VOA标准英语2010年-US Navy Hospital Ship in Haiti, Treati

The U.S. Navy Hospital ship Comfort reached Haiti before dawn Wednesday morning.  Around that time, an aftershock that could even be felt on the Comfort, jolted¹ the island, wrecking² the pier³ that was going to be used as a staging area for patients. The ship's medical teams continue to receive patients by air.

At first light Wednesday morning, a smokey haze⁴ hung over Port-au-Prince, burning off as the day progressed.  It is the view from the deck of the hospital ship Comfort, roughly two kilometers off shore.

The Comfort's two helicopters have been coming and going at a rapid pace, with the ability to ferry up to 11 patients at a time to the hospital ship. 

Among them is a man who appears to be in his early twenties.  One-third of his body is badly burned, and his head and face are charred⁵ and raw in places.  Director of Surgery Commander Tim Donahue says the young man was brought in from a triage facility on the island.   "He was the victim sort of an explosion when the gas station went off.  This burn is, I'm shocked that he's doing this well, this many days out," he said.

Elsewhere, the pediatric ward⁶ is ready for the smallest patients. Each bed has a stuffed animal sitting on a pillow - teddy bears, dinosaurs⁷, dogs, monkeys and even unicorns⁸.  The school-age child of one of the doctors on the Comfort organized a toy-collection drive right after the earthquake, and in a matter of 24 hours collected boxes of stuffed toys. 

Doctors say children tend to make up about one-third of patients after disasters.  Pediatric orthopedic surgeon Commander William Todd anticipates that many of the patients will be orphans⁹ or have been separated from their parents. "I think we're going to see a lot of those issues right now.  We're going to see parents not knowing where their kids are and kids not knowing where their parents are," he said.

There is a very hopeful story aboard the Comfort - one of a mother made, not lost.

Twenty-one-year-old Gean Beline sits on the side of a bed in pediatrics, her head cocked sideways, smiling as she looks at her tiny baby, asleep in a playpen alongside stuffed toys.  She named him Vinson, after the U.S. Aircraft Carrier Carl Vinson, where he was born only days ago.  She said it felt right, and that she liked the name.

But there are also the people who are trying desperately¹⁰ to reach this ship by any means possible.  As of Wednesday afternoon, a ferry boat packed with Haitians fleeing the island was about 1,000 meter from the Comfort.  And a person in a kayak has paddled toward and around the hospital ship for hours, the kayak cutting a slip of bright orange in the blue sea.  A number of guard boats are keeping the various crafts at bay.

1 jolted   

（使）摇动， （使）震惊( jolt的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• She was jolted out of her reverie as the door opened. 门一开就把她从幻想中惊醒。

2 wrecking   

破坏

参考例句：

• He teed off on his son for wrecking the car. 他严厉训斥他儿子毁坏了汽车。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Instead of wrecking the valley, the waters are put to use making electricity. 现在河水不但不在流域内肆疟，反而被人们用来生产电力。 来自辞典例句

3 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

4 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

5 charred   

v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式)；烧焦

参考例句：

• the charred remains of a burnt-out car 被烧焦的轿车残骸
• The intensity of the explosion is recorded on the charred tree trunks. 那些烧焦的树干表明爆炸的强烈。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。

7 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 unicorns   

n.（传说中身体似马的）独角兽( unicorn的名词复数 )；一角鲸；独角兽标记

参考例句：

• Unicorns are legendary beasts. 独角兽是传说里的野兽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Assemble50 Elder Druids, 30 Silver Unicorns and10 Green Dragons do defend it. 募集50个德鲁伊长老，30只银色独角兽和10条绿龙用于防御。 来自互联网

9 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。

10 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。