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Words
in the News |
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INTRO
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John
McLean, the BBC’s Correspondent in the Philippines, and Andrew
Wood, the BBC’s Correspondent in South Korea, reported on weather
conditions in Asia including monsoon rains in the Philippines and
typhoons in South Korea. |
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IN
FULL
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Listen
to the report in full |
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5th August 1999
Weather - Monsoons
And Typhoons
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| NEWS
1 |
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The
Philippines is accustomed to torrential monsoon rains
and Manila is a low-lying city that’s always liable to
flooding. But the downpour that the capital and nearby provinces
has experienced over the past three days is extraordinary. Much of
this city of some ten million people is now underwater. Landslides
and rising flood waters have claimed several lives. The floods have
forced tens of thousands of people out of their homes and into makeshift
evacuation centres, such as schools and churches. |
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WORDS
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torrential:
an adjective used to describe very heavy rain
monsoon: a rainy
season
low-lying: geographically
situated at a low altitude
downpour: another
way of saying 'torrential rain'
underwater: a
literal way of saying 'flooded'
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| NEWS
2 |
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Typhoon
Olga brought winds of more than one hundred kilometres per hour
that were strong enough to flip over cars. Some pedestrians
were reported to have been killed by flying debris.
Forecasters had been expecting rainfall of up to four hundred millimetres,
in the event there was less rain than predicted but there are still
strong fears that flash floods will force more people to
abandon their homes.
Already tens of thousands of Koreans are having to shelter in schools
or with friends or relatives. Police and fire-fighters have been
supplemented by the military, they’ve used helicopters and
boats to rescue people who’ve been trapped on roofs in Seoul
and in surrounding towns.
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| WORDS |
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typhoon:
a storm with a circular wind
were reported to have
been killed : another way of saying "It was reported that
some pedestrians have been killed." This construction is often
used in news reports.
flip over: to
turn something upside down
debris: scattered
pieces of rubbish or remains
flash floods:
floods which take place very rapidly
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Read
more in BBC News Online |
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