VOA慢速英语2021 台湾高雄大楼着火导致46人遇难

A nighttime building fire in southern Taiwan that took hours to bring under control killed 46 people Thursday.

台湾省南部一栋大楼周四夜间起火，火情花了数小时才得以控制，造成46人遇难。

Officials in the city of Kaohsiung said at least 41 people were injured.

高雄市官员表示，至少还有41人受伤。

The fire started early Thursday morning local time. A statement by the fire department described it as "extremely fierce." Flames and smoke poured from the lower floors as firefighters tried to control the fire.

这场火灾于周四凌晨着起。消防部门的一份声明称火灾极其凶猛。消防员试图控制火势，火焰和烟雾从低楼层喷涌而出。

The number of dead rose during the day as rescue workers searched the building which combined businesses and homes. By late afternoon, officials confirmed 32 people had died, while 14 people, who showed no signs of life, were among 55 taken to the hospital. In Taiwan, official confirmation¹ of a death is made at the hospital.

随着救援人员白天在这栋商住大楼展开搜救，死亡人数进一步上升。到下午晚些时候，官方证实有32人死亡，被送往医院的55人当中，也有14人没有了生命迹象。在台湾省，官方确认死亡是在医院进行的。

Firefighters could be seen spraying² water into the middle floors of the 13-floor building. One woman, who was not identified, said on Taiwanese television that her 60-to-70 year old parents were still inside as rescue efforts continued.

可以看到消防员朝着这栋13层大楼的中间楼层喷水。随着救援工作的继续，一名身份不明的女士在台湾省的一家电视台上表示，她六七十岁的父母仍被困在屋内。

Taiwan's Central News Agency³ reported that officials said the building's age and waste blocking many areas made search and rescue efforts more difficult.

台湾省的中央通讯社报道称，官员们说这座大楼年代久远，许多区域被垃圾堵塞，导致搜救工作变得更加困难。

Many of the people living in the 40-year-old building were retired⁴ and lived alone in apartments as small as 13 square meters, local media reported. The building had 120 living spaces on the upper floors. It also had a closed movie theater, disused restaurants and karaoke businesses below them, the Central News Agency said. Mayor⁵ Chen Chi-mai said the building was partly abandoned.

据当地媒体报道，这栋有着40年楼龄的大楼里的许多住户都退休了，他们独自生活在这些小到13平米的公寓里。中央通讯社表示，这栋大楼的高楼层有120户。在他们楼下还有一家停业的电影院，有废弃的餐馆和卡拉OK厅。高雄市长陈其迈表示，这栋大楼已经部分废弃。

The United Daily News, a major newspaper, said fire extinguishers had been put in place last month. But there were only three on each floor because the residents⁶ could not pay for more.

台湾省重要媒体《联合日报》报道称，灭火器已于上个月安装到位。但是每层只有3个灭火器，因为居民买不起更多。

The fire appeared to have started on the ground floor.

这场火灾似乎是从一楼着起的。

Investigators⁷ were examining a first-floor tea shop whose owner reportedly fought with his girlfriend the day before. They had not ruled out that the fire may have been set on purpose, The United Daily News reported.

调查人员正在调查一楼的一家茶馆，据报道该茶馆老板前一天跟女友发生了争执。据《联合日报》报道称，他们不排除火灾可能是故意纵火。

1 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

2 spraying   

n.喷雾v.喷( spray的现在分词 )；向…扫射（或抛洒），往…上撒；尤指雄猫撒尿（以示领地占有）

参考例句：

• Some people exterminate garden insects by spraying poison on the plants. 有些人在植物上喷撒毒剂以杀死花园内的昆虫。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They celebrated their win, in time-honoured fashion, by spraying champagne everywhere. 他们用四处喷香槟的这种传统方式庆祝胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

6 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

7 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》