2014年职称英语 阅读理解(31) -Hurricane Katrina

第三十一篇 Hurricane Katrina
A hurricane is n fiercely powerful , rotating form of tropical storm that can be 124 to 1,240 miles in diameter. The term hurricane is derived from Hurican, the name of 8 native American storm god 1. Hurricanes are typical of 2 a calm central region of low pressure between 12 to 60 miles in diameter, known as the eye. They occur in tropical regions. Over its lifetime 3, one of these storms can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs 4.
The seed for hurricane formation 5
is a cluster of thunderstorms over warm tropical waters. Hurricanes can only form and be fed 6 when the sea-surface temperature exceeds 270C and the surrounding atmosphere is calm. These requirements are met between June and November in the northern hemisphere.
Under these conditions, large quantities of water evaporate and condense into clouds and rain — releasing heat in the process. It is this heat energy, combined with the rotation of the Earth, that drives a hurricane.
When the warm column of air 7 from the sea surface first begins to rise, it causes an area of low pressure. This in turn creates wind as air is drawn into the area. This spinning wind drags up more moisture-laden air from the sea surface in a process that swells the storm 8. Cold air falls back to the ocean surface through the eye 9 and on the outside of the storm.
Initially, when wind speeds reach 23 miles per hour, these mild, wet and grey weather systems are known as depressions 10. Hurricane Katrina formed in this way over the southeastern Bahamas on 23 August 2005. Katrina has had a devastating impact on the Gulf Coast of the US, leaving a disaster zone of 90,000 square miles in its wake 11 — almost the size of the UK. Thousands have been killed or injured and more than half a million people have been displaced in a humanitarian crisis of a scale not seen in the US since the great depression.12 The cost of the damage may top 13 $ 100 billion.词汇: hurricane / 5hQrikEn /n.飓风 evaporate /i5vApEreit/v.（使）蒸发，（使）挥发 rotate / rEu5teit /v.旋转，转动 condense /kEn5dens/v.使冷却凝结；使浓缩 cluster /5klQstE/n.一群,一束 moisture-laden adj.充满水分的，充满湿度的 thunderstorm n.雷暴 sustain /sEs5tein/v.保持，持续 hemisphere /5hemisfiE/n.(地球的)半球 humanitarian / hju(:)7mAni5tZEriEn/adj.人道主义的注释:
1. storm god:风暴之神。

原为加勒比海 (Caribbean-Sea)地区加勒比人心目中的“罪恶之神” (the god of evil)。

2. are typical of:以……为特征，有……特点。

3. over its lifetime:在(飓风)肆虐的整个过程中
4. release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs:释放相当于 l 万颗核弹的能量
5. The seed for hurricane formation: 飓风形成的原因。

seed 原义为“种子”，在这里的意思是“原因”。

6. ... be fed: feed 在这里的意思是 : to supply with something essential for growth, maintenance, or operation (为生长、维持或运行提供某些必要的物质条件 )，在此可理解为“引发”。

7. the warm column of air:柱状暖气流
8. a process that swells the storm:增大暴风雨威力的变化过程。

swell:在此作动词用，意思是 to cause to increase in volume, size, number, degree, or intensity (增强体积、尺寸、数量、程度或强度 )。

9. the eye:指第一段中提到的“飓风中心”。

10. depressions:低气压区
11. in its wakes 在……之后。

例如 : The car left clouds of dust in its wake.车后扬起了一阵尘土。

12. …more than half a million people have been displaced in a humanitarian crisis of a scale not seen in the US since the great depression:五十多万人被迫离开家园，如此大规模的人道主义危机是美国自大萧条以来还未经历过的。

be displaced:被迫离开某地。

the great depression:大萧条，指从1929年开始、持续至大约1939年在北美洲、欧洲和世界其他工业化地区发生的经济衰退。

13. top:在此作动词用，意思是to exceed or surpass(多于，越过)。

练习:
1. What is the eye of a hurricane? A A native American storm god.
B A rotating form of tropical storm that can be 124 to 1240 miles in diameter.
C A calm central region of low pressure between 12 to 60 miles in diameter.
D A storm that can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs.
2. Which of the following is NOT the “requirements” mentioned in the second paragraph? A The tropical waters are warm and calm. B The sea-surface temperature exceeds 27°C. C There are thunderstorms over warm tropical waters. D The atmosphere surrounding the sea is calm.
3. Which of the following is the best explanation of the word “drive” in the third paragraph? A To guide, control, or direct. B To force to go through or push in. C To supply the motive force or power and cause to function. D To force to move in a particular direction.
4. What does the warm air mentioned in the fourth paragraph produce when it is rising from the sea surface? A High pressure. B Low pressure. C Wind. D Cold air.
5. What is NOT true of Hurricane Katrina according to the last paragraph? A The area affected is almost the size of the UK. B It left a disaster zone of 90,000 square miles. C Half a million people are forced to leave the area. D The humanitarian crisis is as serious as that of the great depression.
答案与题解:
1. C 文章的第一段第三句描述了飓风的特点，即一个直径为12～60英里的、平静的低气压中心地带。

这个中心就叫做eye of a hurricane。

2. A第二段的第一、二句描写飓风的形成原因，昀后一句中的These requirements即是第一、二句中所述内容。

所以B、C和D都不是正确选项。

3. C A的意思是“驾驶”；B的意思是“敲”，“打”、“击”，如: Drive in a nail.把钉子敲进去。

D的意思是“驱赶”，如: Drive the cattle along the road.沿大路驱赶牛群。

C的意思是“发动”、“驱动”，是正确选项。

4. B第四段第一句提供了答案。

…it causes tan area of low pressure. it代指从海面上升起来的暖流。

5. D A、B、C的内容均在课文昀后一段中被提到。

文中…in a humanitarian crisis of a scale not seen in the US since the great depression.的大致意思是:如此大规模的人道主义危机是美国自大萧条以来还未约历过的。

D句不符合这句话的意思，所以是正确选项。

第三十一篇卡特里娜飓风
飓风是一种猛烈、强大、螺旋形式的热带风暴，直径可达124～1240英哩。

飓风hurricane一词是由Hurica 一词衍生而来，Hurican是美国本地风暴之神的名字。

飓风的特征是其中心的无风区域气压低，直径在12～60英里之间，被称作风眼。

它们在热带区域出现。

在飓风肆虐整个过程中，有一种飓风可释放相当于1万颗核弹的能量。

飓风形成的原因是由于雷暴聚集在温暖的热带水面上。

只有当海平面的温度超过27摄氏度并且周围的空气稳定时，飓风才能形成，壮大。

在6月到11月之间的北半球这些条件可达到。

在这些条件下，大量的水蒸气凝结成云和雨，并在此过程中释放热量。

正是这些热能，加上地球的自转驱动着飓风。

当海平面的柱状暖气流首次开始上升时，它会引起一片低气压区，而这一区域紧接着会形成风，因为空气被吸引流动进这一区域。

这一旋转运动的风带起了海面上更多的充满水汽的空气。

这一过程增大了暴风的
威力。

冷空气通过暴风中心降回海面，落到暴风外围。

开始，当风速达到每小时23英时，这些温和、潮湿、灰色的气候系统被称作低气压区。

2005年的8月23日，卡特里娜飓风以这种方式在巴哈马群岛东南形成。

卡特里娜飓风对美国墨西哥湾沿岸造成了毁灭性打击，其后留下了面积为9万平方英里的受灾区域——几乎和英国的面积一样大。

数以千计的人因此伤亡。

五十多万人被迫离开家园，如此大规模的人道主义危机是美国自大萧条以来还未经历过的。

此次飓风造成的破坏可能超过1千亿美元。