[课文清障]
The Daily News
TSUNAMI HITS ASIA：OVER 6,500 DEAD
By Robert Woodhouse①
Monday, 27 December 2004
The most powerful earthquake in the past 40 years caused a tsunami that crashed② into coastlines③ across Asia yesterday, killing more than 6,500 people in Indonesia, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and at least four other countries【1】. Fishermen④， tourists, hotels, homes, and cars were swept away⑤ by huge waves⑥ caused by the strong earthquake that reached a magnitude of 9.0【2】. The undersea quake struck⑦ around 7：00 a．m., Sunday off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island⑧. In that area alone⑨， at least 1,870 people were killed.
【1】本句的主干为“The most powerful earthquake in the past 40 years caused a tsunami”；“that crashed into coastlines across Asia yesterday”为that引导的定语从句，修饰先行词a tsunami；“killing more than... other countries”为现在分词短语作结果状语。
【2】“caused by... a magnitude of 9.0”为过去分词短语作后置定语，修饰先行词huge waves, cause与huge waves之间为逻辑上的动宾关系；“that reached a magnitude of 9.0”为that引导的定语从句，修饰先行词the strong earthquake。
In Sri Lanka, some⑩ 1,600 kilometres west of the quake centre?， the number of deaths stood? at 2,498, and one million more were affected by the tsunami, government officials? said. Indian officials said as many as? 1,900 had been killed along the southern coast. Another 254 were found dead in Thailand and 54 in three other countries 【3】. In southern Thailand, 1,900 people were hurt and many more were missing?， local officials said. “I was having breakfast with my three children when water started filling my home 【4】. We had to leave everything and run to safety，” said Chandra Theeravit, a local Thai woman.
【3】“Another 254 were found dead”为“find＋宾语＋宾补(形容词)”结构的被动式；为了避免重复，54后面省略了与前一分句相同的部分were found dead。
【4】本句运用了“Sb. was doing sth. when...”句式，when是并列连词，该句式意为“某人正在做某事，这时(突然)……”。
Thousands of people are still missing, and the number of deaths is expected to? grow? even higher【5】 over the next few days. Foreign aid is being organised【6】 for the tsunamihit countries. However, dangerous conditions? and damaged roads will make it difficult to deliver food and supplies【7】．
【5】even higher甚至更高。可用于修饰形容词的比较级的词(组)还有much, far, a lot, still, a little, two times等。
【6】此处使用了现在进行时的被动语态，表示被动和动作正在进行。
【7】该部分属于“make＋it＋adj.＋to do sth.”结构，it是形式宾语，to do sth.是真正的宾语。
[词语积累]
①英语中，作者或记者的名字前一般需加上介词by。
②crash/kræ?/vt.&vi. 碰撞；撞击 n. 撞车；碰撞
crash into 撞到……上
③coastline/'k??stla?n/n. 海岸线
coast n. 海岸，海滨；沿海地区
④fisherman/'f???m?n/n. 渔民
fishing boat 渔船
⑤sweep away冲走，吹走；消灭，彻底消除
[注意]sweep的过去式、过去分词和现在分词分别为swept, swept, sweeping。
⑥wave/we?v/n. 海浪，波浪 vi.&vt. 挥手，招手
⑦strike/stra?k/vi.&vt. (struck, struck, striking)侵袭；突击；击打 n. 罢工；罢课；袭击
⑧Sumatra Island苏门答腊岛。东南亚印度尼西亚西部的一个大型岛屿，是世界第六大岛屿。
⑨alone adv.(用于名词或代词后以加强语气)仅仅，单，只
⑩some adv.(用于数词前)大约，差不多
?quake centre/center 震中
focus of an earthquake 震源
?stand v. 达特定水平(或数量、高度等)。常与at连用。
?official/?'f??l/n. 官员 adj. 正式的，官方的
?as many as... 多达……
?missing adj.(人)失踪的；(事物)找不到的，丢失的
[辨析]gone adj.(人)走了，离开了；(时间)一去不复返
lost adj.(人)迷路的；(事物)丢失的；无法再找到的
?be expected to do sth. 预计会做某事
?grow linking verb 逐渐变得，逐渐成为(常跟形容词作表语)
?condition n．(居住、工作或做事情的)环境，境况(常用复数)
living/housing/working conditions 生活/住房/工作条件
