dialogue 1

M: the news says storms and floods have hit most of the South this summer.

新聞說,今年夏天南方大部分省份遭遇了洪災.

L: yes. There has been tremendous damage and many people are homeless.

是啊.好像損失很大,好多人無家可歸.

M: meanwhile, the northern provinces are suffering drought . It that abnormal ?

但是北方省份卻遭遇了旱災.那不是反常嗎?

L: it’s a global issue, not just in China.

好多國家都這樣,不單單是中國.

M: that’s true. There are natural disasters in almost every part of the world every year, but this year seems to be the most disastrous year for China.

是啊,好像每年各個地方都會遭受自然災害,但是今年中國遭受的自然災害最多.

L: you said it. There have been so many reports of snowstormm floods, earthquakes, sandstorms and landslides claiming people’s lives.

是的.每天都聽到各種各樣的報道,不是雪災,就是洪水和地震,或者是沙塵暴,泥石流,很多人因此喪生.

M: it’s so heartbreaking to see people struggling for help. Have you ever experienced a flood?

看見很多人掙扎著喊救命,我心里特別難受.你經歷過洪水災害嗎?

L: No, I live in thw northern part of China.

沒有,我生活在中國的北部.

M: you are very lucky. I was in Guizhou three months ago on a business trip when there was a flood.

那你很幸運.三個月之前,我去貴州出差,正好趕上了發洪水.

L: it must have been terrible.

一定很可怕吧?

M: I have never seen so many people wandering in water up to their waists through the streets and waiting on rooftops for help.

是啊,從來沒見過那種場面,水到腰那么深.有的人在街上,有的人站在屋頂上,到處都有人喊救命.

L: wow, I can’t imagine!

天啊,真的難以想象.

M: actually, I would have drowned if the rescue team had not come.

事實上,如果救援隊不來,我可能都被淹死了.

dialogue 2

M: so far, the quake in Sichuan has killed about 69,172 people and has left 374,159 people injured, 17,420 missing.

到目前為止,四川汶川地震已造成69172人遇難,374159人受傷,17420人失蹤.

L: I feel so sorry for those victims. It’s the scariestthing that I have ever seen.

真為那些遇難者感到惋惜.這是我所見過的最恐怖的事情.

M: did you feel the quake?

你當時感受到地震了嗎?

L: yes. Actually, I was traveling in Sichuan then.

感受到了,事實上,我當時就在四川省內.

M: oh,really? I didn’t know that. Tell me what it was like.

是嗎?我之前沒聽你說過啊.跟我說說當時怎么回事?

L: well, it was on a Monday afternoon, a little after two o’clock, and I was reading some magazines when there was horrible grinding sound and the floor started bouncing and shaking.

那天是周一,下午兩點多一點,我正在看雜志,那時忽然聽見劇烈的擠壓聲,地板開始晃動.

M: oh, my dear! What did you do?

哦,天哪,你當時怎么辦的?

L: well, it took me a second or two to figure out what was going on. Then I called mycolleague. It’s unbelievable that she was still asleep and didn’t feel a thing.

我過了一會兒才明白是怎么回事,之后我趕快打電話給我的同事.不可思議的是,她當時還在睡覺,什么都沒感覺到.

M: incredible.

太不可思議了!

L: as she realized what was happening, she panicked .

后來明白了怎么回事后,她慌得不知所措.

M: that must have been horrifying.

一定很恐怖吧!

L: oh, it was. Then I managed to open the door and we finally made our way to safety.

是啊.隨后我用力打開門,我們拼命跑到了一個安全的地方.

M: oh, thank God. Was anyone hurt?

哦,謝天謝地!有人受傷嗎?

L: three people were killed and about fifty people were injured.

死了三個人,受傷的大約有50個人.

M: what a tragedy!

L: it was terrible. I hope it will never happen again!

太慘了! 是很可怕,真希望不要再發生這種事了!