(英语课前PPT)The Worst Flooding in China1931 China floods概要1.pptx

——1931 China floods ;The?1931 Central China floods?or the?Central China floods of 1931 were a series of floods that occurred in the?Republic of China. The floods are generally considered among the deadliest?natural disasters?ever recorded, and almost certainly the deadliest of the 20th century (when pandemics?and?famines?are discounted).Estimates of the total death toll range from 145,000?to between 3.7 million and 4 million.;From 1928 to 1930, a long?drought?afflicted China.?By some accounts, abnormal weather over?central China?began in the winter of late 1930. Heavy?snowstorms in the winter were followed by a spring thaw and heavy rains that raised river levels significantly. The rain grew heavier in July and August 1931.?1931 was also characterized by extreme?cyclone?activity—in July of that year alone, seven cyclones hit the region, whereas on average only two occur per year.;The worst period of flooding was from July to August 1931.In July alone, four?weather stations?along the Yangtze River reported rain totaling over 2 feet (24?in) for the month.;The Yangtze and?Huai River?floods soon reached?Nanjing, the?capital of China?at the time. The city, located on an island in a massive flood zone, suffered catastrophic damage.?Millions died of drowning or from waterborne diseases such as?cholera?and typhus. Wives and daughters were sold by desperate residents, and cases of?infanticide?and even?cannibalism?were reported in stark details to the government.?Some of the areas affected included?Hubei,?Hunan,?Jiangxi,?Hankou,?Wuhan,?Hanyang?andChongqing. The high-water mark was reached on 19 August at Hankou, with the water level exceeding 53?ft (16?m) above normal. Comparatively, this is an average of 5.6?ft (1.7?m) above?the Shanghai Bund.?On the evening of 25 August 1931, the water rushing through the?Grand Canal?washed away?dikes?near Gaoyou Lake. Some 200,000 people drowned in their sleep in the resulting deluge.;In the wake of the disaster, the?Nationalist?government