廖柏森 

目前泰國正遭受洪災肆虐之苦，每天都可見到國際新聞所報導的災情。而洪水一般是由颱風和豪雨所引發，因此風災同時也容易產生水災。而在英文字彙用法上flood除了當名詞表「洪水」之外，還可以當動詞作「淹水」，而且多是用被動語態，如以下例句:

Several public buildings including a hospital were flooded.

幾棟公共建築物，包括醫院都已淹水。 

不過大多數情況flood還是作名詞「洪水」使用，而且常作可數的複數型floods也可用floodwater。另外名詞flooding則強調洪水的狀況，可譯為「洪災」。相關的搭配詞彙如下。

l   flood + 動詞

例句:

The floods have claimed 26 lives.

洪水奪走了26條人命。 

Floods have reached the building at around one meter high.

洪水已淹到房子約一公尺高之處。 

Flood waters have largely receded.

洪水大多已消退。 

Malaysian authorities have shut schools and evacuated more than 12,000 people as floodwaters rise in two northern states.

因北部兩州的洪水高漲，馬來西亞當局已關閉學校並撤離一萬兩千多人。 

l   動詞 + flood

例句:

More rain is forecast for the region, but it is not expected to cause major flooding.

該地區陸續降雨，但預期不至於引起洪災。 

l   形容詞 + flood

例句:

The country began recovering from devastating floods.

該國開始從毀滅性的洪災後復甦。 

Central Vietnam has recently been hit by two other rounds of severe flooding, which killed 141 people.

越南中部最近遭受兩回嚴重洪水侵襲，造成141人死亡。 

練習:

請從方格中挑選正確的搭配詞來完成以下的句子:

hit    spread    ravaged    receded   swamped   flash 

1.      The floods have ______________to 38 of Thailand's 76 provinces although the waters have ______________ in 11 of those.

泰國76省中洪水已蔓延至38省，幸而其中11省的水已經退去。

2.      Floods _________________ Australia's northeast and _____________ a major city.

澳洲東北部洪水肆虐，一個主要城市慘遭淹沒。

3.      The area was __________________ by early morning ________________ floods.

這個區域在清晨突然遭到洪水入侵。

解答:

1.      spread;  receded

2.      ravaged; swamped

3.      hit; flash