Superstorm getting stronger_美文_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Superstorm getting stronger

Winds increased to a maximum 140 km/h, the NHC said in its 5 am report, up from 120 km/h three hours earlier. It said tropical Storm force winds reached as far as 780 km from the center.

Meanwhile, Republican nominee Mitt Romney canceled rallies in storm-threatened Virginia, one of the most crucial swing states, and went instead to inland Ohio, the Midwestern epicenter of the unpredictable final week battle for the White House.

The Republican linked up with his running mate Paul Ryan, who offered prayers to Americans cowering on the East coast in the path of the storm.

"Let's not forget those fellow Americans of ours," Ryan said.

The storm, expected to make landfall in the early hours of Tuesday, was the latest manifestation of the "October Surprise" - the fabled late-campaign news event with the potential to sway the outcome of a US election.

Its immediate political impact was unpredictable.

Questions:

1. What category has the storm been labeled as?

2. How many US states have declared states of emergency?

3. For which state did Romney cancel his rallies?

Answers:

1. Category 1.

2. Nine.

3. Virginia.

About the broadcaster:

Emily Cheng is an editor at China Daily. She was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney with a degree in Media, English Literature and Politics. She has worked in the media industry since starting university and this is the third time she has settled abroad - she interned with a magazine in Hong Kong 2007 and studied at the University of Leeds in 2009.