2007年VOA标准英语-Indonesia Steps Up Search for Sunken Ferry Surv

By Chad Bouchard
Jakarta, Indonesia
02 January 2007

Emergency workers in Indonesia continue searching for the wreckage¹ of an airliner² that disappeared during a flight to Sulawesi Monday.  Officials say earlier reports that the crash site had been found were erroneous. A total of 102 people were on board, and there are unconfirmed reports of 12 survivors³. Rescue operations also continue for a passenger ferry that sank during bad weather early on Saturday morning. Chad Bouchard reports on the twin searches from Jakarta.

 
A relative of a plane crash victim on Sulawesi island weeps at Juanda airport in Surabaya, Indonesia
The government has retracted⁴ earlier reports that the wreckage of Adam Air flight 574 had been located.

Government officials also say they cannot confirm reports that 12 survivors had been found.

Those erroneous reports apparently⁵ had come from villagers in the remote area where the plane may have gone down.

The 17-year-old Boeing 737-400 was en route from Java to north Sulawesi when air traffic controllers lost contact around midday on Monday.  A Singapore satellite picked up a distress⁶ signal about an hour after takeoff.

Search and Rescue Commander Idin Arifin says crews are searching for the crash site, but mountainous terrain⁷ is making communication difficult.

He says rescuers are not sure of the exact location but are looking for the wreckage in a crash area marked by thick jungle and steep terrain.

Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa told reporters at a news conference that bad weather caused the crash, and that an investigation⁸ is already underway.

He adds that although the pilot was aware of the bad weather conditions, it is the airport's responsibility to cancel flights in case of severe weather. Radjasa says air traffic controllers received clearance⁹ from Indonesia's weather bureau, but conditions had changed very quickly during the flight.

Adam Air is one of about a dozen budget airlines operating in Indonesia, flying mainly domestic routes.

 
Rescuers transport the body of a ferry disaster victim 

Heavy rain and wind over the last week has also caused three shipwrecks¹⁰, including a passenger ferry, which carried more than 600 people.

The Senopati Nusantara capsized before dawn on Saturday, and rough seas have hampered¹¹ rescue attempts.

Emergency workers have pulled more than 200 survivors from the Java Sea, but hundreds more are still missing. Some 100 bodies have been recovered.

Air force helicopters are dropping food and water to stranded¹² survivors who have been adrift for nearly four days.

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at a prayer meeting in Jakarta on Tuesday ordered rescuers to redouble their efforts.

1 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

2 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

3 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

4 retracted   

v.撤回或撤消( retract的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝执行或遵守；缩回；拉回

参考例句：

• He made a false confession which he later retracted. 他作了假供词，后来又翻供。
• A caddy retracted his statement. 一个球童收回了他的话。 来自辞典例句

5 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

6 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

7 terrain   

n.地面，地形，地图

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• He knows the terrain of this locality like the back of his hand.他对这一带的地形了如指掌。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 clearance   

n.净空；许可(证)；清算；清除，清理

参考例句：

• There was a clearance of only ten centimetres between the two walls.两堵墙之间只有十厘米的空隙。
• The ship sailed as soon as it got clearance. 那艘船一办好离港手续立刻启航了。

10 shipwrecks   

海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船

参考例句：

• Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
• There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。

11 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

12 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。