Firefighters1 in northwest2 China’s Shaanxi Province are fighting back3, removing hornets4' nests5 after 41 people were killed by6 the insects.
Hospitals, such
as7 this one in Hanzhong, are full8 of wasp
sting9 victims10,
with more than sixteen hundred people injured11
across three cities. In this hospital alone12,
doctors have been unable13
to save eight people, and four of the nearly14
90 injured are still15
in a critical condition.
He Quancheng, a local farm worker16, was attacked by a swarm17 of wasps when
he accidentally18 knocked down19 the hive20 from a
tree.
Experts21 believe the deadly22
insects are Asian Giant23
Hornets, or Vespa mandarinia – a species with highly toxic24, 6mm sting25 that can cause anaphylactic shock.
Attacks by the hornets occur26
every year in this part of China, but they’ve been much more active this year.
Most of the victims are rural farm or rice field27 workers,
who get caught28
in swarms. Ankang city has been worst-hit29
in 2013, with a surge30 in
wasp attacks leading to31
19 deaths32 since
July.
Firefighters in Ankang, Hanzhong and Shangluo are
continuing to remove33
hives from populated areas to reduce
the risk34 of attack.
Vocabulary
1. Firefighters = bombeiros
2. Northwest = Noroeste
3. fighting back = revidando
4. hornets = vespas
5. nests = ninhos
6. killed by = mortos por
7. such as = tais como
8. full = cheio
9. wasp sting = picada de vespa
10. victims = vítimas
11. injured = ferido
12. alone = sozinho, apenas
13. have been unable = foram incapazes
14. nearly = quase
15. still= ainda
16. farm worker = trabalhador agrícola
17. swarm = enxame
18. accidentally = acidentalmente
19. knocked down = derrubou
20. hive = colméia
21. Experts = especialistas
22. Deadly = mortal
23. Giant = gigante
24. highly toxic = altamente tóxico
25. sting = ferrão
26. occur = ocorrem
27. rice field = campo de arroz
28. get caught = são pegos
29. worst-hit = pior atingido
30. surge = surto
31. leading to = levando a
32. deaths = mortes
33. remove = remover
34. reduce the risk = reduzir o risco
