VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Visits Oil Imperiled U.S. Gulf C

President Barack Obama is briefed by National Incident Commander U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad Allen in Venice, La., as he visits the Gulf¹ Coast region affected² by the BP (British Petroleum³) oil well spill, Sunday, May 2, 2010.

President Barack Obama says an expanding oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico is a massive and unprecedented⁴ environmental disaster that will require a relentless⁵, coordinated⁶ effort to overcome. The president traveled to the southern state of Louisiana on Sunday to meet with Coast Guard officials and other responders who are trying to contain the spill.

A rain-soaked President Obama delivered a somber⁷ message from a Coast Guard station on Louisiana's threatened coastline. "We are dealing⁸ with a massive and potentially-unprecedented environmental disaster.  The oil that is still leaking from the well could seriously damage the economy and the environment of our Gulf states, and it could extend for a long time.  It could jeopardize⁹ the livelihoods¹⁰ of thousands of Americans who call this place home," he said.

 Accompanied by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, the president was briefed by Coast Guard commanders and other officials taking part in the disaster response.

Mr. Obama said that even while hoping for the best, the federal government is prepared for the worst, if the spill from the underwater well continues.  He promised a full investigation¹¹ of the disaster, and said that petroleum giant BP will be held responsible for the accident.  But for now, Mr. Obama said, there is work to be done. "Every American affected by this spill should know this:  Your government will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to stop this crisis," he said.

An explosion nearly two weeks ago aboard the now-sunken oil rig killed 11 workers.  The U.S. Coast Guard says millions of liters of oil have since spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.

Appearing on ABC's "This Week" program, the chairman of BP America, Lamar McKay, said there is no way to know how much oil is flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. "I do not know the volume.  The volume is uncertain.  There is a large uncertainty¹³ range around the [estimate of] 5000 barrels.  Our spill response is designed to take that uncertainty into account," he said.

A mechanism¹⁴ on the rig designed to stop the flow of oil in the event of a spill malfunctioned¹⁵, leaving BP now trying to prepare a dome¹⁶ that the company intends to place over the well.

Federal officials say stopping the oil flow could take weeks or even months.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken¹² Salazar also appeared on "This Week." "Hopefully something will happen [to stop the spill]. Best case scenario¹⁷ - it gets stopped today. Worst case scenario - this thing could keep going on for 90 days," he said.

The oil slick threatens ever-larger swaths of the U.S. coastline, placing sensitive marine¹⁸ ecosystems¹⁹ in peril²⁰.  If uncontained, experts say oil could saturate²¹ beaches and marine habitats as far away as Florida, devastating²² fishing and tourism.

The disaster comes as Obama administration attempts to chart a course toward U.S. energy independence and less reliance on fossil fuels. President Obama endorsed²³ off-shore drilling as part of a comprehensive strategy, but he has halted new drilling projects until investigators²⁴ determine the cause of the BP accident.

 

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

6 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 jeopardize   

vt.危及，损害

参考例句：

• Overworking can jeopardize your health.工作过量可能会危及你的健康。
• If you are rude to the boss it may jeopardize your chances of success.如果你对上司无礼，那就可能断送你成功的机会。

10 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

11 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。

12 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

13 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

14 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

15 malfunctioned   

发生故障(malfunction的过去式与过去分词)

参考例句：

• Is there any way the dye pack malfunctioned back at the bank? 什么能使爆色板在银行内就失效？ 来自电影对白
• The malfunctioned roller of his mouse is under repair. 他鼠标的滚轴失灵了，正在修呢。 来自互联网

16 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

17 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

18 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

19 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

20 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

21 saturate   

vt.使湿透，浸透；使充满，使饱和

参考例句：

• We'll saturate California with the rise in its crime rate.我们将使加利福尼亚州的犯罪案件增长率达到饱和点。
• Saturate the meat in the mixture of oil and herbs.把肉浸泡在油和作料的卤汁里。

22 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。

23 endorsed   

vt.& vi.endorse的过去式或过去分词形式v.赞同( endorse的过去式和过去分词 )；在（尤指支票的）背面签字；在（文件的）背面写评论；在广告上说本人使用并赞同某产品

参考例句：

• The committee endorsed an initiative by the chairman to enter discussion about a possible merger. 委员会通过了主席提出的新方案，开始就可能进行的并购进行讨论。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The government has broadly endorsed a research paper proposing new educational targets for 14-year-olds. 政府基本上支持建议对14 岁少年实行新教育目标的研究报告。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 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》