VOA标准英语10月-18 People, Mostly Foreign Tourists, Killed in Pla

In Nepal, 18 people were killed when a small passenger plane crashed in the east of the country. Most of the victims were German tourists. Anjana Pasricha reports for VOA from New Delhi.
　

Yeti Airlines' plane burns as people stand around it at Lukla airport, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) from Mount1 Everest, Nepal, 08 Oct 2008

Airport officials in Nepal say the small private Twin Otter² airplane was on a short half-hour flight Wednesday morning from the capital Kathmandu to Lukla town in eastern Nepal when it crashed while trying to land, and burst into flames.

All the passengers died. They included a dozen Germans, two Australians, and two Nepalese tourists. Two crew members were among those killed, but the pilot managed to get out.

Lukla is a small mountain town situated³ in the Himalayas at a height of more than 2,800 meters. It is known as the gateway⁴ to the Everest region, which is popular with trekkers heading for mountain expeditions in Nepal.

General Manager of Kathmandu airport, Mohan Adhikari, says bad weather probably led to the plane crash.

"The weather was a bit tricky⁵. In the morning it was all right, visibility was 5,000 meters, but later on it deteriorated⁶, and perhaps that weather could be the reason, I mean, the contributing factor for the accident," he said.

In clear weather, dozens of daily flights ply⁷ between Lukla and Kathmandu. The town's airport is a tiny one, situated on a sloping airstrip, and there is a steep drop of a few hundred meters at the end of the runway. Airport officials say it is among the most difficult ones in the world from which to take off and land.

Nepal is a popular destination for mountain trekkers from all over the world. This year around half a million tourists are expected to come into the country, for which tourism is the main revenue⁸ earner.

1 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

2 otter   

n.水獭

参考例句：

• The economists say the competition otter to the brink of extinction.经济学家们说，竞争把海獭推到了灭绝的边缘。
• She collared my black wool coat with otter pelts.她把我的黑呢上衣镶上了水獭领。

3 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

4 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

5 tricky   

adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的

参考例句：

• I'm in a rather tricky position.Can you help me out?我的处境很棘手，你能帮我吗？
• He avoided this tricky question and talked in generalities.他回避了这个非常微妙的问题，只做了个笼统的表述。

6 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

7 ply   

v.(搬运工等)等候顾客，弯曲

参考例句：

• Taxis licensed to ply for hire at the railway station.许可计程车在火车站候客。
• Ferryboats ply across the English Channel.渡船定期往返于英吉利海峡。

8 revenue   

n.总收入，财政收入，税收；税务局

参考例句：

• The country diminished the revenue by reducing tax.这个国家通过减税而使税收减少了。
• A government's revenue and expenditure should be balanced.政府的财政收入和支出要平衡。