VOA标准英语2009年-Arsonists Blamed for 'Mass Murder' in Australia

At least 140 people have died in Australia's worst-ever bushfire disaster. Arsonists¹, who are thought to have been responsible for some of the devastating² outbreaks in the southern state, Victoria, have been accused of mass murder by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Queen Elizabeth has sent a message of condolence to families of the victims.
　
Senior Wildlife Officer Geoff McClure inspects a homestead destroyed by fire near Alexandra, some 120 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, 09 Feb 2009

Cooler weather is helping³ the emergency effort, as about 30 fires continue to torment⁴ communities across Victoria.

However, there is a warning that dangerous days still lie ahead.

Victoria County Fire chief Stewart Kreltszheim says the military will provide much-needed support...

"We've also got the army moving in today and the army are going to provide us with some grunt⁵ [muscle-power], with some bulldozers and our tractors," he said.

Towering walls of flame, several storeys high, have destroyed entire communities, reduced to barely more than piles of ash. To add to the loss of life, homes, churches, supermarkets and police stations have been obliterated⁶.

Dozens of people are still missing. Survivor⁷ Wade⁸ Horton describes terrifying ordeal⁹ as the flames raced towards him...

"The smoke was coming over all day, but from what we could tell it was miles away and then walked up the front and I saw it hit the top of the mountain and within a minute it was down to the bottom of the valley and that whole valley across the other side was a wall of fire,' he said.

New Zealand has offered to send fire fighters to relieve exhausted¹⁰ crews in Victoria.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who is Australia's head of state, has sent a message of condolence to families of the victims and has also praised the extraordinary efforts of firefighters. The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken to his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd, and says that his government is ready to help, if needed.

Mr. Rudd says that arsonists suspected of starting some of Victoria's fires are guilty of "mass murder."

As the Australian army joins the search for those missing in the fires, investigators¹¹ have grave concerns about what they might find in the charred¹² remains¹³ of homes and cars.

It has been an excruciating wait for survivors¹⁴, desperate for news of relatives and friends they have not been able to contact. Doctors treating burns victims have said that some have been so badly injured they will probably die, as Australia continues to count the heartbreaking cost of its most savage¹⁵ bushfire disaster.

1 arsonists   

n.纵火犯( arsonist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The factory was destroyed in a fire started by arsonists. 工厂在纵火犯引起的火灾中烧毀了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Australian Attorney-General Robert McClelland said suspected arsonists could face murder charges. 澳大利亚总检察长罗伯特麦克莱兰说，怀疑纵火犯可能面临谋杀指控。 来自互联网

2 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 torment   

n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠

参考例句：

• He has never suffered the torment of rejection.他从未经受过遭人拒绝的痛苦。
• Now nothing aggravates me more than when people torment each other.没有什么东西比人们的互相折磨更使我愤怒。

5 grunt   

v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝

参考例句：

• He lifted the heavy suitcase with a grunt.他咕噜着把沉重的提箱拎了起来。
• I ask him what he think,but he just grunt.我问他在想什麽，他只哼了一声。

6 obliterated   

v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭

参考例句：

• The building was completely obliterated by the bomb. 炸弹把那座建筑物彻底摧毁了。
• He began to drink, drank himself to intoxication, till he slept obliterated. 他一直喝，喝到他快要迷糊地睡着了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

8 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

9 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。

10 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

11 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 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》

13 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。

14 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

15 savage   

adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人

参考例句：

• The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
• He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。