新西兰英语 508 Bad weather in Tauranga again
英语课
Bad weather meant that oil could not be pumped out of the ship the Rena today. The waves were too high. Pumping the oil is slow work because the oil is cold and thick. The pipe from the Rena to the oil barge 1 is nearly 200m long and quite narrow, 7.5cm in diameter. It takes one hour to pump three to four tonnes. Another 1200 tonnes are still in the tanks on the Rena.
Oil in the sea has travelled 130km along the East Cape 2 to other beaches. 1300 dead birds have been found along the shore, especially birds which spend most of the time in the water like penguins 3 and shags.
The ship is looking more dangerous. The crack is wider and the angle of the ship is now 21 degrees. Three tug 4 boats are holding the ship. The weather tomorrow will probably be better. If the sea is calmer, pumping oil will continue.
Vocabulary
narrow – opposite of wide
diameter = width of the pipe
crack – where the ship could break in two parts
Tug boats pull ships into the harbour
Calm sea is the opposite of rough sea; a calm sea is flat while a rough sea has high waves
Grammar
It takes one hour to pump … This is the grammar: It takes (me) + time + to do … e.g. It takes (me) 20 minutes to get to school.
Can you make other sentences using “it takes”?
n.平底载货船，驳船
- The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
- Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。
n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风
- I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
- She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。
n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )
- Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》