密歇根新闻广播 恶作剧电话让美国海军警卫队欲哭无泪

 

The U.S. Coast Guard has a message for us: knock it off with the prank¹ calls.

The Coast Guard is seeing a big jump in phony distress² calls: more than 160 made across the Great Lakes so far this year.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Brian McCrum is stationed at the Coast Guard station in Cleveland, Ohio that oversees³ the Great Lakes.

“We’re not talking about those instances where someone in good faith makes a call or sees something on the water they think could be a person and they call,” McCrum said.

“Someone is intentionally⁴ trying to play a prank on the coast guard and waste the taxpayers’ money,” he said.

Every time there’s a distress call, the Coast Guard responds no matter what. Response boats that coast $4,500 per hour to operate typically go out first, and helicopters which can cost $16,000 per hour are also often used.

Anyone caught prank-calling the Coast Guard can face up to six years in prison, plus a $250,000 fine and possible reimbursement⁵ to the Coast Guard, according to McCrum.

In a curious case that ended up being a false alarm, not a prank call, two kayakers in Lorain, Ohio were reported missing Tuesday evening. The owner of a boat launch and kayak rental⁶ agency reported the missing kayakers, triggering a search by the U.S. Coast Guard, Canadian Royal Air Force and local authorities. Eventually, a reporter found the kayaks on the coastline close to a boat launch early Wednesday morning after an all-night search. The two people reported missing are now presumed safe, and the Coast Guard has closed the case.

Despite false alarms and an increase in prank calls, McCrum says the Coast Guard doesn’t want anyone to hesitate to send a distress call if they believe someone could be in legitimate⁷ danger. Or, if boaters accidentally send a false distress, McCrum says call the Coast Guard back and let them know it was a mistake.

“We don’t want people to be scared if your kid is messing around on the radio or something,” McCrum said. “If you know of someone who accidentally put out a false distress, give your local Coast Guard station a call, and we’ll cancel it immediately. That’s us working together.”

Listen to the entire conversation with Coast Guard Petty Officer Third Class Brian McCrum, above.

1 prank   

n.开玩笑，恶作剧；v.装饰；打扮；炫耀自己

参考例句：

• It was thought that the fire alarm had been set off as a prank.人们认为火警报警器响是个恶作剧。
• The dean was ranking the boys for pulling the prank.系主任正在惩罚那些恶作剧的男学生。

2 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

3 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

4 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

5 reimbursement   

n.偿还，退还

参考例句：

• He received reimbursement for his travel expenses.由于出差的花费他可以得到公司的补偿。
• Which forms do I need to complete for my travel reimbursement?我需要填什么表来报我的旅费？

6 rental   

n.租赁，出租，出租业

参考例句：

• The yearly rental of her house is 2400 yuan.她这房子年租金是2400元。
• We can organise car rental from Chicago O'Hare Airport.我们可以安排提供从芝加哥奥黑尔机场出发的租车服务。

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。