BBC Learning English - Learning English from the News: Venezuela earthquakes
Episode 260701 / 01 Jul 2026
Learn English from real news stories - The search for survivors continues after two strong earthquakes hit Venezuela. Learn the vocabulary from the headlines.
核心词汇 Key Words and Phrases
| Word / Phrase | English Definition | Chinese Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| against the odds | highly unlikely to happen | 逆境中；在极不可能的情况下 | He was in a terrible car crash, but against the odds, he made a full recovery. |
| makeshift | made for a sudden need, usually bad quality and temporary | 临时搭建的；权宜之计的 | During heavy rainfall, people use sandbags as a makeshift barrier to keep flood water out. |
| negligence | not giving enough care or attention to someone or something, usually causing harm | 疏忽；失职；玩忽职守 | The teacher was found guilty of negligence after some children went missing on a school trip. |
新闻故事 The Story
The search for survivors continues after two earthquakes shook the ground of Venezuela on June 24th.
The first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 and the other 7.5. The earthquakes have caused devastation to the South American country.
More than 1,700 people have died and the number of dead is rising. The earthquakes have caused the collapse of 1,400 buildings.
Many Venezuelans have expressed anger over the state’s response to the natural disaster. Volunteers are racing to locate survivors who may still be trapped under the rubble of fallen buildings.
新闻标题 News Headlines
| Headline | Source | Key Vocabulary |
|---|---|---|
| Venezuela rescuers finding quake survivors against the odds | DW News | against the odds |
| ‘I recognized her ring’: identifying Venezuela’s dead in a makeshift morgue | France24 | makeshift |
| Angry Venezuelans accuse government of negligence over earthquake response | BBC News | negligence |
词汇详解 Vocabulary Deep Dive
1. against the odds (phrase)
Definition: If you do something against the odds, you succeed even though it was very unlikely.
Structure: against (prep.) + the odds (n. pl. 几率、可能性) → “逆几率地”
Collocations:
- against all odds (更强调)
- survive against the odds
- win against the odds
- succeed against the odds
- recover against the odds
Example:
He was in a terrible car crash, but against the odds, he made a full recovery. (他遭遇严重车祸，但逆境求生/奇迹般地完全康复了。)
中文语境：
医生说他活不过今晚，但他逆境求生挺过来了。
同义表达对比：
| 表达 | 核心含义 | 语体 | 典型场景 |
|---|---|---|---|
| against the odds | 逆境中/极不可能却成功 | 新闻/正式/书面 | 灾难生存、医疗奇迹、体育逆转 |
| against all odds | 更强调"一切不利条件下" | 同义、更强烈 | 同上 |
| defy the odds | 动词短语"挑战几率" | 更主动 | 刻意挑战不可能 |
| beat the odds | 战胜几率 | 体育/竞赛/商业 | 创业成功、考试高分 |
| miraculously | 奇迹般地 | 副词、更感性 | 医疗、生存故事 |
2. makeshift (adj.)
Definition: Makeshift things are temporary and usually of poor quality, but they are used because there is a sudden need.
Etymology: make (v. 做) + shift (n. 权宜之计/应变) → “临时拼凑的”
Collocations:
- makeshift shelter / hospital / morgue / camp / bedroom / office
- makeshift barrier / repair / solution / arrangement / weapon
- a makeshift version of…
Example:
During heavy rainfall, people use sandbags as a makeshift barrier to keep flood water out of their houses. (暴雨时人们用沙袋做临时挡水墙防洪。)
中文语境：
灾民在体育馆搭建临时安置点，条件简陋。
同义表达对比：
| 表达 | 核心含义 | 语体 | 区别 |
|---|---|---|---|
| makeshift | 临时拼凑、权宜之计、质量差 | 中性/描述性 | 强调"仓促、简陋、非预期用途" |
| temporary | 暂时的、非永久的 | 正式/中性 | 仅强调时间短，不含"简陋"含义 |
| improvised | 即兴的、临时想办法的 | 略正式 | 强调"现场发挥、未预先计划" |
| ad hoc | 专门针对、临时的 | 正式/商务/学术 | 强调"为特定目的临时设立" |
| stopgap | 权宜之计、暂时替代 | 稍正式 | 强调"填补空档、过渡用" |
3. negligence (n.)
Definition: Failure to take proper care of someone or something, usually resulting in harm or damage.
Word Family:
- negligent (adj.) 疏忽的、失职的
- negligently (adv.) 疏忽地
- negligence (n.) 疏忽、玩忽职守
Collocations:
- gross negligence 重大过失/严重失职
- criminal negligence 刑事过失
- professional negligence 职业疏忽/渎职
- negligence claim / case / lawsuit 疏忽索赔/案件/诉讼
- guilty of negligence 犯有疏忽罪
Example:
The teacher was found guilty of negligence after some children went missing on a school trip. (老师因研学旅行中学生走失被判玩忽职守/疏忽大意。)
中文语境：
公司因疏忽大意导致数据泄露，面临巨额罚款。
法律语境区别：
| 术语 | 含义 | 严重程度 |
|---|---|---|
| negligence | 疏忽、未尽合理注意义务 | 民事侵权基础 |
| gross negligence | 重大过失、极度轻率 | 可能导致惩罚性赔偿 |
| willful negligence / recklessness | 故意疏忽/鲁莽 | 接近故意，刑事责任可能 |
| due diligence | 尽职调查/合理注意 | 反面：履行注意义务 |
批判性思考 Critical Thinking Questions
- 灾难报道伦理：媒体用 “against the odds” 修饰救援幸存者，既体现戏剧张力又可能掩盖救援体系失效。如何用英语表达"不应将’奇迹’常态化，而应追问常态救援为何缺位"？（关键词：systemic failure, accountability, normalization of deviance）
- 词汇演变：“Makeshift morgue”（临时停尸房）这一搭配在灾难新闻中高频出现。反映了什么现实？学习者如何避免将"makeshift"误用为中性"temporary"？
- 归因争议：标题用 “negligence”（疏忽/失职）而非 “incompetence”（无能）或 “corruption”（腐败）。法律与舆论层面的区别是什么？如何用英语区分：“The government was negligent in its response” vs “The government failed to respond adequately”?
- 数字框架：“More than 1,700 people have died and the number of dead is rising"。进行时 is rising 传递了什么语用效果？对比：“The death toll has risen to 1,700” 与 “The death toll is rising” 的差异。
- 跨文化表达：中文灾难新闻常用"黄金72小时"“生死时速"“举国哀悼”。如何用地道英语对应？(golden 72-hour window, race against time, national mourning)
语言点拓展 Language Extension
灾难新闻高频搭配 Disaster News Collocations
| 类别 | 搭配 | 中文 |
|---|---|---|
| 地震 | magnitude 7.2 earthquake / strike / hit / shake / devastate | 7.2级地震/袭击/震动/毁灭性打击 |
| aftershock 余震 / epicenter 震中 / seismic activity 地震活动 | ||
| 伤亡 | death toll 死亡人数 / casualty 伤亡人员 / survivor 幸存者 / victim 受害者 | |
| missing persons 失踪人员 / injured 受伤者 / displaced 流离失所者 | ||
| 救援 | search and rescue 搜救 / rescue operation 救援行动 / first responders 首批响应者 | |
| trapped under rubble 被困废墟下 / pulled from wreckage 从废墟中拉出 | ||
| 基建 | collapse 倒塌 / infrastructure damage 基础设施损毁 / structural damage 结构损坏 | |
| building code 建筑规范 / retrofitting 抗震加固 | ||
| 政府应对 | state of emergency 紧急状态 / declare emergency 宣布紧急状态 | |
| aid distribution 援助分发 / relief efforts 救援工作 / humanitarian aid 人道援助 | ||
| accountability 问责 / inquiry 调查 / investigation 调查 |
完整逐句对照 Full Transcript (Bilingual)
Introduction
Presenter: Learning English from the News. The search for survivors continues after two strong earthquakes hit Venezuela.
主持人: 新闻英语学习。委内瑞拉发生两次强震，搜救幸存者工作仍在继续。
The Story
Presenter: The first earthquake had a magnitude of 7.2 and the other 7.5. The earthquakes have caused devastation to the South American country.
主持人: 第一次地震 7.2 级，第二次 7.5 级。地震给这个南美国家造成毁灭性打击。
Presenter: More than 1,700 people have died and the number of dead is rising. The earthquakes have caused the collapse of 1,400 buildings.
主持人: 已有超过 1700 人遇难，死亡人数仍在上升。地震导致 1400 栋建筑倒塌。
Presenter: Many Venezuelans have expressed anger over the state’s response to the natural disaster. Volunteers are racing to locate survivors who may still be trapped under the rubble of fallen buildings.
主持人: 许多委内瑞拉人对政府应对自然灾害的方式表示愤怒。志愿者争分夺秒定位可能仍被困在倒塌建筑废墟下的幸存者。
Key Words
Presenter: Against the odds — highly unlikely to happen.
主持人: Against the odds —— 极不可能发生，逆境中。
Presenter: He was in a terrible car crash, but against the odds, he made a full recovery.
主持人: 他遭遇严重车祸，但逆境求生完全康复了。
Presenter: Makeshift — made for a sudden need, usually bad quality and temporary.
主持人: Makeshift —— 为突发需求制作，通常质量差、临时性。
Presenter: During heavy rainfall, people use sandbags as a makeshift barrier to keep flood water out of their houses.
主持人: 暴雨时人们用沙袋做临时挡水墙防洪。
Presenter: Negligence — not giving enough care or attention to someone or something, usually causing harm.
主持人: Negligence —— 未给予足够关照/注意，通常造成伤害。
Presenter: The teacher was found guilty of negligence after some children went missing on a school trip.
主持人: 老师因研学旅行中学生走失被判玩忽职守/疏忽大意。
网页设计建议（如需制作学习卡片/页面）
| 组件 | 设计建议 |
|---|---|
| 音频播放器 | 顶部固定播放条，支持倍速、下载、进度条 |
| 核心词汇卡片 | 3 个大卡片并排，正面词汇+音标，背面释义+例句+发音 |
| 新闻标题对比 | 表格并列 3 家媒体标题，高亮核心词汇，点击展开解析 |
| 词汇深度解析 | 可折叠面板：含义 → 搭配 → 例句 → 近义辨析 → 中文语境 → 法律/学术区别 |
| 同义词对比表 | 星标推荐、语体色彩标签（正式/非正式/新闻/法律/口语） |
| 批判性思考 | 可展开的问答卡片，适合教学/自测/小组讨论 |
| 完整双语文稿 | 逐句对照，角色名高亮，支持逐句播放/复制 |
| 导航链接 | 底部 “Previous / Next Episode” + “View All Episodes” |
相关链接
- Learning English from the News 系列主页
- 上一集：Taylor Swift wedding (260708)
- 下一集：Keir Starmer resigns (260624)
- BBC Learning English 官网
Source: BBC Learning English - Learning English from the News
Published: 01 Jul 2026
Level: Upper Intermediate (B2)
Duration: ~4 minutes
Series: Learning English from the News
Episode Code: 260701