At least 15,000 people were killed in the Myanmar cyclone* and the toll* was likely to rise as officials made contact with the worst-hit Irrawaddy delta areas, the government’s foreign minister said yesterday.

    Nyan Win said on state television that 10,000 people had died in just one town, Bogalay, as he gave the first detailed account of what is emerging as the worst cyclone to hit Asia since 1991, when 143,000 people died in Bangladesh*.

    Bernard Delpuech, a European Union aid official in Yangon, said they had sent three ships carrying food to the delta region, the rice bowl for Myanmar’s 53 million people. Nearly half the population live in the five disaster-hit states.

    The town-by-town list of dead and missing announced by Nyan Win showed 14,859 deaths in the Irrawaddy division and 59 in Yangon, the biggest city of 5 million.

    In Yangon people were queuing up for bottled water and there was still no electricity four days after the Cyclone Nargis struck.

    “Generators* are selling very well under the generals,” said one man waiting outside a shop, reflecting some of the resentment* on the streets to what many described as a slow warning and response.(SD-Agencies)

     Geography — Myanmar

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal

    Area: 678,500 sq km

    Border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

    Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)

    Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

    Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower

    Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts

Questions for Research

    1. Myanmar was part of this country’s

    empire over a period of 60 years?

    A. Britain B. France

    C. India D. Vietnam

    2. What sea borders Myanmar?

    A. Pacific B. Atlantic

    C. Andaman D. Indian

    3. What is the capital of Myanmar?

    A. Yangon B. Naypyitaw

    C. Bhamo D. Akyab

    4. In which month do the Myanmar people

    celebrate their independence?

    A. March B. December

    C. July D. January

    5. What was once Myanmar’s largest export?

    A. Rice B. Wheat

    C. Beans D. Beef

    6. What river flows through central Myanmar?

    A. Yangtze B. Ayeyarwady

    C. Mekong D. Chao Phraya

    7. What currency does Myanmar have?

    A. Baht B. Franc

    C. Kyat D. Dollar

   Answers:1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. A 6. B 7. C

   cyclone n. 飓风

    toll n. 死亡人数

    Bangladesh 孟加拉国

    generator n. 发电机

    resentment n. 怨恨