2006年VOA标准英语-Jubilation Turns to Anguish as Only 1 Mine

By Victor Beattie
Washington
04 January 2006

Family members react to the news of only one survivor¹ of the 13 trapped miners, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2006   
  
Nearly two days after an explosion trapped 13 men in a coal mine in the eastern U.S. state of West Virginia, only one of the miners was found alive. An error in communication from rescuers underground to the rescue command center at the surface initially² raised hopes that 12 had survived.

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The bells of the Sago Baptist Church near the mine pealed³ just before midnight after the initial news spread that 12 of the 13 trapped miners had been found alive. An explosion more than 40 hours earlier had trapped the men about 4,000 meters inside the mine.

However, rejoicing by rescuers, federal, local and state officials and especially among their families turned to stunned⁴ disbelief and grief following the news that only one miner was actually found alive.

Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer of the company that operates the mine, said early Wednesday that a tragic⁵ miscommunication had raised hopes of a miracle, only to be dashed three hours later:
 

Ben Hatfield  
  
"The initial report from the rescue team to the command center indicated multiple survivors⁶, but that information proved to be a miscommunication," he explained. "The only confirmed survivor is Randall L. McCloy Junior who has now been rushed to a local hospital in serious condition. The 11 remaining miners in the barricade⁷ structure were determined⁸ by the medical technicians on the rescue team to have already deceased."

Mr. Hatfield says the company, International Coal Group, never released any information about the status of the miners until it was absolutely convinced the information was accurate.

"What happened is that through stray cell phone conversations it appears that this miscommunication from the rescue team underground to the command center was picked up by various people that simply overheard the conversation that was relayed over cell phone communications without our ever having made a [public news] release," he explained. "International Coal Group never made any release about all 12 of the miners being alive and well. We simply couldn't confirm that."

He says the information was considered by members of the public as reliable since it came from the command center. Mr. Hatfield says the company is incredibly saddened by what he calls "the horrific loss of these sons, husbands, brothers and fathers." He says a thorough investigation⁹ of the accident will be conducted by federal and state mine regulatory officials with the full support of his company.

The state's governor, Joe Manchin, cautioned against blaming the rescuers, saying the initial information relayed by underground rescuers may have been misinterpreted.

"If somebody might have said something that we have one [miner] or two [miners] and all 12 are here, you don't know how that could have been interpreted or how it was heard." he said.

The governor says the 13th miner, whose body was discovered and removed late Tuesday, probably died from the initial blast on Monday. Dangerous levels of lethal¹⁰ carbon monoxide hampered¹¹ rescue efforts.

Mine disasters in the United States have declined in recent decades with the imposition of mine safety regulations. The most recent occurred in the southern state of Alabama in December of 2001. Thirteen miners died in that accident.

A frequent cause of such mishaps¹² is a buildup of naturally occurring methane¹³ gas that is odorless and highly flammable. It becomes a greater problem during periods of colder weather because barometric¹⁴ pressure causes more of the gas to be released.
 
 

1 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

2 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

3 pealed   

v.（使）（钟等）鸣响，（雷等）发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The bells pealed (out) over the countryside. 钟声响彻郊野。 来自辞典例句
• A gun shot suddenly pealed forth and shot its flames into the air. 突然一声炮响，一道火光升上天空。 来自辞典例句

4 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

5 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

6 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

7 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

8 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。

9 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。

10 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

11 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

12 mishaps   

n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a series of mishaps 一连串的倒霉事
• In spite of one or two minor mishaps everything was going swimmingly. 尽管遇到了一两件小小的不幸，一切都进行得很顺利。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

14 barometric   

大气压力

参考例句：

• Electricity compensates for barometric pressure as well as system pressure variations. 用电补偿大气压和系统压力的变化。
• A barometric altimeter indicates height above sea level or some other selected elevation. 气压高度表用以指示海平面或另外某个被选定高度以上的高度。