Death Toll in Italian Cruise Ship Disaster Reaches Five

 　　The number of those killed in the Italian cruise ship disaster has risen to five after search crews on Sunday discovered the bodies of two elderly men in the submerged section of the Costa Condordia.

　　The huge vessel¹ with more than 4,000 people on board ran aground late Friday off the northern Italian coast. On Saturday the bodies of  two French passengers and a Peruvian crewmember were found after they apparently² jumped into the cold Mediterranean³ water.

　　Sunday's discovery lowers the number of those missing to 15.

　　Earlier on Sunday, a helicopter lifted an injured crewmmeber from the doomed⁴ vessel, bringing  to three the number of those rescued. A South Korean couple on their honeymoon⁵ was found uninjured on Saturday.

　　At least 30 passengers sustained injuries.

　　Italian authorities have launched an investigation⁶ into how the Costa Condoria managed to hit a reef and capsize just 300 meters off the coast. The ship's Italian captain (Francesco Schettino) has been arrested and is facing charges of manslaughter. Italian authorities say he had sailed off course and then abandoned the ship.

　　Survivors⁷ have described a chaotic⁸ and terrifying evacuation. One of them was an American tourist from Arkansas, who said some people had to swim to the shore.

　　"We were all standing⁹ there, and as the boat started going a little quicker, turning, I saw one of the cranes. It popped the life raft, and it exploded and it went boom! And it just crashed. There were two people on it, they got off I think. We saw like five people jump in the water and start swimming, and I looked and the other crane next to me, which was three feet above water, one meter above water, was like two meters below water," he said.

　　When the ship hit the rocks, officials say, passengers were instructed to put on life jackets and to take to life rafts. However, those on board said the hull¹⁰ tilted¹¹ so sharply and quickly that many lifeboats could not be lowered into the water.

　　The Costa Concordia is 290 meters long, with 13 decks. It had 13 bars, five restaurants, four swimming pools and 500 balconied staterooms.

1 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

2 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

3 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

4 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

5 honeymoon   

n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月

参考例句：

• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
• The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。

6 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。

7 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

8 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

11 tilted   

v. 倾斜的

参考例句：

• Suddenly the boat tilted to one side. 小船突然倾向一侧。
• She tilted her chin at him defiantly. 她向他翘起下巴表示挑衅。