2014年CRI 台湾高雄燃气爆炸20死270伤 以色列与哈马斯同意加沙地区停火72小时

 

At least 20 people have been killed and some 270 others injured in a series of explosions in the city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan.

A massive underground gas leak last night set off a series of explosions which have ripped gaping¹ holes around a 3-square kilometer area along the city's southwest waterfront district.

Several firefighters are among the dead.

Kaohsiung's mayor is describing the incident as the worst the city has seen in decades.

The cause of the gas leak and subsequent explosions hasn't been determined² at this point.

No casualties are being reported following an explosion which ripped through a chemical plant in the city of Changzhou in the Yangtze River Delta³.

The explosion took place last night, almost two-hours after a fire first broke out at the plant.

The initial fire at the plant did force the evacuation of nearby residents.

It hasn't been made clear what type of chemicals the factory was producing.

The fire has since been contained, and an investigation⁴ into the cause of the fire and explosion is getting underway.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire in the Gaza Strip starting later on this Friday.

Despite the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing⁵ to destroy Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip "with or without a cease-fire."

The Israeli military has called up another 16-thousand reservists to bolster⁶ its current offensive.

Since the launch of Operation Protective Edge by the Israeli military last month, over 14-hundred Palestinians have been killed, most of them civilians⁷.

Close to 60 Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the offensive.

1 gaping   

adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大

参考例句：

• Ahead of them was a gaping abyss. 他们前面是一个巨大的深渊。
• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

4 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。

5 vowing   

起誓，发誓（vow的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild its collapsed bridge. 布什总统承诺将帮助明尼阿波利斯重建坍塌的大桥。
• President Bush is vowing to help Minneapolis rebuild this collapse bridge. 布什总统发誓要帮助明尼阿波利斯重建起这座坍塌的桥梁。

6 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

7 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。