文字稿

在印度，至少有3.3亿国民遭受严重干旱的影响。印度政府已将灾情告知最高法院，并发出警告称受灾人数还会增加。请听 BBC Gill McGivering 发回的报道。

The government says about 330 million people are now affected by drought and that number may rise as more states submit reports. It's a startling picture made worse by two years of poor rainfall and unusually hot weather.

There are hints of underlying problems too, from growing industrial use of water to failures to maintain rivers and waterways. In some places reservoirs are down to a quarter of their capacity - in others they've pretty much run dry.

Some cities have imposed water rationing. The latest water train carrying 2.5 million litres of water a distance of more than 340km has just arrived in a drought-stricken region of Maharashtra. Local newspapers report deaths from dehydration and heatstroke and suicides by farmers who've lost crops and cattle.

Some villagers walk long distances in search of water. In one recent case, a 12-year-old girl, Yogita, collapsed and died in rural Maharashtra, as she made her fifth trip to fetch water from the nearest pump, half a kilometre from her village.

词汇表

a startling picture 令人吃惊、震惊的局面或事态
underlying 深层的、表面下的
industrial 工业的
maintain 保护、维持
capacity 容量
imposed 强制实施
rationing 配给制度、限量供应
drought-stricken 受干旱严重影响的
dehydration （身体）脱水
heatstroke 中暑
fetch 取，拿来

测验

请听报道并回答下列问题。

1. What has the weather in Maharashtra been like for the past two years?

2. True or false? Farmer's crops and cattle have gone missing.

3. How is fresh water being taken to the drought-stricken areas?

4. What word used in the report means 'fell down suddenly'?

答案

1. What has the weather in Maharashtra been like for the past two years?
Dry and very hot – there has been two years of poor rainfall and unusually hot weather.

2. True or false? Farmer's crops and cattle have gone missing.
False. Farmers have lost their crops and cattle, meaning they have been destroyed or died.

3. How is fresh water being taken to the drought-stricken areas?
By a 'water train'.

4. What word used in the report means 'fell down suddenly'?
Collapsed.  'A 12-year-old girl, Yogita, collapsed and died in rural Maharashtra.'