12月14日午间英语新闻：美国龙卷风灾害已造成超百人死亡

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Water diversion project benefits 140m people
南水北调7年惠及1.4亿人

China's mega water diversion project has transferred nearly 50 billion cubic meters of water from major rivers in the south to the drought-prone north over the past seven years, said the company in charge of the project Sunday. It marked the seventh anniversary of the comprehensive operation of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The project has benefited 140 million people and optimized the economic development pattern of more than 40 large and medium cities. 
12月12日是南水北调工程全面通水7周年。中国南水北调集团有限公司当日表示，南水北调工程全面通水7年来，已累计从南方的主要河流向干旱易发的北方调水近500亿立方米，受益人口达1.4亿人，40多座大中型城市的经济发展格局因调水得到优化。

The project has changed the water supply pattern in northern China, promoted the rehabilitation of rivers and lakes, optimized and adjusted the industrial structure, and produced enormous economic, social, and ecological benefits, said a Ministry of Water Resources official.
水利部相关负责人表示，南水北调工程全面通水7年来，改变了北方地区的供水格局，同时推动复苏受水区河湖生态环境，优化调整了产业结构，发挥了巨大的经济、社会和生态效益。

重点词汇
1、 water diversion project
引水枢纽，调水工程

2、optimize
英 /ˈɒptɪmaɪz/  美 /ˈɑːptɪmaɪz/ 
v. 优化，充分利用（形势，机会，资源）；使（数据、软件等）优化

3、rehabilitation
英 /ˌriːəˌbɪlɪˈteɪʃn/  美 /ˌriːəˌbɪlɪˈteɪʃn/ 
n. 康复，复原；（权利、名誉的）恢复；修复，翻新

Long March family notches 400th launch
长征火箭迎来第400次发射

China lifted a Long March 4B carrier rocket on Friday morning to place several satellites into space, marking the 400th launch of the Long March family. The rocket blasted off at 8:11 am from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The payloads in the mission－Shijian 6-05 satellites－are tasked with spatial environmental surveying and new technology demonstration. China launched its first carrier rocket－a Long March 1－in April 1970 to send its first satellite, Dongfanghong 1, or East Red 1, into space. 
12月10日8时11分，我国在酒泉卫星发射中心用长征四号乙运载火箭，成功将实践六号05组卫星发射升空，卫星将用于开展空间环境探测和新技术试验验证。这次任务是长征系列运载火箭的第400次飞行。1970年4月，我国发射了第一枚运载火箭长征一号，将第一颗卫星东方红一号送入太空。

Since that first launch in 1970, the Long March carrier rocket series has carried out 92.1% of China's space launch missions. Over the past 51 years, the Long March series has sent more than 700 spacecraft into space. The overall success rate of the Long March fleet is 96.25%. In the 400 launch missions by Long March rockets, the first three 100 launches were completed in 37 years, 7 and a half years, and more than 4 years, respectively. The latest 100 launch missions were carried out within only 33 months, since March 2019.
此后，长征火箭51年间实施了我国92.1%的航天发射任务，先后将700余个航天器送入太空，发射成功率为96.25%。在400次发射里，前三个100次分别用时37年、7年半和4年多，而从2019年3月发射次数达到300次，到如今的400次，仅用了33个月。

重点词汇
1、spatial
英 /ˈspeɪʃ(ə)l/  美 /ˈspeɪʃl/ 
adj. 空间的，与空间有关的；空间理解能力的

Port cities asked to step up virus control efforts
我国加强口岸城市疫情防控

China has ramped up COVID-19 containment measures in port cities following several domestic outbreaks triggered by infections imported via such cities, with the new Omicron variant complicating the fight against imported cases. People leaving land ports in the country should provide proof of negative nucleic acid test results no older than 48 hours before departure. 
由于近期我国多起本土聚集性疫情均是境外疫情经口岸城市输入，新出现的奥密克戎变异株令外防输入的压力增大，我国出台了加强口岸城市疫情防控的措施。要求近期离开陆地边境口岸城市人员需持有48小时内核酸检测阴性证明。

Cities connected to ports in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are exempt from the rule, the State Council's Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism said in a circular released on Saturday. These requirements will stay in effect until March 15. The circular requires people arriving at land ports to undergo at least one test upon arrival. The number of tourists visiting these places should be capped, and precautionary alerts on the risk of the virus' spread should be conveyed to them, it said.
国务院联防联控机制12月11日印发此通知，与香港、澳门相连的口岸不在此范围内，前往陆地边境口岸城市人员抵达后至少进行1次核酸检测。根据通知，上述要求的时间范围为，从公告之日起至2022年3月15日。陆地边境口岸城市要做好旅游限流、风险提示等工作。

重点词汇
1、complicate
英 /ˈkɒmplɪkeɪt/  美 /ˈkɑːmplɪkeɪt/ 
v. 使复杂化，使难以理解；引起并发症；使卷入，使陷入

2、precautionary
英 /prɪˈkɔːʃənəri/  美 /prɪˈkɔːʃəneri/ 
adj. 预防的，防备的

Tornadoes rip through 6 US states
美国龙卷风灾害造成超百人死亡

The death toll may rise to 100 after at least 30 tornadoes swept through six states Friday night in the central parts of the United States, including Arkansas, Mississippi, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri. A candle factory in Kentucky has been completely destroyed. "There were about 110 people in it at the time that the tornado hit it," Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear said. "We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians and probably end up 70 to 100." Beshear has declared a state of emergency in the area. 
美国中部6个州12月10日夜间遭遇至少30场龙卷风袭击，截至目前，死亡人数或已超过100人。遭龙卷风袭击的6个州是阿肯色州、密西西比州、伊利诺伊州、肯塔基州、田纳西州和密苏里州。肯塔基州一座生产蜡烛的工厂被彻底夷为平地，肯塔基州州长安迪•贝希尔表示："龙卷风来袭时工厂内共有110名工人，死亡人数预计将超过50人，甚至达到70至100人。" 他宣布该州进入紧急状态。

Tornadoes also hit a nursing home in Arkansas and took off the roof of an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, causing fatalities. Another nursing home and a fire station in Trumann of Tennessee also sustained substantial damage. According to PowerOutage.US, at least 331,549 utility customers in four states were left without power. Issuing a tornado warning on Friday, the National Weather Service said at least 25 million people were under threat from massive thunderstorm systems.
龙卷风袭击还重创了阿肯色州一家养老院，伊利诺伊州一个亚马逊仓库的屋顶被掀翻，均造成人员伤亡。田纳西州的一家养老院和消防局大楼也遭到龙卷风袭击，损失巨大。据美国电力跟踪网站数据，此次龙卷风袭击造成其中4个州331549名用户断电。美国国家气象局在12月10日发布龙卷风预警时表示，预计至少有2500万人口将会受到此次龙卷风袭击的影响。

重点词汇
1、tornado
英 /tɔːˈneɪdəʊ/  美 /tɔːrˈneɪdoʊ/ 
n. 龙卷风，大旋风；极具破坏力的人（或物），情感火爆的人

2、thunderstorm
英 /ˈθʌndəstɔːm/  美 /ˈθʌndərstɔːrm/ 
n. 雷雨，雷暴，雷雨交加