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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
At least 140 people have died in Australia's worst-ever bushfire disaster. Arsonists1, who are thought to have been responsible for some of the devastating2 outbreaks in the southern state, Victoria, have been accused of mass murder by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Queen Elizabeth has sent a message of condolence to families of the victims.
Senior Wildlife Officer Geoff McClure inspects a homestead destroyed by fire near Alexandra, some 120 kilometres northeast of Melbourne, 09 Feb 2009
Cooler weather is helping3 the emergency effort, as about 30 fires continue to torment4 communities across Victoria.
However, there is a warning that dangerous days still lie ahead.
Victoria County Fire chief Stewart Kreltszheim says the military will provide much-needed support...
"We've also got the army moving in today and the army are going to provide us with some grunt5 [muscle-power], with some bulldozers and our tractors," he said.
Towering walls of flame, several storeys high, have destroyed entire communities, reduced to barely more than piles of ash. To add to the loss of life, homes, churches, supermarkets and police stations have been obliterated6.
Dozens of people are still missing. Survivor7 Wade8 Horton describes terrifying ordeal9 as the flames raced towards him...
"The smoke was coming over all day, but from what we could tell it was miles away and then walked up the front and I saw it hit the top of the mountain and within a minute it was down to the bottom of the valley and that whole valley across the other side was a wall of fire,' he said.
New Zealand has offered to send fire fighters to relieve exhausted10 crews in Victoria.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth, who is Australia's head of state, has sent a message of condolence to families of the victims and has also praised the extraordinary efforts of firefighters. The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken to his Australian counterpart, Kevin Rudd, and says that his government is ready to help, if needed.
Mr. Rudd says that arsonists suspected of starting some of Victoria's fires are guilty of "mass murder."
As the Australian army joins the search for those missing in the fires, investigators11 have grave concerns about what they might find in the charred12 remains13 of homes and cars.
It has been an excruciating wait for survivors14, desperate for news of relatives and friends they have not been able to contact. Doctors treating burns victims have said that some have been so badly injured they will probably die, as Australia continues to count the heartbreaking cost of its most savage15 bushfire disaster.
1 arsonists | |
n.纵火犯( arsonist的名词复数 ) | |
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2 devastating | |
adj.毁灭性的,令人震惊的,强有力的 | |
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3 helping | |
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的 | |
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4 torment | |
n.折磨;令人痛苦的东西(人);vt.折磨;纠缠 | |
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5 grunt | |
v.嘟哝;作呼噜声;n.呼噜声,嘟哝 | |
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6 obliterated | |
v.除去( obliterate的过去式和过去分词 );涂去;擦掉;彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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7 survivor | |
n.生存者,残存者,幸存者 | |
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8 wade | |
v.跋涉,涉水;n.跋涉 | |
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9 ordeal | |
n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验 | |
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10 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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11 investigators | |
n.调查者,审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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12 charred | |
v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式);烧焦 | |
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13 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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14 survivors | |
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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15 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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