From VOA Learning English, this is IN THE NEWS in Special English.
这里是美国之音慢速英语时事新闻报道。
This week, a huge storm named Sandy brought death and destruction to Caribbean countries and the eastern United States. Sandy started as a tropical storm in the Caribbean, where it left at least sixty five people dead.
本周，强风暴桑迪给加勒比国家和美国东部地区带来了死亡和破坏。热带风暴桑迪起于加勒比海地区，造成了该地区至少65人死亡。
Sandy's next target was the eastern United States. The storm caused damage up and down the coast, from North Carolina to Maine. There were damage estimates of up to fifty billion dollars.
桑迪接下来的目标是美国东部地区。风暴造成北卡罗莱纳州到缅因州海岸沿线损失预计高达500亿美元。
American officials have blamed Sandy for at least ninety deaths. Police say at least fifty-nine of the victims were in New Jersey and New York. The number will most likely increase as rescue workers find more bodies.
美国官员称桑迪已经造成至少90人死亡。警方说，至少59名受害者在新泽西和纽约。这一数字很可能随着救援人员发现更多尸体而提升。
On Friday, New York's main power company said it hopes to return power throughout Manhattan island by Saturday.
上周五，纽约主要的电力公司表示，他们希望在星期六恢复整个曼哈顿岛的电力。
The storm also affected telephone service. As a result, many New Yorkers witnessed a rare event -- people standing in line to use pay phones on the street.
风暴也影响了电话服务。结果就是许多纽约人目睹了这一罕见事件：人们在街上排队使用付费电话。
Those with phone or Internet service used websites like Twitter and Facebook to share how they were dealing with the storm, both good and bad. Some government agencies used Twitter to keep people informed on the storm and recovery efforts.
电话和互联网服务正常的人们使用Twitter和Facebook一类的网站分享他们如何应对风暴的消息，无论消息好坏。一些政府机构使用Twitter通知人们风暴和恢复措施。
New Jersey appeared to suffer the most damage. Workers in Hoboken are pumping millions of liters of polluted water from the city's streets. Tens of thousands of people lost their homes and belongings in coastal areas of the state.
新泽西似乎遭受了最严重的损失。霍博肯的工人正抽城市街道的数百万升的污水。该州沿海地区数万人失去家园和财产。
Widespread fuel shortages are reported in both New Jersey and New York. Some people waited for hours in hopes of being able to buy gasoline. The long lines increased tensions and led to fights. Some gas stations refused to open without police protection. One driver, Betty Bethea, explains.
新泽西和纽约都报告了大范围的燃料短缺。有人等了几个小时希望能买到汽油。排队的长龙加剧了紧张局势并导致斗殴。一些加油站在没有警察保护的情况下拒绝开放。一位名为贝蒂·贝西娅（Betty Bethea）的司机解释道：
"It's terrible. You can't even get there. The police have blocked everything off. You cannot get no gas. Everywhere I went the police said 'no gas.'"
“好可怕。你甚至到不了那里。警察封锁了一切。你不能没有汽油。无论我去哪里，警察都说没有汽油。”
The storm forced New York City to close its popular subway system. Many underground areas were flooded and have not been cleared of water. On Thursday, the subway re-opened with limited service. But it could be weeks before all the trains are running again.
风暴迫使纽约市关闭其广受欢迎的地铁系统。许多地下区域被水淹没，积水尚未被清除。周四地铁部分开放了服务。但地铁所有列车重新运行可能要到几个星期之后。
The storm also closed the New York Stock Exchange for two days.
风暴还使纽约证券交易所关闭了两天。
President Obama ordered the military to assist with the recovery efforts. He approved disaster declarations for New York and New Jersey, freeing up federal aid to help with property damage.
美国总统奥巴马下令军队协助恢复工作。他签发了纽约和新泽西州的灾难声明，释放联邦援助对财产损失提供帮助。
"My instructions to the federal agencies has been: do not figure out why we can't do something, I want you to figure out how we do something. I want you to cut through red tape, I want you to cut through bureaucracy. There's no excuse for inaction at this point."
“我对联邦机构的指示如下：别扯我们为什么不能做某事，我希望你找出我们如何做某事。我希望你摒弃繁琐手续和官僚主义，在这个时候无所作为是不可原谅的。”
The president suspended election campaign events for part of this week so that he could deal with Sandy.
奥巴马本周部分时间中断了竞选活动，这样他才能处理桑斯风暴事件。
This week, Mr. Obama went to New Jersey to witness the damage. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a supporter of candidate Mitt Romney, praised Mr. Obama for his efforts.
本周，奥巴马前往新泽西视察损失情况。新泽西州长克里斯·克里斯蒂（Chris Christie）是总统候选人米特·罗姆尼的支持者，他对奥巴马的努力表示赞扬。
On Tuesday, Mr. Romney changed one of his campaign events to raise money for victims of Sandy. He also suspended campaign events and has urged Americans to help with the recovery effort.
周二，罗姆尼改变了他的一次竞选活动，为桑迪受害者募集资金。他也暂停了竞选活动，并督促美国人为恢复措施提供帮助。
"I appreciate your generosity, it is part of the American spirit, the American way to give to people who are in need."
“我很感激您的慷慨，这是扶危济困的美国精神和美国人一贯做法的一部分。”
The presidential race continues to be close. It is not clear if or how Sandy will influence the vote.
总统竞选仍然旗鼓相当。尚不清楚桑迪是否会或如何对投票造成影响。
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