China’s Massive Dam Faces Major Flood Control Test
中国大水坝面临重要的洪水考验

本新闻影音出处：新唐人电视台英语新闻
//english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_china/2010-07-19/300131844130.html

【新闻关键字】
1. dam: n. 水坝
2. major: adj. 重要的、主要的
3. swell: v. 上涨
4. send out: ph. 放出
5. make room for: ph. 让出地方给..
6. lock: n. 船闸
7. succeed in: ph. 成功
8. downstream: a.在下游的
9. dike: n. 堤、坝

China’s enormous Three Gorges dam is facing the test of flood control, as torrential rains swell the rivers that feed it.
中国巨大的三峡大坝正面临洪水考验，因为暴雨使进入水坝的河水泛滥。

Much of China has been suffering flooding and landslides after weeks of torrential downpours. The rains have killed at least 146 people and left another 40 missing.
连续几周来的豪大雨，使中国很多地方遭受水灾和土石流之苦。大雨已造成至少146人死亡和40人失踪。

Engineers have raised the rate at which water is being sent out of the reservoir to make room for new waves of floodwaters expected this week.
工程师们已加快泄洪速度，为本周预期新一波的洪水预留空间。

[Wei Shanzhong, Yangtze River Flood Control Admin.]:
“The rain in the gorge area will immediately affect the water flow, increasing to around 70,000 cubic meters (per second). The level of this flood will be higher than the historic floods of 1954 and 1998.”
[Wei Shanzhong，长江防洪管理负责人]：
“三峡地区降雨将直接影响水流量，（每秒）增加约 7万立方米。这波洪峰将比1954与1998年的历史纪录还要高。“

State-run media showed pictures of drained locks, closing passage up the reservoir for ships destined for southwestern hub of Chongqing.
国营媒体公布关闭西南枢纽重庆到三峡大坝间的船闸照片。

The locks close if the water comes faster than 11 million gallons per second.
若每秒进来的水量快于1千1百万加仑，船闸会关闭。

Even if the dam succeeds in its role of holding back deadly floodwaters there may still be problems downstream where continuous rains have also weakened dikes.
即使三峡大坝能成功的阻却致命性的洪水，持续降雨也会削弱大坝的坚固性，对下游造成问题。
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(//www.dajiyuan.com)