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Super Typhoon

 

超強颱風「海燕」十一月八日吹襲菲律賓，造成重大傷亡，聯合國估計尚有二百五十多萬人急須糧食援助。

 

 

談到地名，但凡牽涉幾個地區組成的聯邦、或者以島嶼為主的國家，英文往往會加上 the ，如美國、英國、菲律賓等，須寫成  the USA, the UK, the Philippines才對。

 

相反，如果不想強調其聯邦性質，America、Britain前面則不須加 the。

 

 

颱風海燕破壞力驚人，翻閱英文報道，相關的形容詞眾多，例如：

 

 

devastating 破壞性的、毀滅性的

(adjective 形容詞, 貶義)

 

例子：The devastating typhoon has killed thousands people in the Philippines.／

The devastating typhoon has claimed thousands of lives in the Philippines.

 

devastation 破壞

(noun 名詞)

 

例子：The super typhoon brought chaos and devastation to the Philippines.

 

devastating 勁到爆

(adjective 形容詞, 褒義)

 

= very impressive

 

例子：His performance is devastating (devastatingly successful).

The food at that restaurant is devastatingly delicious.

 

disastrous 災難性的

(adjective 形容詞)

 

例子：The trip to Europe was disastrous after David lost his bag.

 

disaster (noun 名詞)

 

catastrophic 災難性的

(adjective 形容詞)

 

catastrophe (noun 名詞)

 

 

 

是次颱風正面吹襲菲律賓中部，是釀成重大傷亡的主要原因之一，英文除了可用動詞 hit，也可以用程度更為猛烈的 smash，有「衝擊、猛烈撞擊」的意思。

 

smash 衝擊、猛烈撞擊

(verb 動詞)

 

例子：He didn't see the bike when he reversed and smashed right into it.

 

bear the brunt of 受到重創／「食到應」

 

= suffer the main force of

 

例子：The city bore the brunt of the storm.

Why should he bear the brunt of the loss just because he is the oldest?

 

debris 瓦礫、殘骸

 

= rubble

 

例子：Bodies are still being pulled from under the debris in Tacloban.

 

 

災民連日缺水缺糧，結果爆發大規模搶掠：

 

例子：The city was without food or water for days, setting off a frenzy of looting.

 

a frenzy of  一陣騷動／狂潮

= wild behaviours (result from losing control)

 

例子：The people were fighting in a frenzy to get fresh water.

 

loot 搶掠／掠物

(verb 動詞 / noun 名詞)

 

例子：The robbers smashed the window of the shop to take the loot.

 

 

a recipe for disaster

 

Recipe 原本指「食譜」，這裡有「造成災難的條件」之意。

 

• floods水浸
• droughts 旱災
• sea-level rise  水位上升

 

例子：Everyone knows too many people on a boat is a recipe for disaster.

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