援助工作争分夺秒

Aid Workers Race Against the Clock

援助工作争分夺秒

 

Aid workers are warning that the true scale of Sunday's tsunami¹ may never be known. Relief experts say thousands of people remain missing and parts of the 12 affected² nations remain inaccessible³.

 

Perhaps the biggest concern facing rescue teams: the spread of disease. Some experts have said as many people could die from illnesses as those who perished in the devastation⁴. Rescue workers are racing⁵ against time to find those trapped beneath the debris⁶. 

 

Suwit Khunkitti is the Thai Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment.

 

Suwit Khunkitti: Anything can happen. When these kinds of things have happened everywhere in the world, some people have lived for nine days, without food and water, even if injured. So we keep our hopes high and we fight for it.

 

As international aid continues to arrive across the region, terrified survivors⁷ are dealing⁸ with more fear -- the threat of additional tsunamis⁹, triggered by aftershocks.  Tens of thousands of residents fled coastal¹⁰ areas in India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, after Indian officials issued tsunami warnings.  Later, they withdrew those warnings.

 

An estimated 5.7 magnitude aftershock was recorded by the Hong Kong observatory¹¹ in seas northwest of Sumatra Thursday morning. Other quakes were recorded earlier near India's Andaman and Nicobar islands.

 

Robert Raffaele, VOA news.

 

注释：

inaccessible [7inAk5sesEbl] adj. 难以接近的

perish  [5periF] vi. 毁坏

debris [5debri:, 5deib-] n. 碎片

terrified [5terifaId] adj. 受惊吓的

aftershock [`B:ftEFCk] n. 余震

withdraw [wiT5drC:] vt. 收回

1 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 inaccessible   

adj.达不到的，难接近的

参考例句：

• This novel seems to me among the most inaccessible.这本书对我来说是最难懂的小说之一。
• The top of Mount Everest is the most inaccessible place in the world.珠穆朗玛峰是世界上最难到达的地方。

4 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

6 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

7 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 tsunamis   

n.海啸( tsunami的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our oceans are alive with earthquakes, volcanoes, and more recently, tsunamis. 海中充满着地震、火山，包括最近发生的海啸。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
• Please tell me something more about tsunamis! 请您给我讲讲海啸吧！ 来自辞典例句

10 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

11 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。