VOA慢速英语:Hurricane Irene Hits Northeastern United States

短语讲解：

1. But Irene brought heavy rains and destructive winds to the densely populated east coast.

bring to把…带给(某人), 带往(某处)
例句：Last night's storm brought several trees to the ground.
昨夜的暴风雨刮倒了几棵树。

2. Irene is blamed for more than forty deaths in the United States.

blame for因…怪罪, 责怪(某人)
例句：He blamed his brother for breaking the window.
他责备他兄弟打破了窗玻璃。

3. Insurance companies are expected to pay forty to fifty percent of these costs.

be expected to预计
例句：House prices are expected to perk up.
房价预计会上涨。

4. High winds and flooding from Irene brought down electrical lines, causing about four million people to lose power.

bring down使(某物或某人)掉下〔倒下〕
例句：In American football, you have to try to bring down your opponent.
在美式橄榄球赛中, 你必须设法把对手弄倒在地。

5. In North Carolina, some communities near the ocean were flooded and cut off from the mainland.

cut off使分离；使隔绝
例句：The village was cut off by the snow for more than a month.
这个村庄被大雪封闭了一个多月。

6. Along the entire coast from Texas all the way up through Maine in the United States, there are today very few locations where a hurricane can make landfall without causing an enormous amount of damage.

all the way一路上, 一直; 完全
例句：I'm with you all the way.
我完全同意并支持你。
an enormous amount of大量的
Figuring on a computer saves an enormous amount of time.
用计算机计算可节省很多时间。