NBC晚间新闻 芝加哥化学泄露致数人住院

A dangerous cloud of gas filled the sky after a tractor carrying a potentially deadly chemical leaked. The smell was very, very strong. It kind of looked like a really dense¹ fog. First responders arrived, two people unconscious on the street. Some emergency crews were initially² overcome by the fumes³. Residents ordered to shelter in place because the chemical and hydrous ammonia can be fatal at high concentrations. Reason first responders checked more than a hundred homes.

We want to be sure if somebody was sleeping with the windows open last night that they're safe. Because this is a silent gas so to speak. More than three dozen people, including eleven firefighters were hospitalized. Several in critical but stable condition. The smell just hit me like, oh what is that. The chemical is used as fertilizer. Exposure causes eye, nose and throat irritation⁴, difficulty breathing, burns and blisters⁵. The emergency order looked at late today. Still no word on what caused the leak.

一辆载有可能致命的化学物质的拖拉机发生泄漏，天空中充满了危险的气团。味道非常非常强烈。看起来就像浓雾一样。急救人员到达时，街上已有两个人陷入昏迷。一些紧急救援人员最初被烟雾笼罩。居民们被要求就近避难，因为高浓度的化学物质和含水氨可能致命。急救人员给出了他们检查了100多家房屋的原因。我们想确定昨晚是否有人开着窗户睡觉，他们是否安全。因为这是一种无声气体。包括11名消防员在内的30多名人员被送往医院。其中几个人处于危急但稳定的状态。我闻到这个气味的时候就在想，这是什么东西。这种化学物质被用作肥料。接触它会导致眼睛、鼻子和喉咙发炎，呼吸困难，烧伤和水泡。紧急命令今天晚些时候才开始执行。目前还没有关于泄露原因的消息。

1 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

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 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

4 irritation   

n.激怒，恼怒，生气

参考例句：

• He could not hide his irritation that he had not been invited.他无法掩饰因未被邀请而生的气恼。
• Barbicane said nothing,but his silence covered serious irritation.巴比康什么也不说，但是他的沉默里潜伏着阴郁的怒火。

5 blisters   

n.水疱( blister的名词复数 )；水肿；气泡

参考例句：

• My new shoes have made blisters on my heels. 我的新鞋把我的脚跟磨起泡了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His new shoes raised blisters on his feet. 他的新鞋把他的脚磨起了水疱。 来自《简明英汉词典》