1Journey of Discovery 探索之旅.doc

Journey of Discovery 探索之旅The living Planet发现地球宇宙浩瀚无垠，无数金光灿烂的星系，在太空之中旋转前进。这个伟大雄壮的行列， 向那人所不能测度之目标前去，让人叹为观止。众星球有各自运行的程序、角度、速度，各循轨道，丝毫不乱。宏伟壮观的千山万水，匪夷所思的花草鸟兽，植物取碳放氧，循环无穷，万物赖以互助生存。鸟以翼飞；鱼以泡浮；蚯蚓无足，则以腹行；雄雌花蕊，藉蜂蝶以相交这一切皆市宇宙妈妈的匠心与智慧。我们对宇宙了解得越多，就越能感觉到与住造物的伟大。似有冥冥之手把一切机遇都给予了地球，让这个幸运儿赢得了生存的机会，并生机昂然。本书列举各种自然以及人类破坏地球的现象，希冀诸位能珍惜地球这宇宙中难得的绿洲。1.火星探测 Mars Exploration新闻搜索 Update Search2003.8.4 NASA today selected Phoenix , an innovative and relatively low-cost mission, to study the red planet on the first Mars Scout mission. The phoenix-Lander mission is scheduled for launch in 2007.2003年月日（美国）航空航天局今天选定“凤凰”号探测器执行其研究红色性的“火星侦察”计划中的首次任务。这是一次有所创新的任务，而且成本相对较低。“凤凰”号探测器按计划将于年发射。大开眼界 Eye Opener火星档案AboutMars 火星是一颗引人注目的火红色星球。它荧荧如火，位置不定，亮度时有变化，中国称之为“荧感”。年，意大利天文学家乔万尼.史基帕洛里（iovannichiapparelli）声称在火星上发现了“运河”这成了当时轰动世界的新闻，此后，人们纷纷幻想有“火星人”。火星有很多特征与地球相似。它和地球一样有着一年四季的变化；它自转周期比地球多半个小时，公转周期比地球长一倍。火星的直径约为地球的一半，大气比地球的稀薄，其中是二氧化碳，还有数量极少的氧和水份。火星最引人注目的地球特征是干涸的河床，主要集中在火星的赤道区域附近。河床的存在使科学家们认为，火星曾经有过大量的水。历史快照SnapshotsinhistoryOver thirty missions to Mars have already been mounted by the space agencies in the United States, Japan, and the former Soviet Union. Of the U.S. missions, 10 out of 16Soviet missions succeeded, and the lone Japanese spacecraft is currently delayed in arriving at Mars due to propulsion 迄今为止，美国、日本及前苏联的航天机构已开展了余次火星探测任务。其中，次的任务中，美国有次，即都是成功的，而前苏联次的探测任务中仅有依次成功。最近日本唯一的一次登陆火星计划因太空飞船的推进问题而延期。problems.值得纪念的航空飞行Remarkable MissionsThe Mars Global Surveyor was launched in November 1996.During more than a year spent preparing for the global mapping; Mars Global Surveyor had already provided scientists with many exciting new pieces of information about the red planet. In 2000,it discovered the evidence that water flowed on Mars in the very recent past. “火星环球测量者”号于1996年11月升空。在为火星绘制地图做准备的一年多的时间里，“火星环球测量者”号为科学家们提供了许多关于红色星球的最新信息。2000年，“火星环球测量”号还发现了证明火星上不久前有水流过的证据。The Mars Pathfinder was launched in December of 1996, soon after the launch of the Mars Global Surveyor. This spacecraft was the second of NASAs low-cost planetary Discovery missions. Pathfinder lasted much longer than the previous mission of seven Mars days, and extended the mission to 30 Mars days. The mission was a great success, providing scientists with a wealth of 1996年12月，在“火星环球测量者”号发射之后不久，“火星探路者”号升空。这是航空航天局的低成本行星探测行动中的第二艘太空飞船。“火星探路者”号连续在火星上执行了30天的任务，远远超过上次为期7天任务。这次任务非常成功，因为它为科学家们提供了大量要经过多年分析才能得到的数据。data that will take years to analyze.Mars Odyssey orbiter was launched on April 7, 2001. The spacecraft skimmed the surface of the Martian atmosphere 332 times over nearly three months to slow down instead of firing its thrusters. In February 2002, Odyssey began its science mission, and by early March had already made at least one major discovery: the detection of vast amounts of hydrogen-likely from water and ice-in the near-surface crust of Mars. The spacecraft is designed to spend at “火星奥德赛”号人造卫星发射与2001年4月7号。在以往使用推进器来减速的做法不同，此次航天飞机在将近3个月内绕行火星大气层332圈后缓慢降落。2002年2月，“奥德赛”号开始其科学任务。到三月初已经有了至少一个重要发现：火星接近表层的外壳内含有大量的氢-可能主要来自水和冰。按计划， “奥德赛”号航天器雨季至少用917天绘制火星表层地图。least 917 days mapping the Martian surface.The Lost Missions失败的航天旅行The main purpose pf Mars Climate Orbiter was to study the past and present climate of Mars, and the presence and behavior of gases and ices like water and carbon dioxide. The loss was due to human error.“火星气候观察者”号的主要目的就是研究火星过去和现在的气候；研究像水和二氧化碳之类的气体和冰是否存在意义它们的状态特征。这次任务的失败是认为的错误导致。科技调味 Science Snack What does these planets stand for in Greek mythology?这些行星在希腊神话中代表什么？水星：众神信使 Mercury: Messenger of the Gods金星：司爱与美的女神 Venus: Goddess of Love and Beauty火星：战神 Mars: God of War木星：主神 Jupiter: King of the Gods土星：农神 Saturn: God of Agriculture天王星：天神 Uranus: God of the Sky海王星：海神 Neptune: God of the Sea冥王星：阴间之神 Pluto: King of the Underworld科技宝箱 Collection of Scientific Terms 太阳辐射吸收率 absorption factor of solar radiation 星际介质 interstellar medium宇宙大爆炸 Big Bang 天文气候 solar climate天文位置 celestial fix 太阳磁 solar magnetism环球航行circumnavigation 宇宙空间模拟室 space chamber星座 constellation 宇宙导航 space navigation宇宙射线 cosmic ray 日出方位角 sunrise factor of solar radiation宇宙仪 cosmosphere2.流星雨Meteor Shower新闻搜索 Update Search2003.7.31 It is time to get ready for the Perseid meteor shower. They come in mid-August when its warm and comfortable to be outside at 4 oclock in the morning. This year the shower peaks on Wednesday, August 13th. 2003年7月31日 准备观看英仙座流星雨的时间到了。它们在八月中许，早上四点-户外比较温暖和舒适的时候降临。今年观看英仙座流星雨的最佳时间是八月十三日，星期三。大开眼界Eye Opener流星雨档案 About Meteor Showers来自太空的尘埃颗粒在大气层中燃烧时产生的一道道的耀眼的光线就是我们看到的流星。那些尘埃颗粒被称为流星体。 多数流星是由彗星近距离经过太阳时所投射的尘埃和碎片造成的。这些碎片停留在彗星的轨道上，当地球的轨道同彗星轨道相交时就产生了流星雨。 在由同一颗彗星的尘埃造成的流星雨中，所有的流星好象来自于天空中的同一个点。这个点就是流星雨的太空光源，流星雨太空光源其实就是一种视觉错觉，因为实际上所有的流星轨迹都是平行的。历史快照 Snapshot in HistorySome meteor showers do not occur every year and they are not easy to observe. However others occur every year, such as very famous Perserids meteor shower, the Leonids meteor shower, the oldest Lyrids meteor and the mysterious Geminids meteor.有的流星雨不会每年都发生，他们也很难被观测到。但有些流星雨每年都会发生，如非常著名的英仙座流星雨，狮子座流星雨，最古老的天琴座流星群和扑朔迷离的双子座流星群。狮子座流星雨 The Leonid MeteorThe Leonid meteor shower happens every year in mid-November and it is very easy to observed with the naked eye. The color of many Leonids is like the color of our sodium discharge lamps. Eighty shooting stars per hour is enough to excite most experienced meteor observers. However, the 1966 Leonids meteor shower was a spectacular historic event that produced hundreds of thousands of meteor every hour. It is the most noteworthy Leonids meteor shower to date. Since then, such an impressive Leonids shower didnt happen until 1998, which was 32 years later.狮子座流星雨于每年的11月中旬降临，裸眼就可以非常容易地观察到。多数狮子座流星雨的颜色就像钠灯发出光的颜色。 每小时发射出80颗流星足以让那些有经验的流星雨观察者兴奋不己。然而，1966年的狮子座流星雨每小时产生的成千上万颗流星。因为这年的流星雨成为迄今为止最为壮观的。之后的32年中如此壮观的狮子座流星雨再也没有现身，直到1998年再次出现。观察历史最长的天琴座流星雨The oldest Lyrids Meteor The Lyrids are better known for their longevity than for their dazzle. They have been observed for at least 2600 years, according to Chinese records from 687 B.C. This makes it the oldest recorded meteor shower. The Lyrids usually are meek. However, numerous people in the eastern part of the United States observed the first remarkable outburst of the Lyrids in 1803. Another fairly intense Lyrids meteor shower happened in 1982. From then on, skywatchers only expect a faint April meteor shower.天琴座流星雨被人类观测到的历史远比它发出的耀眼光芒更为人知。根据公元前687年中国的史书记载，它们被人类观测到的历史至少长达2600年。公元签87年的天琴座流星雨是最早载入史册的一次流星雨.扑朔迷离的双子座流星雨 The Mysterious Geminids Meteor The first Geminids meteors suddenly appeared in 1862. Those early showers were unimpressive. However, the Geminids have grown gradually in intensity up until today where it is one of the most spectacular annual showers. It usually comes in December. In 1996, the Geminids meteor shower generated fairly intense storms against a dark moon-less sky, which excited most observers.1862年，第一次双子座流星雨突然出现。早先的双子座流星雨没有给人留下深刻印象。然而之后它的强度不断地增大，直到今天成为最壮观的年度性流星雨之一。双子座流星雨通常发生在每年的十二月。 1996年在没有月亮的暗空中出现了相当强烈的双子座流星雨，观察者因此而兴奋不已。科技调味 Science SnackMeteor showers are named after the constellation in which the radiant appears, for example the Perseids. The Geminides originate from mysterious 3200 Phaethon, which is an asteroid. The experts sometimes are wrong. Notably, in 1966 they expected the Leonids to occur over Europe, but observers in North America were treated to a spectacular shower thousands of miles away.流星雨是由发出光源的所在星座而命名，例如英仙座流星雨。双子座流星雨是由神秘的第3200号小行星“非以颂”产生的。科学家们有时也会犯错误。最明显的错误就是，1966年他们预测狮子座流星雨将会在欧洲的上空出现，但是远在数千里之外的北美观察者们却观看到了这一场壮观的景象。“菲以颂”是什么？Whats Phaethon? 在1983年，美国科学家利用美国国家航天局（NASA）的红外线天文人造卫星观察双子座流星雨，发现这流星雨是由一个小行星产生的，这颗被称为第3200号的“菲以颂”小行星是一颗很特别的小行星，因为它的运行轨道像一颗彗星，它的椭圆形轨道环绕太阳一周需要1.4年，最近太阳时是离太阳只有0.15天文单位（astronomical unit）（一天文单位是等于地球与太阳的距离）。在1997年12 月，这颗小行星离地球只有0.31天文单位。 科学家指出，这颗小行星主要是由岩石组成，表面非常坚硬，所以它不会产生像彗星的长尾巴。科学家现在还不知道，碎片怎样从小行星脱离出来，产生流星雨的。 究竟这“菲以颂”小行星是真正的小行星，还是彗星，科学家还未有结论。科技宝箱Collection of Scientific Terms南极光 aurora australis哈勃太空望远镜 Hubble Space Telescope国际地球观测年（1957年） International Geophysical Year国际流行组织 International Meteor Organization (IMO)流星体 meteoroid流星雨太空光源 radiant3.火山爆发 Volcano Explosion新闻搜索 Update Search 2003.9.5 Costa Ricas most active volcano, Arenal, hacked and coughed on Friday, sending cinders, rocks and ash down its slopes that lead to evacuation of people living nearby.2003年9月5日 哥斯达黎加最活跃的火山-阿尼那尔火山星期五开始爆发，从山坡上喷射出熔渣，热岩和火山灰，迫使居住在附近的人们撤离。大开眼界 Eye Opener火山档案 About Volcanos火山是地球表面的一个缺口，而岩浆和气体就从这个缺口喷发出来。喷发出来的岩浆在缺口（熔岩）的周围形成小山后，熔岩以粘性液体的形式流动，或以固态或液态颗粒从缺口处射出。 在地球上的火山数目惊人：已知的死火山约有2000座；已发现的活火山超过500座，还有许多的休眠火山。 根据板块构造学说，地球可以分成很多板块。地球上的大部分活火山就分布在这些板块分离或碰撞的边缘上，虽然也有一些活火山，像夏威夷岛上的开罗伊尔活火山，是在板块中间的。历史快照 Snapshots in History This was the first volcanic eruption of which a detailed eyewitness account is available, recorded on August 24, 79 AD. At this time Vesuvio ejected a large amount of magma in less than 24 hours, buried and annihilated the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum located to the southeast of the volcano. At least 3,600 people were killed by the unexpected and fast ash fall. 这是人类第一次亲眼见证并详细记录的火山爆发，时间是公元79年8月24日。维苏威火山这次爆发在不到24小时之内喷射出大量的岩浆，埋葬并毁灭了位于火山东南方向的古城庞贝和海格立斯。火山灰降临得太突然而且速度非常快，导致了至少3600人死亡。塔姆波拉火山 Volcano Tambora Exploding in 1815, the eruption of the volcano Tambora was the largest eruption in recorded history. An estimated 92,000 people were killed by the eruption, with 10,000 dying directly from heat impacts and ash flows, and perhaps another 82,000 dying indirectly from starvation and disease.塔姆波拉火山于1815年爆发，是历史上最大的一次火山爆发。估计9万2千人因火山爆发死亡，其中1万人直接死于逼人热热气和火山灰流，另外大约8万2千人直接死与饥荒和疾病。培雷火山 Mont Pelee Located in the eastern Caribbean, this volcano laid waste to Saint-Pierre (the capital of the island at that time) in 1902 with a burst of superheated gas and burning ash 40 times stronger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Descending with a speed of more than 120 km/hr, there was no escape. Only one of the towns 30,000 residents survived -he was in jail.位于加勒比海东部的这座火山于1902年摧毁了圣.皮埃尔（当时该岛的首都），该火山喷射出的热量和火山灰比广岛的原子弹爆炸时的还要强40倍，而且这些热量和灰炽以每小时超过120公里的时速扩散。（火山爆发中）无人幸免。圣.皮埃尔3万居民只有一人幸存下来-他当时被关在监狱里。内瓦多.德尔.鲁伊斯火山 Volcano Nevado del Ruiz On November 13,1985 in Colombia , the eruption of volcano Nevado del Ruiz killed more than 23,000 people. In a few short minutes most of the town of Armero, 74 kms from the explosion crater, was swept away and buried in a torrent of mud. Three quarters of the towns people perished.1985年11月13日哥伦比亚的内瓦多.德尔.鲁伊斯火山爆发，造成超过2万3千人死亡。在短短的几分钟内，距火山爆发口74公里远的阿美罗镇大部分被熔岩流掩埋，镇上四分之三的居民死于非命。科技调味 Science Snack 1.The word “volcano” originates from the name of a Roman god, called Vulcan. It was equated with the Greek Hephaistos, and were both the gods of fire and blacksmiths.1“火山”一词源自一位名叫伏尔干的罗马神。此神与古希腊之神赫斐斯托司齐名，同被喻为火和冶炼之神。2.Many of the worlds geographic features are caused by volcanoes. Edinburgh Castle in Scotland is built on an extinct volcano. The Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland is made of volcanic basalt. Crater Lake in Oregon , USA, is a caldera 600/m deep; the wildlife reserve at Ngorongoro, Tanzania is also in a caldera.2.世界上许多的地貌都是由火山造成的。苏格兰的爱丁堡城堡就是建在一座活死山上。北爱尔兰的巨人堤是由火山的玄武岩建造而成。位于美国俄勒冈州的火口湖就在一个有600米深的火谷里，坦桑尼亚的恩戈罗恩戈罗野生动物保护区，也处于一个火山口内。 科技宝箱 Collection of Scientific Terms活火山 active volcano高山植被 alpine vegetation灾害预知 calamity fore knowledge壳状结构 conchoidal structure凝固 condensation休眠火山 dormant volcano赤道坐标 equatorial coordinates死火山 extinct volcano草本植被 grassland vegetation盐渍土 halomorphic soil纬度 latitude熔岩 lava经度 longitude岩浆 magma石戈壁植被 rock pavement vegetation地震危险性 seismic risk地震仪 seismograph沼泽土 swamp soil火山口 vent4.飓风 Hurricanes新闻搜索Update Search2003 .9.9 Scientists at the Oceanic& Atmospheric Association report that at 11 p.m EDT the center of Hurricane Isabel was located near latitude 20.6 north, longitude 48.8 west, about 875 miles east-northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. Isabel is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph.2003年9月9日 据（美国）海洋和大气管理局的科学家报道，美国东部时间晚上11点飓风“伊莎贝尔”中心位于北纬20.6，西经48.8附近，也就是距离北背风群岛（西印度群岛中小安的列斯群岛北部的岛群）东北偏东方向大约875英里处。“伊莎贝尔”正以每小时14英里的速度向西北偏西方向移动。大开眼界 Eye Opener飓风档案About Hurricanes飓风是大西洋上出现的一种热带旋风。“热带旋风”指在热带 形成的低气压系统。当热带旋风风速达到每秒33英里时，就形成飓风。 飓风有以下特点：热带性，形成于赤道附近热带地区的海洋上；旋风性，飓风旋转并在中心形成一个风眼。风向在北半球为逆时针（西到东），在南白半球为顺时针（东到西）；低气压性，飓风的风眼是一个低压地带，历史记载的最低气压产生于飓风内。 每年6月1日到11月30日之间（这段时间通常叫飓风季节），飓风通常会袭击美国的东部和海湾地区、墨西哥、美国中部以及加勒比海地区。在世界的其它地区，飓风也叫台风或旋风。这些飓风会造成山崩地裂，具有极大危害。当飓风袭击人群密集地区时，它们能让成千上万人丧命，并卷走亿万财产。历史快照 Snapshots in History Occurring in 1989, Hurricane Hugo was one of the worst hurricanes of recent times. It swept across the Caribbean, destroying homes and cutting all electrical power.发生于1989年的飓风“雨果”是近代造成最严重损失的飓风之一。它横扫加勒比海岸，摧毁房屋，并使所有的电源中断。米奇飓风 Hurricane Mitch This powerful hurricane began developing over the southwestern Caribbean Sea on October 22, 1998. Mitch caused an estimated 9,000 deaths and another 9,000 went missing. Tremendous property, infrastructure, and crop damage was caused in Central America. It is estimated that not since 1780 have so many people died in a hurricane disaster in the Caribbean Gulf region.强劲的飓风“米奇”于1998年10月22日在加勒比海西南部开始凝聚。估计“米奇”造成中美洲约9千人死亡，另外9千人失踪，大量财产、基础设施和庄稼被毁。据估计，自1780年以来，在加勒比海海湾地区不曾有过一次飓风灾难造成如此多的人员死亡。佛洛伊德飓风Hurricane FloydHurricane Floyd hit the eastern United States and Canada in September 1999, bringing intense rains and record flooding. Nearly 90 percent of the fatalities were drownings due to inland flooding.飓风“佛洛伊德”于1999年9月袭击美国东部和加拿大，带来了保育和破记录的洪峰。死亡人口中有约90%是淹死于内陆洪灾。 An Air Force Base firefighter pulls a boat loaded with evacuees through the flood waters of Hurricane Floyd.“佛洛伊德”飓风造成洪水泛滥，一位空军基地消防人员正拉着一艘栽着疏散人员的小船。飓风“艾里斯”Hurricane Iris Iris first became a tropical depression on October 4,2001. The winds and storms surges of Iris caused severe damage over portions of the southern Belize coast. It was responsible for 31 deaths.飓风“艾里斯”最先于2001年10月4日形成热带低气压。飓风和汹涌的暴雨给南伯利兹海岸地区带来了严重的损失，并造成31人死亡。科技调味 Science SnackHurricane飓风 The word “hurricane”, also called typhoon”, comes from the name Hurakan, the Caribbean god of the storm. The word “typhoon” is believed to originate from a Chinese dialect term tai feng, meaning “ big wind.”“飓风”又名“台风”，由西班牙语“Hurakan”而得名，称为加类勒比海风暴之神。“台风”一词相信来源于汉语音译“taifeng”，意为“大风”。史上持续时间之最飓风 Longest lasting hurricane on record Storm number three (also known as the “San Ciriaco” hurricane for its impact in Puerto Rico) in 1899 has been re-analyzed to now tie the record for longest lasting tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin. It was a storm system that persisted for 33 days and a tropical storm or hurricane for 28 of those days.1899年的三号风球（也因其袭击了波多黎各而又名“圣奇里亚科”飓风）又被重新定论，被称为历史上在大夕阳盆地内持续时间最长的热带旋风。它形成一场持续性风暴，并肆虐了33天，而其中热带性风暴就维持了28天之久。史上同一天发生的顶级飓风 Most Hurricane Ever in One Day On August 22, 1893, four hurricane were occurring simultaneously: storm number three approaching Nova Scotia, Canada; storm number four between Bermuda and the Bahamas; storm number six northeast of the Lesser Antilles; and storm number seven west of the Cape Verde Islands.1893年8月22日，四大飓风同时呼啸而起。三号风球直逼加拿大的新斯科省，四号风球咆哮于百慕大群岛和巴哈马群岛之间，六号风球徘徊于小安的列斯群岛的东北部，七号风球则在佛得角群岛的西部登陆。科技宝箱 Collections of Scientific Terms大陆气球 continental climate潮湿气候 humid climate飓风季节 hurricane season高温气候，热带雨林气候 megathermal climate副极带气候 subartic climate热带气旋 tropical cyclone风眼 wind eye 5.水资源 Water Resources新闻搜索 Update Search 2003.9.1 Major cities should focus efforts and funds on conserving forests that naturally purify their drinking water, saving them from spending billions of dollars on water treatment facilities, a study published Monday showed.2003年9月1日星期一发布的一篇研究报道说，大城市应当集中精力和财礼保护有天然纯净水资源功能的森林，从而节省在水处理设备上的巨额投资。大开眼界 Eye Opener水档案 About Water水的化学分子式是H2O。氢原子带正电，氧原子带负电，两者想吸引，因此水带有“粘性”。水有以下特征：可溶性大，比其他液体能溶更多的物质；PH值为7，属中性物质；摄氏0度为其结冰点，100度时蒸发，固态的冰比液态的水密度小，所以冰可以漂浮；热指数高，在变热前能吸收很多的热量；表面张力，有弹性。地球上98%的水分布在海洋里，由于含盐不可食用。另外2%是冰水，但却有1.6%被锁在北极和南极的冰川里。通常，当从降雨、溶化的冰雪来的水流量超过流经的河流、湖泊、海洋的承受能力，水灾就会发生。而如果河流严重缺水，则会发生旱灾。历史快照 Snapshots in History 1983 Worldwide: EI Nino caused wildly unusual weather in the U.S and elsewhere throughout 1983. Drought in the western Pacific region led to disastrous forest fires in Indonesia and Australia. Overall loss to world economy was over $8 billion.世界：1983年，“厄尔尼诺“造成美国和其他地区全年异常的气候。西部太平洋地区的干旱引起了印度尼西亚和澳大利亚灾难性的森林大火。全世界的经济损失超过80亿美元。1999 Summer, Eastern United States: Rainfall shortages resulted in worst drought on record. Several million acres were consumed by fire. Record heat throughout the country resulted in 502 deaths nationwide.夏天，美国东部：降雨的不足引起了历史上最严重的旱灾。几百万英亩的土地被大火吞没。全国有史以来最严重的热浪造成了502人死亡。2003 August, Europe: Drought conditions and a heat wave, one of the worst in 150 years, covered Europe and broke temperature records from London to Portugal. It fueled deadly forest fires, ruined crops, and caused thousands of deaths. French fatalities are estimated at more than 5,000. 8月，欧洲：旱灾和150年来最可怕的热浪袭击了整个欧洲，打破了从伦敦到葡萄牙地区的高温记录，引起了可怕的森林大火，摧毁了庄稼，并造成成千上万人死亡。法国死亡人数超过5千。 Summer, Central and Northeast China: Heaviest flooding of Yangtze and other rivers since 1954. More than 3,000 killed and 14 million left homeless. Estimated damages exceeded $20 billion.夏天，中国中部和东北部：发生了自1954年以来长江及其它河流最厉害的洪涝灾害。造成超过3千人死亡，1千4百万人无家可归，估算损失超过2百亿美元。 1999 Dec.15-1, Northern Venezuela: Heavy rains caused catastrophic flooding and mudslides, killing an estimated 5,