rocky Mountains, which push the air currents upward; they fall suddenly as they reach the Great Plains. If moisture-laden air is pulled in from the Gulf of Mexico and meets the high dry air over the plains, that confluence creates the conditions for a tornado. Tornado season begins in early spring in the deep South and progresses northward, with two-thirds of tornadoes occurring from March to June. Tornadoes are most likely to form in late afternoon, but they can occur at any time of day on any day of the year.

The National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, Missouri, is responsible for issuing warnings of approaching tornadoes. Tornado predictions are based on meteorological conditions in combination with unusual patterns on the weather radar. Although the approach of a tornado can be forecast only 50 percent of the time, warnings have become important in reducing the death toll.

( ) 1. What is TRUE about a tornado?

(A) Most tornadoes resemble funnels in shape.

(B) A tornado can linger in the same place for a couple of days.

(D) A tornado can be detected and given precaution through the weather radar.

( ) 2. Which of the following month is the rarest for us to see a tornado?

(A) June (B) April

( ) 3. Which factor is NOT included in the formation of a tornado?

(A) wetness in the atmosphere

(B) the pressure forced by the atmosphere

(D) the speed of wind blow