VOA慢速英语2014--加纳金矿或许存在危险

 

AS IT IS 2014-10-26 Gold Mining in Ghana Can Be Dangerous 加纳金矿或许存在危险

The rivers in Ghana’s Ashanti area have a sickly brown color. The land has gashes², holes cut by excavators. The air is filled with the sound of mining equipment.

Small mining operations are a common sight in central Ghana. Here, mine workers dig deep into the earth in search of bullion³. But not everyone returns alive.

Earlier this year, six miners were killed when an earthen wall collapsed⁵ in Kyekyewere, a village in the Ashanti Region.

Local officials say a collapse⁴ last year killed 17 people at a small mine in Ghana’s Central Region.

Sebastian Aduko has worked in the mining business for 13 years. He says the risk is undeniably dangerous, but can be lessened⁶ if mines are built the right way.

“The moment we are all rushing to collect what we all wanted from the ground there. So definitely it will collapse. So that’s why we can explain that the other side, we heard that maybe this hole have collapse, maybe three, 10 people have died through there. Because, if we are watching that, there’s not anything that look like a cage that we are using like here.”

The Atunsu Cocoase small-scale mine sits at the end of a dirt road. The operators say they follow government rules and work on land leased, or on loan, from a local village.

Said Abubakari is chairman of the mine’s management committee. He says the business is profitable, and not hard to find workers.

“Anyone can do it, that is why. There is no education or unless you get HND certificate, you have to get up to university level before you come and do it. The moment you are 18 years, the moment you reach at 18 years, then you are free to come and join it. It’s a free work.”

Nana Kofi Gyau is a local government official. He says the mines are hardly harmless. No one collects water from the local streams anymore because of pollutants⁷. Many farmers sell off their land so mines can grow.

The official adds there are few jobs for young men in the countryside. So if you can dig, you may have a chance as a miner.

“So far as there’s no work and the people are also feeling hungry, because the money is on the ground. They won’t sit down and feel hungry so far as the money is on the ground. God has given us a lot of money in the soil, so they have to fight for it.”

Said Abubakari says the mine is quiet this time of the year. Underground water levels are high, making deep digging difficult. He adds when the water levels drop, thousands will arrive at the mine to dig up the land.

Words in this Story 

excavator - n. earth-moving equipment; a person who digs up things that have been buried for a long time   

gash¹ – n. a long, deep cut

bullion – n. gold or silver

undeniably – adj. clearly true; impossible to deny

1 gash   

v.深切，划开；n.(深长的)切(伤)口；裂缝

参考例句：

• The deep gash in his arm would take weeks to heal over.他胳膊上的割伤很深，需要几个星期的时间才能痊愈。
• After the collision,the body of the ship had a big gash.船被撞后，船身裂开了一个大口子。

2 gashes   

n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The classmates' hearts ached for him and they begged him to wear gloves to prevent any more gashes. 同学们都心疼他，劝他干活时戴上手套，免得再弄破手。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He stripped himself, and I counted twenty-seven separate scars and gashes. 他脱去衣服，我在他身上数出了二十七处瘢痕和深深的伤口。 来自辞典例句

3 bullion   

n.金条，银条

参考例句：

• In the London bullion market yesterday,the price of gold was steady.昨天伦敦金银市场黄金价格稳定。
• Police have launched a man-hunt for the bullion robbers.警方已大举搜捕抢劫金条的罪犯。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 lessened   

减少的，减弱的

参考例句：

• Listening to the speech through an interpreter lessened its impact somewhat. 演讲辞通过翻译的嘴说出来，多少削弱了演讲的力量。
• The flight to suburbia lessened the number of middle-class families living within the city. 随着迁往郊外的风行，住在城内的中产家庭减少了。

7 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法