美国国家公共电台 NPR--New York's pandemic preparedness equipment is up for auction

New York's pandemic preparedness equipment is up for auction¹

Transcript²

Ambulance parts, air filtration systems, and much more: The state of New York auctions³ equipment purchased for the COVID pandemic that it no longer needs.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Early in the pandemic, then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was a daily presence on TV. He tried to calm worried citizens and update them on the state's efforts to build medical facilities and get the medical gear necessary to fight the growing toll⁴ of hospitalizations and deaths.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANDREW CUOMO: All systems are go here. As you can see behind me, the material has already started to arrive.

MARTIN: All that material paid for by the federal government is now stored away as surplus. Ava Pukatch found it up for auction in a cavernous space in upstate New York.

AVA PUKATCH, BYLINE⁵: Tall stacks of 2-by-4 wood, 11 piles of white metallic⁶ doors and 32 cardboard boxes packed to the brim with lighting⁷ fixtures⁸ are just some of the items lining⁹ the inside of the New York State Preparedness Training Center. Each is tagged with a bright yellow sticker and a black number. Potential buyers weave through the aisles¹⁰, looking around the room, talking on the phone as they plan their bidding strategy. They're looking at FEMA supplies from the COVID-19 pandemic. New York state is hoping to turn it back all into cash. Joe Brill of the state's Office of General Services says the State Department of Health reviewed its inventory¹¹ to pull out any items the state could need in the future. What's left is up for bid.

JOE BRILL: Walls, tents and HVAC units, electrical, plumbing¹² and security systems.

UNIDENTIFIED AUCTIONEER: Five-fifty-nine - 559. All right...

PUKATCH: Other items included 9,000-gallon oxygen tanks, generators¹³, lighting, air filters and even ambulances. Buyers follow an auctioneer who's yelling from the back of a truck as it drives through the lot.

UNIDENTIFIED AUCTIONEER: Seven-forty-nine - 749. It's an '06 E350 ambulance, white...

PUKATCH: His assistant calls out bids made by an online pool of buyers separate from the in-person crowd bids. The auctioneer gazes over the buyers and rattles¹⁴ off prices, increasing by $25, $50, $100, as he gauges¹⁵ the mood of the crowd, often selling lots in less than a minute. A bulk of the auction also takes place outside, since equipment like transformers, HVAC units and buses are too large to store inside. After the auction finishes, the buyers have just a few days to haul their finds away. Some people bid on almost everything, but Doug Slawson takes a more reserved approach. He represents a bridge building company and came with a specific list of items which today includes lights but only if it's below his target price.

DOUG SLAWSON: I don't feel the need to bid on anything unless I know I'm going to get below my number.

PUKATCH: Karen Abbott is bidding on items with hopes of reselling them. As the auctioneer is trucked from lot to lot, Abbott follows close behind, bidding on items even if she doesn't know exactly what she'll do with it.

What did you just find?

KAREN ABBOTT: Fans. I don't know what they are. They're some kind of fan. I'll figure it out when I get them back to my yard (laughter).

PUKATCH: And as the auction comes to a close, bidders¹⁶ head to pay for their purchases, and volunteers start moving piles of bought items with forklifts to be ready for pickup¹⁷. New York's Office of General Services says the auction brought in more than $1.4 million, which will primarily go to the state's general fund.

For NPR News, I'm Ava Pukatch in Oriskany, N.Y.

1 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 auctions   

n.拍卖，拍卖方式( auction的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They picked up most of the furniture at auctions in country towns. 他们大部分的家具都是在乡村镇上的拍卖处买的。 来自辞典例句
• Our dealers didn't want these cars, so we had to dump them at auctions. 我们的承销商都不要这些车子，因此我们只好贱价拍卖。 来自辞典例句

4 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

7 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

8 fixtures   

（房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动

参考例句：

• The insurance policy covers the building and any fixtures contained therein. 保险单为这座大楼及其中所有的设施保了险。
• The fixtures had already been sold and the sum divided. 固定设备已经卖了，钱也分了。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

9 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

10 aisles   

n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊

参考例句：

• Aisles were added to the original Saxon building in the Norman period. 在诺曼时期，原来的萨克森风格的建筑物都增添了走廊。
• They walked about the Abbey aisles, and presently sat down. 他们走到大教堂的走廊附近，并且很快就坐了下来。

11 inventory   

n.详细目录，存货清单

参考例句：

• Some stores inventory their stock once a week.有些商店每周清点存货一次。
• We will need to call on our supplier to get more inventory.我们必须请供应商送来更多存货。

12 plumbing   

n.水管装置；水暖工的工作；管道工程v.用铅锤测量（plumb的现在分词）；探究

参考例句：

• She spent her life plumbing the mysteries of the human psyche. 她毕生探索人类心灵的奥秘。
• They're going to have to put in new plumbing. 他们将需要安装新的水管。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 rattles   

（使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧

参考例句：

• It rattles the windowpane and sends the dog scratching to get under the bed. 它把窗玻璃震得格格作响，把狗吓得往床底下钻。
• How thin it is, and how dainty and frail; and how it rattles. 你看它够多么薄，多么精致，多么不结实；还老那么哗楞哗楞地响。

15 gauges   

n.规格( gauge的名词复数 )；厚度；宽度；标准尺寸v.（用仪器）测量( gauge的第三人称单数 )；估计；计量；划分

参考例句：

• A thermometer gauges the temperature. 温度计可测量温度。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fuel gauges dropped swiftly. 燃料表指针迅速下降。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 bidders   

n.出价者，投标人( bidder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Bidders should proceed only if they intend on using a PayPal account to complete payment. Bidders的唯一形式，应继续只当他们在使用贝宝帐户，以完成付款打算。 来自互联网
• The other bidders for the contract complained that it had not been a fair contest. 其他竞标人抱怨说该合同的竞标不公平。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 pickup   

n.拾起，获得

参考例句：

• I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。