本文音频及原文摘自杂志The Economist 2016年第34期，United States版块。

Flood and fire

Getting a passport is not easy

Aug 20th 2016

Thirteen people have been killed and 30,000 forced to leave their homes by severe floods around Baton Rouge[巴吞鲁日] in Louisiana[路易斯安那州]. For the second time this year the state’s governor, John Bel Edwards, declared a state of emergency[紧急状态], which allows governors to tap[1] state funds and some federal assistance[联邦援助/补助].

In March floods forced thousands from their homes and killed four people. The coast guard[海岸警卫队;海岸防卫队] and an impromptu flotilla dubbed[2] the Cajun Navy has come to the aid of many of the stranded[3]. The state government is calling for more volunteers to help remove mud from homes as the waters recede[后退;退去]. Returning residents have been warned to beware of snakes and ants also sheltering from the floods.

In California 80,000 people have been ordered to leave San Bernardino County[圣伯纳丁诺县], to the east of Los Angeles, where a fire is advancing. The blaze[火焰;烈火], which began in the canyons[峡谷] around San Bernardino and spread quickly in high winds, has already burned up 30,000 acres, destroyed homes and made Interstate 15 impassable[4]. It is just one of three fires wreathing[5] parts of the Golden State[金州(加利福尼亚州别名)] in smoke. One in the northern part of the state, at Clayton[克莱顿], east of Oakland[奥克兰(加州西部城市)], is thought to be the work of an arsonist[纵火犯;放火犯]. The other is halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, near San Luis Obispo[圣路易斯奥比斯波(美国加利福尼亚州城市)].

California’s governor, Jerry Brown, has declared three countywide states of emergency. The risks from fires in America are increasing: the Forest Service[林务局] says that the fire season is on average 78 days longer now than it was in 1970.

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[1]tap：to get or make use of something 开发；开辟；着手利用

For more than a century, Eastern cities have expanded their water supplies by tapping ever more remote sources.

一个多世纪以来，东部的城市通过开发更偏远地区的水源，扩大了水的供应。

There is a rich vein of literary talent here just waiting to be tapped (into) by publishers.

众多文学才俊会聚于此，等待着出版商慧眼识珠。

[2]

impromptu [ɪm'prɒm(p)tjuː]

done or said without earlier planning or preparation 无准备的，即兴的

an impromptu party/performance

临时晚会／即兴表演

flotilla [flə'tɪlə]

a large group of boats or small ships 船队；小型舰队

dub：to give something or someone a particular name, especially describing what you think of them 称…为，将…冠以

She was dubbed by the newspapers 'The Angel of Death'.

她被报纸称为“死亡天使”。

[3]stranded [strændɪd]

unable to leave somewhere because of a problem such as not having any transport or money （因缺乏交通工具、金钱等）滞留的，被困住的

He left me stranded in town with no car and no money for a bus.

他把我丢在城里，既没车也没钱坐公交车。

If the tide comes in, we'll be stranded on these rocks.

如果涨潮的话，我们就会被困在这些礁石上。

[4]Interstate 15 15号州际公路

(I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States.

impassable：describes a road or path that cannot be travelled on because of bad weather conditions or because it is blocked （道路）不能通行的，无法通过的

[5]wreath [riːθ]

to cover or surround something 覆盖；缠绕，环绕

The peak of the mountain is perpetually wreathed in cloud.

这座山的山顶常年云雾缭绕。

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以上言论不代表本人立场。

原文摘自The economist，仅外语学习之用。

其中生词解释来源于Cambridge Dictionaries

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