CNN news 2011-05-01 加文本

短语讲解：

1. On Monday, the National Weather Service alert said "the levee may fail at any time."

at any time 任何时候
例句：You are welcome at any time.
随时欢迎您。

2. With this one failing, officials are ramping up evacuations in the area.

ramp up 加强，加大
例句：The world at large urgently needs to ramp up the pace of job growth and new value creation .
这个世界总体上迫切需要提高其就业增长的步伐并且创造新的价值。

3. Based on the way that the levee failed, authorities think Poplar Bluff won't get hit too badly.

base on使建立在…基础上，立足
例句：One should always base one's opinion on facts.
我们应总是把自己的观点建立在事实的基础上。

4. They expect most of the flood waters to end up in a more rural area.

end up 结束
例句：He finally ended up his speech.
最后他结束了自己的讲话。

5. A police official in Poplar Bluff said the city's gotten 15 inches of rain in the last four days, and more of it is on the way.

on the way在途中，接近
例句：More reinforcements were on the way.
更多的增援部队正在来到。

6. That's why Governor Jay Nixon has sent out the Missouri National Guard to help with relief efforts and to reinforce levees.

send out 派遣
例句：He often sent them out to make investigations.
他常常派他们出去作调查。

7. The state's governor said he was surprised there weren't more deaths given the amount of damage caused by the severe weather.

severe weather 恶劣天气
例句：Severe weather immobilized the rescue team. 
恶劣的天气使救援队丧失了机动性。 

8. He declared a state of emergency, which will free up money and government resources for the relief efforts.

free up 空出来
例句：Unless you can free up time for new pursuits, you will be stuck in the same routine 
除非你有额外的时间去开始新的追求，不然你会受到同类的琐碎事务的限制

9. But because the ground was so wet, the trees were just pulled right out by the wind.

pull out 拔出
例句：The drawer won't pull out.
这抽屉拉不出来。