VOA标准英语2009年-Train Accident in India Kills at Least 21

By Anjana Pasricha
New Delhi
21 October 2009

In India, two passenger trains have collided, killing¹ at least 21 people and injuring more than 20 others. India's massive rail network ferries millions of passengers across the country, every day.

The accident occurred early Wednesday when a passenger train rammed² into another train which was waiting at a red signal near the northern city, Agra.

Both the trains were in the final leg of their journey at the time of the collision. They were heading to the capital, New Delhi, which is about 200 kilometers north of the accident site.

Passengers say they were sleeping when they felt a massive jolt³.

One eyewitness⁴ told television crews that people on the upper berths⁵ of the train came tumbling down, with the impact of the collision.

Soldiers assisted in the efforts to free passengers from the mangled⁶ coaches.

A northern railway spokesman, R.D. Vajpayee, told VOA, that the rear coach of the stationary⁷ train bore the brunt of the collision's impact.

 
Rescuers use gas cutters to open a wrecked⁸ compartment⁹ to free trapped passengers near Agra, about 210 kilometers southeast of New Delhi, India, 21 Oct 2009
"We had to rescue, take out the passengers which were trapped in the last coach," said Vajpayee. "And, gas cutters were used, and we had called the army also. They had assisted us and, within a few hours, we had completed with rescue operations."

Railway officials say they are not certain what caused the accident, but one of the trains may have overlooked a signal to stop. An inquiry¹⁰ has been ordered.

Trains are the most popular mode of long-distance travel in India. India operates one of the most extensive and busiest rail networks in the world - 9,000 passenger trains run every day, carrying more than 18-million people, daily, across the vast country.

There are about 300 Indian rail accidents every year, prompting calls for improving safety standards on the rail network. Earlier this month, a train derailed, killing one person. In February, a train accident in eastern India claimed 16 lives.

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

4 eyewitness   

n.目击者，见证人

参考例句：

• The police questioned several eyewitness to the murder.警察询问了谋杀案的几位目击者。
• He was the only eyewitness of the robbery.他是那起抢劫案的唯一目击者。

5 berths   

n.（船、列车等的）卧铺( berth的名词复数 )；（船舶的）停泊位或锚位；差事；船台vt.v.停泊( berth的第三人称单数 )；占铺位

参考例句：

• Berths on steamships can be booked a long while in advance. 轮船上的床位可以提前多日预订。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Have you got your berths on the ship yet? 你们在船上有舱位了吗？ 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 mangled   

vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• His hand was mangled in the machine. 他的手卷到机器里轧烂了。
• He was off work because he'd mangled his hand in a machine. 他没上班，因为他的手给机器严重压伤了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 stationary   

adj.固定的，静止不动的

参考例句：

• A stationary object is easy to be aimed at.一个静止不动的物体是容易瞄准的。
• Wait until the bus is stationary before you get off.你要等公共汽车停稳了再下车。

8 wrecked   

adj.失事的，遇难的

参考例句：

• the hulk of a wrecked ship 遇难轮船的残骸
• the salvage of the wrecked tanker 对失事油轮的打捞

9 compartment   

n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间

参考例句：

• We were glad to have the whole compartment to ourselves.真高兴，整个客车隔间由我们独享。
• The batteries are safely enclosed in a watertight compartment.电池被安全地置于一个防水的隔间里。

10 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。