新西兰英语 466 Pike River Mine Inquiry

 　　For background to the Pike River Coal Mine disaster, enter the word “coal” in the search box.

　　The Royal Commission of Inquiry¹ into the disaster at the Pike River Mine started this week. Twenty-nine miners died in the explosion at the mine. The Inquiry is headed by a judge. It is like a court.

　　The Inquiry will have four parts. From July 11th to 22nd, the focus is on the background or the context. How was the Pike River Mine built? Why was it built this way? How did it operate?

　　The next part will focus on the Search and Rescue. This will be held in September. Part three is: What happened that day? Part 4 is: What lessons can be learned for the future. There is no date yet for parts 3 and 4 but they will be later this year.

　　So far this week, the Inquiry has heard some negative things about the mine. A geologist² said she was not happy with the geological work that was done before the mine was built. Two other witnesses talked about problems of safety in the mine.

　　The families of the dead miners are finding this information very upsetting.

　　Vocabulary

　　A Royal Commission of Inquiry means that this is most important kind of inquiry. It has a judge at the head, and lawyers to ask the witnesses questions.

　　“head” is usually a noun but can be used as a verb. To head an organization is to be the head, or to be in charge.

　　“context” – the general situation e.g. the background, where it was situated³, the kind of mine, who worked there, how it operated.

　　“witness” – a person who give evidence in a court. A witness tells what he or she knows about the case.

　　“upsetting” – this is a very common word in speaking. If someone is upset, he or she may feel like crying.

　　Pronunciation

　　Note the stress on the second syllable⁴ of the noun “geologist” and the third syllable of adjective “geological”. In English, this kind of stress shift is very common.

1 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

2 geologist   

n.地质学家

参考例句：

• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley.在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。
• He was a geologist,rated by his cronies as the best in the business.他是一位地质学家，被他的老朋友们看做是这门行当中最好的一位。

3 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

4 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。