VOA慢速英语2015 中国努力营救沉船幸存者
时间：2019-01-12 作者：英语课 分类：2015年VOA慢速英语(六)月
China Races to Find Ferry Accident Survivors 1 中国努力营救沉船幸存者
Chinese authorities are working quickly to reach survivors still trapped under a passenger ship that capsized -- or turned over -- in the Yangtze River late Monday. More than 450 passengers and crew were on board the ship when it went down. Most of the passengers were elderly Chinese tourists.
Only 15 people are known to have gotten out alive. More than 400 passengers are still missing. The People’s Daily website reported late Tuesday three bodies were found 50 kilometers from the wreckage 2 site.
Boko Haram attacks Maiduguri
Boko Haram militants 3 have again attacked the Nigerian city of Maiduguri. The city is set to be the new base of government operations aimed at defeating the group.
Reports from the city said fighters used grenades in Tuesday's attack but were unable to advance beyond the city limits.
Later, a suicide bomber 4 attacked a cattle market in Maiduguri. Early reports said up to 20 people died in the explosion.
Nine NGO employees shot dead in Afghanistan
Police in northern Afghanistan said Tuesday unknown gunmen have shot dead at least nine employees of an aid agency. The attack took place in Balkh province. The victims were from the non-governmental organization, People in Need.
The United Nations warned last month that the Afghan conflict has caused a record rise in civilian 5 deaths in the first few months of 2015, compared to the same period in 2014.
No one has claimed responsibility for Monday's killings 6 of aid workers in Balkh.
US Senate votes on spy programs
The US Congress completed action Tuesday to end the government's huge program of collecting telephone call data designed to help stop terrorist attacks. American telephone companies will take over the task in six months.
The Senate voted 67-32 in favor of legislation already approved by the House of Representatives. It was then sent to President Barack Obama for his signature. Mr. Obama says he will quickly sign the legislation. He says the new rules protect both civil liberties and national security.
Words in the News
trap – v. to cause (a person or animal) to be unable to move or escape from a dangerous place
base –n. the main place in which a person works or lives or a business operates
grenade – n. a small bomb that is designed to be thrown by someone or shot from a rifle
surveillance – n. the act of carefully watching someone or something especially in order to prevent or detect a crime
- 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
- 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。
- The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
- Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。
- He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
- Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。
- There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
- He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。