VOA常速英语2007年-US Military Helicopter Crashes in Northern Ital

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
08 November 2007

A U.S. army helicopter has crashed in northern Italy, killing¹ four people on board and injuring seven others. The causes of the crash are still unclear. For VOA, Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.

In this picture taken from video and made available by Italian SkyTG24, rescuers surround an U.S. military helicopter (l) which crashed in northern Italy, 08 Nov 2007

The crash occurred in a rural area outside the northern Italian city of Treviso, along the bank of the Piave river. The helicopter had taken off from the U.S. airbase in Aviano on a training mission with 11 American military on board.

Senior Airman Justin Weaver², a spokesman at the U.S. Air Force base in Aviano, provided the initial report of what occurred.

"A U.S. army UH-60 helicopter crashed at approximately noon today 20 miles south-west of Aviano," said Weaver. "Local carabinieri, which are Italian police and emergency response teams, have responded to the site and U.S. Air Force personnel at Aviano have offered their assistance at the crash site. A board of qualified³ officers will investigate the accident."

Four bodies were pulled from the charred⁴ wreckage⁵ of the Black Hawk⁶ helicopter. The others on board were injured, three of them seriously, and taken to nearby hospitals. There were no details on the cause of the crash.

Following the crash, Italy's defense⁷ minister Arturo Parisi sent a message to U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressing his personal deep sympathy and solidarity⁸ and those of the Italian armed forces.

The UH-60 Black Hawk is the Army's general utility helicopter - used for transporting troops and equipment, air assault, medical evacuations and to support special operations as well as other missions.

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 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

3 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

4 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

7 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

8 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。