VOA标准英语2008年-Official: More Than One Failure Led to Spanair

The head of Spain's civil aviation said the Spanair plane that crashed in Madrid Wednesday must have suffered more than one kind of failure. Meanwhile, grieving relatives are continuing efforts to help identify the remains¹ of the 153 people who were killed. Sabina Castelfranco reports from Rome.
　
Relatives of victims of the Spanair jet crash read newspaper outside hotel in Madrid, 22 Aug 2008

Just 19 people survived Wednesday's crash of the Spanair twin-engine plane bound for the Canary Islands from Madrid. It was Spain's worst air disaster in 25 years.

As the investigation² to determine the cause of the disaster continued, the head of Spain's civil aviation, Manuel Batista, said there was more than one breakdown³. He said engine failure alone would not have been enough to bring the plane down. He added that modern aircraft are designed to fly on just one engine in an emergency.

It may take months to establish what caused the plane crash. But useful details are expected to come from the two recovered black box (flight data) recorders. The Spanish government says it has much information to work with, including video footage of the plane's takeoff from airport cameras.

Spain's deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said the investigation commission is working very intensively and hand in hand with foreign experts. She added that the results would be given to a judge, but details would be made public as soon as possible.

Meanwhile grieving relatives of those killed in the crash continued with the ordeal⁴ of identifying bodies. Many bodies were burned beyond recognition and forensic⁵ teams are taking DNA⁶ samples from relatives.

Spain is observing three days of mourning and an official funeral presided over by Madrid Archbishop Antonio Maria Rouco has been scheduled for Sept. 1.

 

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 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。

3 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

4 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

5 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

6 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。