Russian Plane Crash Kills 43

 　　A private Russian jet carrying a local ice hockey team crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday in western Russia, killing¹ at least 43 people.

　　The accident killed members of the local Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, many of them international hockey stars. Several coaches and club officials also were killed. One player and a member of the crew were critically injured.

　　Officials say the Yak-42 passenger plane with 45 people on board crashed immediately after takeoff from the city of Yaroslavl, about 240 kilometers northeast of Moscow.

　　The ice hockey team was heading to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, for its opening game of the season.

　　News reports say Russian player Alexander Galimov survived the crash. Among those killed were team members from Belarus, Canada, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Sweden.

　　The world of ice hockey reacted with shock and grief² at what is seen as its darkest day.

　　The plane crash took place as scholars from more than 30 countries gathered in Yaroslavl for an international policy forum³, which Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was attending Thursday. A spokeswoman for the president said Medvedev will adjust his schedule to visit the scene of the tragedy.

　　Russia's Emergency Ministry⁴ said the dead include Lokomotiv coach and former international hockey star Brad McCrimmon, a Canadian, as well as Pavol Demitra, a former Slovakian national team captain who was a three-time National Hockey League all-star. Czech players Josef Vasicek, Karel Rachunek and Jan Marek, Swedish goalie Stefan Liv, Latvian defenseman Karlis Skrastins and defenseman Ruslan Salehi of Belarus also were killed.

　　The cause of the crash has not yet been determined⁵. It is the latest in a series of fatal transportation accidents that has prompted Russian leaders to order a review of the country's infrastructure⁶ and safety measures.

　　Russia will host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, a resort city on the Black Sea.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 grief   

n.悲伤，悲痛，悲伤的事，悲痛的缘由

参考例句：

• Don't allow yourself to sink into grief,it can do no good.不要使自己陷入悲哀之中，这样一点好处也没有。
• After her mother died,she abandoned herself to grief.母亲死后，她沉浸于悲痛之中。

3 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

6 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。