進入英語學習論壇下載音頻 去聽寫專區(qū)一展身手

The death toll from rains and mudslides across Central America rose to at least 80, with El Salvador suffering the most fatalities at 32 and poor weather due to continue, officials said.

International highways have been washed out, villages isolated and thousands of families have lost homes and crops in a region that the United Nations has classified as one of the most affected by climate change.

Hardest hit were El Salvador, with at least 32 dead after five days of intense rains unleashed by a stubbornly persistent tropical depression, and Guatemala, where 28 people were reported dead and two others were missing.

President Mauricio Funes said in a message to the nation that El Salvador was "really being put to the test", adding that more than 20,000 people had been evacuated and entire communities had been cut off due to impassable roads.

In the most recent incident, a mudslide buried five members of a single family inside a house in Boca del Monte, Villa Canales, 18 km south of Guatemala City.

Forecasters said rains generated by a low pressure system would not let up for at least another day.

In Honduras, authorities raised the death toll to 12 after a night of unrelenting rains that turned creek beds into raging torrents in the populous mountain valley that is home to the capital.

In Nicaragua, the civil defense agency ordered the evacuation of the slopes of the Casita volcano, which experienced deadly landslides in 1998 after the passage of Hurricane Mitch.

First Lady Rosario Murillo, who is also the government spokeswoman, said eight people have been killed in Nicaragua and more than 25,000 affected by the rains.

Questions:

1. What is the latest death toll?

2. What country suffered the most fatalities?

3. How many kilometers south is Villa Canales from Guatemala City?

Answers:

1. 80.

2. El Salvador.

3. 18 km.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.