新奇事件簿 失联30年后姐妹终团聚

Two sisters in Colombia who were separated as children by an avalanche¹ 30 years ago have been reunited. Jaqueline and Lorena Sanchez thought they had lost each other forever in 1985 when the Tolima volcano erupted near their town of Armero. The hot, molten lava² from the volcano melted nearby glaciers³ and caused four massive mudslides. These killed more than 20,000 of Armero's 29,000 inhabitants. Jaqueline, 33, and Lorena, 39, never found each other in the chaos⁴ that followed the disaster. They each assumed the other was among the deceased. Armero was the second most deadly volcanic⁵ disaster of the 20th century. Only the 1902 eruption⁶ of Mount Pelee in the Caribbean was deadlier.

三十年前，两姐妹在暴风雪中失散，如今这对哥伦比亚姐妹终团聚。1985年，阿尔梅罗小镇附近的托利马火山爆发，杰奎琳和罗雷娜本以为永不会相见。熊熊岩浆融化了附近冰川，并引发四次大规模泥石流。阿尔梅罗镇原有居民2.9万人，超过2万人丧生。灾难过后，33岁的杰奎琳和39岁的罗雷娜并没有寻找对方。均认为对方在灾难中遇难。此次喷发也是20世纪第二大火山灾难。20世纪最惨重火山灾难要追述到1902年的培雷火山。

The two sisters were adopted by different families and never knew each other's fate. They have both spent much of the past few decades looking for each other. They were reunited when DNA⁷ tests they gave to an organization that helped victims of the avalanches⁸ matched. Lorena told reporters: "It was beautiful and sad because it has been 30 years since the tragedy happened that I've come to find out what happened to my sister. I have to catch up with 30 years of her life and she has to do the same with me." Jaqueline said: "I'm excited, nervous, everything because suddenly, you don't know if you are going to be rejected.I wonder if she will love me. It's difficult. It's difficult to explain this moment."

两姐妹被不同家庭收养，并失去联络。过去几十年间，两人均试图寻找对方。双方向某基因匹配组织提供DNA，该组织专门帮助火山遇难民众进行DNA匹配。罗雷娜对记者说：“我既高兴又悲伤，事情已经过去30年里，直到现在我才知道妹妹的状况。我要追寻她这30年的生活，她也要同样了解我。”杰奎琳表示：“我现在紧张兴奋，一切都太突然了，你不知道会不会被拒绝。不知道她还爱不爱我。这种经历很难言说。无法表达此时此刻的状态。”

1 avalanche   

n.雪崩，大量涌来

参考例句：

• They were killed by an avalanche in the Swiss Alps.他们在瑞士阿尔卑斯山的一次雪崩中罹难。
• Higher still the snow was ready to avalanche.在更高处积雪随时都会崩塌。

2 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

3 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

4 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

5 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

6 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

8 avalanches   

n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• Avalanches poured down on the tracks and rails were spread. 雪崩压满了轨道，铁轨被弄得四分五裂。 来自辞典例句