DISASTER1 a disaster2 causing a lot of destruction or sufferingRELATED WORDSsee alsoACCIDENTENVIRONMENT1 a disaster 灾祸，灾难disaster /dɪˈzɑːstəʳǁdɪˈzæ-/ [countable/uncountable noun]an extremely bad accident or natural event in which a lot of people are killed 灾祸，灾难，灾害 The disaster killed more than 200 people. 这场灾难使二百多人丧生。 The crash on Monday is the latest in a long line of air disasters in West Africa. 星期一的这场空难是西非漫长的航空灾难史上最近的一次。 The local people are used to coping with disaster. 当地居民习惯于应付灾难。natural disastercaused by wind, rain, or other natural forces 自然灾害 Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes are common occurrences in California. 像洪水和地震这类自然灾害是加州常见的事。 The governor said the earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years. 省长说这次地震是印度五十多年来所遭遇的最严重的自然灾害。disaster area The Los Alamos area was officially declared a disaster area after the forest fires there in May. 洛斯阿拉莫斯地区在5月份的那场森林大火之后被正式宣布为灾区。catastrophe /kəˈtæstrəfi/ [countable/uncountable noun]a terrible event that causes a lot of deaths, damage, and destruction over a wide area 大祸；大灾难； The blizzard was a catastrophe that affected 17 states, ranging from New Hampshire to Tennessee. 这场暴风雪是一场大灾难，它影响到从新罕布什尔到田纳西的17个州。environmental/ecological/nuclear etc catastrophe Scientists say the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe. 科学家说原油泄漏是一场生态大灾难。 Most people now accept that global warming could result in an environmental catastrophe. 现在大多数人都接受了全球变暖可能会导致环境灾难的说法。tragedy /ˈtrædʒɪdi, ˈtrædʒədi/ [countable/uncountable noun]a terrible and very sad event or situation, usually resulting in suffering or death 悲剧；惨祸；劫难 Investigators still do not know what caused the tragedy, which killed all 278 people on board. 调查人员仍未查明究竟是什么原因造成了这场导致船上278人全部丧生的悲剧。 the worst tragedy in the history of space flight 太空飞行史上最惨重的灾难 Unless the world deals with the AIDS threat now, the African continent could suffer ‘a tragedy of historic proportions’. 除非全世界从现在起就开始对付艾滋病的威胁，否则非洲大陆可能遭受一场“规模空前的大灾难”。calamity /kəˈlæmɪti, kəˈlæməti/ [countable/uncountable noun]a terrible and unexpected event that causes great damage and loss 无妄之灾，灾难，祸患 Hurricane George was just the latest calamity to hit the state. 飓风“乔治”就是最近袭击该州的意外灾害。 The flood was a calamity from which Bangladesh has never fully recovered. 这次洪水是一场飞来横祸，孟加拉国再也没有完全恢复过来。 Singh told reporters that he had not seen such human suffering in any previous natural calamity. 辛格对记者说，他以前所见的自然灾害都未有像这次那样给人类造成如此的灾难。2 causing a lot of destruction or suffering 造成许多破坏或苦难disastrous /dɪˈzɑːstrəsǁdɪˈzæs-/ [adjective] A disastrous fire destroyed much of the city in the early 1900s. 20世纪初，一场灾难性的大火烧毁了该城市大部分地区。 Much of the damage wrought by the disastrous three-day storm was still apparent. 历时三天的灾难性暴风雨造成的破坏大部分仍很明显。disastrous consequences There was a fault in the engine design, which had disastrous consequences. 发动机设计上有个毛病，带来了灾难性的后果。disastrously [adverb]go disastrously wrong Things went disastrously wrong when the craft's navigational system failed. 飞机的导航系统失灵，事情便朝着灾难性的方向发展了。catastrophic /ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk◂ǁ-ˈstrɑː-/ [adjective]causing terrible destruction and suffering and many deaths, over a wide area 造成大规模灾害的，灾难性的 The flooding was catastrophic, killing hundreds of people and leaving thousands homeless. 这次洪水是灾难性的：数百人死亡，数千人无家可归。 The destruction of the world's rain forests could have a catastrophic influence on the earth's climate. 破坏地球的热带雨林会对全球气候造成灾难性影响。tragic /ˈtrædʒɪk/ [adjective]causing great suffering and sadness 悲惨的；不幸的 The President referred to Friday's air disaster as a ‘tragic loss of life’. 总统把周五的空难称为是“悲剧性的生命损失”。tragically [adverb] Fourteen schoolchildren were tragically killed in the accident. 有十四名学童不幸死于这次意外事故。