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Intense Rains Cause Extensive Flooding In South Africa; The War In Ukraine Threatens Widespread Food Insecurity; Another Benefit To Exercise

CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: You made it to Friday. Awesome. We are exactly halfway through the month of April and we`re glad you found time to watch

our show. I`m Carl Azuz.

One of the worst storms in the history of South Africa, that`s how a local government on the nation`s east coast describes a subtropical system named

Issa. It was a slow-moving storm. It hit the province of KwaZulu-Natal, which includes the city of Durban, home to more than 3 million people and

Issa`s sluggish pace gave it plenty of time to drop heavy rains on the region. They began on Monday and brought several months` worth of precipitation
 

sluggish [ˋslʌgɪʃ] adj. 缓慢的，迟钝的

precipitation [prɪ͵sɪpɪˋteʃən] n. 降雨（雪）量

to the area over just a few days.

So, flooding along South Africa`s East Coast has been tremendous. Mudslides have flowed downhill. Buildings have collapsed. Cracks widened into deep

fissures destroying roads. Homes have been lost and officials say more than 300 people have been killed.

Rescue teams have been digging through mud and rubble to save lives. Most of the shipping containers that arrive in Southern Africa are processed

through the port of Durban, and when the weakened ground gave way, a large stack of containers could be seen collapsing into the muddy waters around

it. Electrical crews have been working around the clock to restore power, but the flooding has been so bad around some stations that workers haven`t

been able to get to them.

Officials say water mains have also been damaged and the local government is asking for the South African national defense force to help provide
 

water main: a large underground pipe that supplies water to buildings in an area of a city or town

main [men] n.（自来水，瓦斯等的）总管道

support from the air.

Is there any end in sight? Well, the rain did let up for a while on Thursday, bringing some relief. But with a cold front expected to stall

let up 变小, 减弱, 变慢

stall [stɔl] v. 搁置; 停顿

over South Africa`s east coast this weekend, more rain is in the forecast.

Unfortunately, this isn`t the only disaster threatening the African continent. Another one that could become widespread stems from a conflict

that`s thousands of miles north.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The early starts and the intense work at the Phillips Attiquila (ph) bakery in Lagos

used to be worth it, used to be profitable.

ABIGAIL OLUFUNMILAYO PHILLIPS, BAKERY MANAGER: So entirely this year, precisely around the time of the bombing of Ukraine, it has affected the

supply of yeast, which has affected our primary item of production, which is a white wheat loaf. Our flour has been very expensive. The prices are changing constantly.
 

loaf [lof] n.（一条或一块）面包

flour [flaʊr] n. 面粉

MCKENZIE: Now, they can only afford to produce half of what they did and each tin gets less dough.

This war is horrifying for Ukraine`s people, it could be devastating for global food security.

Russia and Ukraine are agricultural export powerhouses. On the field of battle, farmers will struggle to plant crops. With export ports blockaded
 

powerhouse [ˋpaʊɚ͵haʊs] n. 强大的集团[组织]

blockade [blɑˋked] v. 封锁；阻塞；挡住

by Russian warships, it has pushed the prices even higher.

So, the 10 hours Mariam Arikoke (ph) spends selling bread won`t be enough to feed her two children. She says customers don`t have the cash anymore.

They often refuse to pay the going rate.

And even on the fertile slopes of Mount Kenya, they are hurting.

Caroline Kimarua (ph) had to slash a workforce the cost of fertilizer for her tea and coffee plantations has doubled in recent months.
 

slash [slæʃ] v. 大幅度削减，减低，减少

fertilizer [ˋfɝtl͵aɪzɚ] n. 肥料

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have no money to buy that fertilizer at that high cost.

MCKENZIE: And Russia is one of the world`s biggest fertilizer producers. Sanctions and trade disruptions are likely to push prices even higher.

Could this be any worse timed?

WANDILE SIHLOBO, CHIEF ECONOMIST, AGRICULTURE BUSINESS CHAMBER OF SOUTH AFRICA: The war is starting at one of the worst times because we were

already thinking we are in a recovery mode. On top of that, there were already inflation pressures that were across the world. Africans are

spending a lot on fuel and spending a lot on food. Then in this current moment, this is a tough time for the continent.

MCKENZIE: The impact of this conflict is coming on top of already soaring global grain prices. And if you look at this map over here, of course,
 

on top of【口】紧接着某事; 紧靠着某物

countries across the world could feel the pain, but economists point to specific African countries like Senegal, which imports more than 50 percent of
 

Senegal [͵sɛnɪˋgɔl] n. 塞内加尔（非洲一国名）

its wheat from Ukraine and Russia and Somalia which imports more than 90 percent.
 

Somalia [səˋmɑlɪə] n. 索马利亚（非洲东部一国）

And in Somalia, already suffering from generational drought if the rains fail again, the war in Europe could push this crisis into a catastrophe
 

generational [͵dʒɛnəˋreʃən!] adj. 世代的

even into famine. Aid agencies depend heavily on grain from Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:

Who invented the exercise called the burpee?
 

burpee 波比；下的波比；立卧撑

James Naismith, Vince Lombardi, Pat Summitt, or Royal Burpee?

Yes, it was an exercise physiologist and YMCA director named Royal Burpee who brought us the exercise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

AZUZ: Whether or not burpees are part of your routine, new research suggests even a little exercise has another benefit to our health. It might

significantly lower the risk of depression.

First, how much is a little exercise? Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends Americans spend two and a half hours every week

taking part in an aerobic activity, like a fast-paced walk. Runners can cut that time in half. And in addition, the CDC says we should work out all
 

aerobic [eəˋrobɪk] adj. 需氧的；有氧的；增氧健身运动的

major muscle groups twice a week.

The benefits are well-documented. Exercise can lower stress reduce anxiety improve sleep protect us against heart problems and diabetes. But new

research that looked at 15 other studies found that adults who walked 75 minutes a week, half the government`s recommended level, had a risk of

depression that was 18 percent lower than those who don`t exercise at all. The risk was 25 percent lower for people who followed the recommended

amount but working out more than that didn`t improve depression rates.

So, what`s the big conclusion here? In short, we should get off the couch and move. The authors of the study which was published this week in the

journal "JAMA Psychiatry" say it can help health experts give guidance to people who can`t find the time to follow the CDC`s recommendations.
 

psychiatry [saɪˋkaɪətrɪ] n. 精神病治疗；精神病学

(MUSIC)

AZUZ: Eight years ago, a rock smacked into the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea. Cool story, bro, but this was CNEOS 2014-01-08, what
 

Papua New Guinea 巴布亚纽几内亚，巴纽（大洋洲一国）

researchers believe was a meteor and an interstellar one at that. Meaning it`s thought to have come from outside the solar system. They haven`t
 

meteor [ˋmitɪɚ] n.【天】流星；陨星

interstellar [͵ɪntɚˋstɛlɚ] adj. 星际的

actually seen or examined it so how do they know any of this?

Well, Amir Suraj, the person who first observed it, calculated that it was traveling at 37.3 miles per second. And when he mapped out its trajectory,

he found this meteor wasn`t orbiting the sun as others do but that it probably came from outside the solar system.

Years after his discovery was made, U.S. Space Command just confirmed the meteor was likely interstellar. Scientists hope to publish their findings

and maybe get the chance to find the rock.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN WEATHER CORRESPONDENT: We get questions here all the time about comets, asteroids and meteors, meteorites. What`s the difference?
 

asteroid [ˋæstə͵rɔɪd] n.【天】小行星

meteorite [ˋmitɪər͵aɪt] n. 陨石

Well, let`s start in space and work our way all the way down to the surface. A comet is a snowball. It`s a piece of ice. Now the ice is mainly

frozen gas not water but there could be dust and rocks and things inside the comet. Haley`s Comet, now NASA knows of about 3,600 other comets than

that one out there.

Closer in, in the asteroid belt, these are rocks, not gas. They could be metal as well but they are hard surfaces and sometimes they come out of the

asteroid belt get closer to the surface of the earth or at least our atmosphere.

If one or a piece of a smaller one called a meteoroid hits the surface of the atmosphere, it turns into a meteor. It gets bright because it hits our
 

meteoroid [ˋmitɪər͵ɔɪd] n. 流星体

atmosphere and begins to burn up. If it doesn`t make its way all the way down to the surface it turns into a shooting star.

Now if it does make its way all the way down to the surface of the earth and hits the ground and you can pick it up, that is a meteorite.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

AZUZ: Of course, if they couldn`t, they could have snagged a midnight snack. It`s like delivery with Uber bleats. There`s mutton wrong with haggis,
 

snag [snæg] v. 快速寻获；抓住

snack [snæk] n. 快餐；小吃，点心

haggis [ˋhægɪs] n.【苏格兰】肉馅羊肚；羊肉杂碎布丁

true, some might lambaste or completely shun the idea saying you can`t woolly be serious, but it`s tough to bleed if you can stomach it.

Pendleton High School in Pendleton, Oregon, gets today`s shout out. Carl, how did they do that? They subscribed and left a comment on our YouTube

channel.

I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10.

END