VOA慢速英语2018 密苏里州鸭船事故造成17人死亡

Duck Boat Accident Kills 17

Seventeen people have died after a "duck boat" overturned 1 and sank in a lake in the Midwestern American state of Missouri.

一艘“鸭子游船”在美国中西部的密苏里州的一个湖中倾覆并沉没，造成17人遇难。

The boat was carrying 29 tourists and two crew members. The accident happened on Table Rock Lake in Branson, a tourist area famous for country music shows and other entertainment.

这艘船载有29名游客和2名船员。事故发生在布兰森镇的桌岩湖，这是一处以乡村音乐表演等娱乐而著称的旅游区。

Officials blamed the accident on stormy weather. Winds at the time were blowing as hard as 105 kilometers per hour.

有关官员将这起事故归咎于暴风雨天气，当时的风速最高达到了每小时105公里。

Missouri state police said fourteen people survived, including seven who were injured when the boat sank.

密苏里州警方表示，有14人幸存者，其中7人在游船沉没时受伤。

The boats were first designed for the United States military to transport troops and supplies during World War II. They have the ability to travel on land and in water.

这些船只最初是为二战期间美国军队运送部队和物资而设计的，它们具备水陆两栖能力。

The boats were later changed to be used as sightseeing vehicles and renamed "duck boats."

这些船只后来被改作观光船，并更名为“鸭子船”。

The Missouri accident is the latest in a series of accidents involving duck boats. More than 30 people have died in such incidents in the last 20 years.

密苏里州这起事故是涉及“鸭子船”的一系列事故中最新的一起。过去20年里，有30多人在这类事故中遇难。

Thirteen people died after a duck boat sank near Hot Springs in the state of Arkansas in 1999.

1999年，一艘“鸭子船”在阿肯色州的温泉国家公园沉没，造成13人遇难。

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, two Hungarian tourists were killed in 2010 when a barge 2 hit a disabled duck boat in the Delaware River. Five years later, a woman was struck and killed by a duck boat while crossing a Philadelphia street.

2010年，宾夕法尼亚州费城市的一艘驳船撞上了特拉华河中一艘失去动力的鸭子船，造成2名匈牙利游客遇难。5年之后，一名妇女在穿越费城街道时被“鸭子船”撞死。

In 2015, five college students were killed and 69 others were injured when a duck boat hit a bus in Seattle, Washington.

2015年，华盛顿州西雅图市的一艘“鸭子船”撞上了公交汽车，造成5名大学生死亡，69人受伤。

And in 2016, a duck boat ran over a scooter in Boston, Massachusetts. One woman died and another person was seriously injured.

2016年，马萨诸塞州波士顿市的一艘鸭子船从摩托车上碾过，造成一名妇女遇难，另有1人重伤。

Andrew Duffy works 3 for the law firm that represented the duck boat accident victims in Philadelphia. He called duck boats "death traps." He told the Associated Press, "They're not fit for water or land because they are half car and half boat."

Andrew Duffy就职于一家代表鸭子船事故受害者的律师事务所。他称“鸭子船”是“死亡陷阱”。他对美联社表示：“它们不适合在水面或陆地上行驶，因为它们是半车半船。”

Suzanne Smagala is with Ripley Entertainment, which runs the duck boat operation in Branson. She said this was the area's only duck boat accident in more than 40 years of operation.

Suzanne Smagala就职于Ripley Entertainment公司，这家公司在布兰森镇经营鸭子船。她说，这是该地区40多年来发生的唯一一起“鸭子船”事故。

Investigators 4 from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived in Branson on Friday to examine the accident.

美国国家运输安全委员会的调查人员周五抵达了布兰森镇，对这起事故进行调查。

U.S. President Donald Trump 5 extended 6 his sympathies to the victims and their families. He wrote Friday on Twitter, "Such a tragedy, such a great loss. May God be with you all!"

美国总统川普向受害者及其家属表达了慰问。他周五在推特上写道：“天大的悲剧，惨痛的损失。愿上帝保佑你们！”

Words in This Story

tourist - n. a person who travel to a place for pleasure

scooter - n. a small vehicle with two wheels that is powered by a motor and that has a low seat and a flat area for resting your feet

barge - n. a large boat that has a flat bottom and that is used to carry goods in harbors 7 and on rivers and canals

tragedy - n. a very bad event that causes great sadness and often involves someone's death