纽约市搜寻和救援工作仍在继续

纽约市搜寻和救援工作仍在继续

Search and Rescue Efforts Continue in New York City
Barbara Schoetzau
New York
12 Sep 2001 20:39 UTC

A 1)massive search effort continues at the New York site that was once the location of the World Trade Center.
New York city officials say they still hope to find survivors 1 buried under the 2)rubble of the two towers that 3)dominated the New York city 4)skyline. Only a few people have been located so far. But rescue workers say that people trapped in voids or air pockets may still be alive.
Search teams from as far away as Puerto Rico have joined the 5)rescue effort. But their work has been 6)hampered by the huge amount of 7)debris 2 concrete, twisted steel, and shattered glass that covered the ground after the collapse 3 of the two towers and a smaller, 47-story building in the World Trade Center complex.
Rescue workers had to remove the debris from the area surrounding the collapsed 4 buildings before they were able to get directly to the site. Barges 5 are taking much of the debris out of the city. New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani says it will take two to three weeks to clear the area.
City officials refuse to estimate the 8)death toll 6. But Mayor Giuliani has braced 7 New Yorkers for numbers he calls unbearable 8. He says the city has based its recovery efforts on a few thousand 9)casualties in each of the towers. At least 200 firemen and 50 police officers are missing.
The mayor says New Yorkers have shown that the spirit of the city is about its people, not its buildings. He encourages everyone to get involved in helping 9 out during New York's darkest days. "There are going to be a lot of people today who need help and need assistance, either because of the fact that they know people who were lost in this terrible 10)tragedy or because they are just frightened of what may happen," he said. "If you could, comfort them and help them and assist them, particularly elderly people. That might be a way in which you can 11)contribute."
About 1,200 businesses 12)employ about 50,000 people in the entire World Trade Center complex. New York officials believe many people were able to escape in the one hour between the terrorist attacks and the collapse of the two towers. The third building had already been evacuated 10 when it collapsed about seven hours after the two towers.
New York Governor George Pataki says the city remains 11 in a state of "highest possible alert," with boats on 13)continuous 14)patrol of the 15)waterways surrounding the island of Manhattan. Police can be seen on streets throughout the city. Their presence is particularly heavy at major landmarks 12 and the United Nations. Access to Manhattan remains limited. And the 16)reservoir that supplies New York city its water is under guard.
Lines of people are waiting to donate blood at hospitals and blood banks throughout the city. Local restaurants and shops are sending food, and many churches remained open through the night. Governor Pataki says one of the biggest challenges facing the city is to find enough personnel to help New Yorkers "cope with loss and deal with the scope of their nightmare."

(1) massive[5mAsIv]adj.厚重的, 大块的, 魁伟的, 结实的
(2) rubble[5rQb(E)l]n.碎石
(3) dominate[5dRmIneIt]v.支配, 占优势
(4) skyline[5skaIlaIn]n.地平线, 以天空为背景映出轮廓
(5) rescue[5reskju:]vt.援救, 营救n.援救, 营救
(6) hamper[5hAmpE(r)]v.妨碍, 牵制
(7) debris[5deIbri:; (?@) dE5bri:]n.碎片, 残骸
(8) death toll n.死亡人数
(9) casualties人员伤亡
(10) tragedy[5trAdVIdI]n.悲剧, 惨案, 悲惨, 灾难
(11) contribute[kEn5trIbju:t]v.捐助, 捐献, 贡献, 投稿
(12) employ[Im5plCI]vt.雇用, 用, 使用v.使用n.雇用
(13) continuous[kEn5tInjJEs]adj.连续的, 持续的
(14) patrol[pE5trEJl]v.出巡, 巡逻n.巡逻
(15) waterway n.水路, 排水沟
(16) reservoir[5rezEvwB:(r)]n.水库, 蓄水池