美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-02-06

 "I was at the door of the club as soon as the fire started. I saw people shouting fire, fire, they were terrified, when I realized that there was fire, I rushed out of there. "

The fire he is talking about is one of the nightclub in Brazil over the weekend. And that last thing he said about rushing out is really important, because experts say that when a crisis¹ happens every second counts. When you're in a crowded place, like a club or a theatre, there are somethings you can do to be ready for an emergency.

Thanks, Carl, we talked to some fire protection and life safety experts this week after the fire in Brazil. And what they told us is there are two things that are very important when you're going to a venue², whether it's a public event, that's preparation and don't hesitate if there is an emergency. But another thing they told us is before you even go, make a plan with your friends, where you're going to meet in case something happens, it might be the car, it might be a public transit³ stop, it might have to be some place else because in case parking lot is too busy, or you can't get to your car because it's blocked. So what you do is like say you're going to a movie theater  or you go to a nightclub, identify who the workers there are. They might be wearing a particular color shirt, you might ask them where the extra exists are or if they unavailable to do that, then go take a lap around, or if you're sitting in a movie theater, look around to see if where the extra exists are. Because if an emergency happens, most people are going to head out the way they came in, that's what's familiar to them. And people tend to stick with that, if you familiarize yourself with the alternate⁴ exists, then that's the way you're going to go if you can in case there is an emergency. Now if you hear fire alarm, don't hesitate, head for the exists. One expert told me it's those ten seconds that can cost you your life. So head for the door if you can't see because the smoke is coming down or it's too thick, and feel your way forward, go in a straight line until you hit a wall, when you hit the wall, then you're going to take your hand, and you're going to follow it around until you get to maybe a door or you get to a window.

Brazil is going through three days of mourning for the hundreds of people killed in that nightclub. Police have arrested several people in connection with the fire, those people are being held temporarily five days to start with, authorities⁵ say they need to do that in order to get more information for their investigation⁶.

1 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

2 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

3 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

4 alternate   

adj.交替的，间隔的；v.（使）轮流　　

参考例句：

• He and I clean our room on alternate days.我和他隔日轮流打扫我们的房间。
• That was a week of alternate rain and sunshine.那是晴雨天交替的一周。

5 authorities   

n.当局，权力，权威；权威( authority的名词复数 )；权力；学术权威；[复数]当权者

参考例句：

• They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees. 他们为被拘留者向当局求情。
• At his instigation we conceal the fact from the authorities. 我们受他的怂恿向当局隐瞒了事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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。