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Devastating Floods In Nigeria; Is The Future Driverless?

COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Hey, everyone. Bad news it`s only Thursday. Good news it`s Friday eve and we`re going to slay today. I`m Coy. This is CNN10,
 

slay [sle] v.【美】【俚】（过去式和过去分词常作slayed）使大为高兴，使禁不住大笑; Slang to overwhelm, as with laughter or love

and we have a powerful show for you today.

And we start with the ongoing and devastating situation occurring in Nigeria in West Africa. A month ago, the country experienced its worst

flooding in a decade. Hundreds were killed as homes and businesses were submerged. Weeks later, the death toll has risen and communities remain

underwater, displacing more than one million people from their homes.
 

displace [dɪsˋples] v. 迫使（人）离开

Victims of the flood blame the tragedy on the government`s response or lack thereof. Government officials say they released flood warnings ahead of the
 

thereof [ðɛrˋɑv] adv. 关于那; of or concerning this or that

disaster and advised residents to move to safer ground. There is a question as to whether those warnings even reach some communities and experts say

proper relief has not reached many Nigerians.

Food is scarce in the country and difficult for many to afford. Nigeria`s economy is struggling. Inflation hit a 17-year high of over 20 percent in

August. This has further strained people`s spending power and capacity to relocate. People have lost everything and many survivors are living in
 

strain [stren] v. 超越……之所及

terrible conditions in camps and shelters with little to no government assistance.

CNN correspondent Larry Madowo has been reporting on this for us on the ground in Bayelsa, Nigeria, where he`s seen firsthand the tragic events

that people there are facing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Our communities still submerged nearly a month after the flooding began with no end in sight.

Boats have become the only way to get around much of Bayelsa State in Southern Nigeria. The streets have turned to rivers, driving entire

communities away from their homes.

We have really suffered, she says. Tell the government to help us.

UGERE OBI, FLOOD VICTIM: Again, tell them to come help us.

MADOWO: Everything you own is here under the water and this is your house?

OBI: Yes. Everything.

MADOWO: Some are living rough on the streets, washing with this water, cooking with it and bathing in it.

Even people`s homes and businesses and livelihoods are already submerged, it`s still raining and there is more expected. The Nigerian government is

warning this could go until November, so even more of this.

This is Nigeria`s worst flooding in a decade.

Aniso Handy has remained in this house through it all.

ANISO HANDY, FLOOD VICTIM: Nigerians are used to manage. If not, we would have all died. We have not seen this situation where people are not cared

for. But Nigerians care for themselves. We are just like infants that have no father, no mother.

MADOWO: The feeling of abandonment runs deep here. The victims are disappointed with the Nigerian government`s response which hasn`t declared

the flood a national emergency.

The floods have affected 33 of Nigeria`s 36 states partly due to well above average rainfall.

Bayelsa is among those cut off from the nation with major highways underwater. The situation has been exacerbated by poor drainage
 

exacerbate [ɪgˋzæsɚ͵bet] v. 使恶化；使加重

infrastructure and an overflowing dam in neighboring Cameroon.
 

overflowing [͵ovɚˋfloɪŋ] adj. 满得溢出来的

Cameroon [͵kæməˋrun] n. 喀麦隆（西非国名）

But with a warmer climate causing more intense rainfall, authorities have also blamed it on climate change, angering some Nigerians.

In this community though, there are more short-term consequences.

It`s a tough life to navigate for humans and animals alike, but life must go on.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Bayelsa State, Nigeria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: Next up today, a debate around driverless cars. Are they safe? Are they needed? Are they helpful?

Well, what do you think?

The technology continues to be tested in various cities around the U.S. and one company called Waymo just announced it`s planning to launch robo taxis

in one of America`s most populated cities, Los Angeles. They`ve already been tested in Phoenix, Arizona, and San Francisco.

We`re talking fully autonomous or self-controlled driverless rides relying on detailed maps and sensors to navigate their surroundings. Proponents say

these electric vehicles would provide more eco-friendly modes of transportation, while opponents of safety concerns and say that technology

is not quite ready to be taken mainstream.

CNN transportation editor Michael Ballaban gives us a glimpse now at a recent experience he had with the full self-driving technology available in

a Tesla.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL BALLABAN, CNN TRANSPORTATION EDITOR: Oh, we`ve got a situation in front of us. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh, no, we`re going on the wrong side of the

road. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Nope, nope, nope. It wanted to hit the truck.

This is a Tesla model 3. So we are turning on the full self-driving beta. Okay, the car is now officially technically sort of driving itself. Whoa,

whoa, that was a really sharp turn the car just tried to make.

Oh, we`ve got a situation in front of us. Whoa. Okay, what we just had in front of us was a UPS truck coming onto our lane. We had a guy in front of

us with a cargo bike. To avoid hitting the guy on the bike, the car seemed to want to put us straight into a giant UPS truck.

I would prefer not to hit a UPS truck today. So I took over. It does seem to need an interruption every couple of blocks or so. Sometimes if the car
 

interruption [͵ɪntəˋrʌpʃən] n. 中止；阻碍；障碍物；打扰，干扰

is hesitating a little bit I have to intervene. You also have to be ready to take over at any time.
 

intervene [͵ɪntɚˋvin] v. 介入；干涉，干预

Now, this is challenging. Oh, no, we`re going on the wrong side of the road.

We`re not trying to make this car screw up. We`re not trying to have a laugh at Elon Musk`s suspense. That`s not the point. We`re really just
 

screw up【俚】把(某物)弄糟; 搞乱某事

suspense [səˋspɛns] n. 挂虑；担心

trying to see how it handles driving in the city.

So far, it`s going okay. We`re going down a pretty just straight normal road. There`s not a lot of pedestrians here and when you`re going down a

straight road with not a lot of pedestrians, the car actually seems to be doing okay. We`re doing right around the speed limit. You know, we`re not

hitting anything.

The car can see cones. The car can see trucks. The car can see even pedestrians on the other side of the street.

Seeing might not be totally the issue here, it`s knowing what to do in challenging situations, stuff that experience teaches you. A lot of people

have issues with this being called full self-driving. First and foremost, it`s not fully self-driving, I have to sit here. If it was fully self-

driving as promised that would let you take a nap, while you`re driving along.

You know, it does seem to be making all the drivers upset. It`s the people behind us it`s the people honking. Now I`m not saying of truly fully

autonomous car will never happen but I think at this point we`re still years away.

SUBTITLE: Tesla did not respond to CNN Business` request for comment.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: I like to think of myself as a fun guy, but I`ve got nothing on these guys. Did you know that mushrooms are the largest life forms on the

planet? Yep, they expand and grow underground with interconnected fibers called mycelium, looking for food, often nutrients from soil and trees,
 

mycelium [maɪˋsilɪəm] n.【植】菌丝

alive or dead.

In fact, the largest living organism on Earth right now is a single honey mushroom in the Malheur National Forest in Oregon. It`s three and a half

miles wide about 2,500 acres, and it`s believed to be about 2,400 years old.

Now, that`s a humongous fungus and that`s random.
 

humongous [hjuˋmɑŋgəs] adj.【俚】巨大无比的

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WIRE: All right. Halloween is exactly two piece signs days away, and I am loving your costume suggestions that you`ve been sending me on Instagram,

Snapchat and TikTok. Lex Luthor, Mr. Clean, keep them coming. I`m @CoyWire there.

And speaking of TikTok, 73-year-old sensation Barbara "Babs" Costello has given folks pumpkin to talk about. Carving tips like sprinkling cinnamon in
 

sensation [sɛnˋseʃən] n. 轰动的事件（或人物）

there to treat your olfactory senses. Oh my gord.
 

olfactory [ɑlˋfæktərɪ] adj.【文】嗅觉的

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA COSTELLO, TIKTOK SENSATION: I`m going to remove all those nasty strings the easier way.

SUBTITLE: This 73-year-old TikTok sensation gave us some hacks on how to improve the spooky season.
 

hack [hæk] n. an act or instance of hacking(劈，砍；乱砍)

spooky [ˋspukɪ] adj. 有鬼般的；令人毛骨悚然的

In a new video, Barbara "Babs" Costello broke down the do`s and don`ts of pumpkin carving.

COSTELLO: Hi, everybody. It`s Babs. Did your mom ever tell you the do`s and don`ts of pumpkin carving?

SUBTITLE: 1. Carve the pumpkin from your lap.

COSTELLO: Don`t stand and carve your pumpkin. Sit. Just put them on your lap.

SUBTITLE: 2. Carve from the bottom of your pumpkin.

COSTELLO: Now time to cut the bottom of your pumpkin, not the top.

SUBTITLE: 3. Use a hand mixer to clean out your pumpkin.

COSTELLO: Don`t do this. Use your hand mixer instead. Get all those strings cleaned up. Your mixer did the hard work of loosening all those strings.
 

hand mixer 搅拌机；手动混合器

string [strɪŋ] n.（植物的）纤维，筋

SUBTITLE: 4. Use a red dry erase marker to design the face.

COSTELLO: When designing your pumpkin face, use a dry erasable red marker that you can get rid of the lines after you carve.

SUBTITLE: 5. Carve the design with a rubber mallet and a cookie cutter.

COSTELLO: If you don`t want to struggle using a knife to carve your pumpkin, just use a soft-headed mallet and your cookie cutter, and just
 

mallet [ˋmælɪt] n. 大头锤；木槌

cookie cutter 饼干成型切割刀

push it right through. Remove all your red lines.

SUBTITLE: 6. Cover all surfaces with Vaseline to keep it fresh.

COSTELLO: Don`t let all your work go to waste. Those kids want to enjoy these pumpkins. Take Vaseline and rub it on all the open cut surfaces.

We`ll keep your pumpkin moist won`t dry out as quickly, and it should last about one to two weeks.

SUBTITLE: 7. And finally, sprinkle some cinnamon.

COSTELLO: And if you want a beautifully scented jack-o-lantern, try sprinkling some cinnamon right on the top and over the candle she goes and

she smells delicious.

Happy Halloween.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIRE: All right. You gorgeous creatures, today is National Civics Day, celebrating the importance of civic education as a foundation for a strong
 

civics [ˋsɪvɪks] n.（用作单）公民

democracy.

And we want to give a strong shout out now, Walnut Cove, North Carolina, Southeastern Stokes Middle School. Rise up and have an awesome day.

It`s almost Friday. See you tomorrow. I`m Coy and this is CNN 10.

END