VOA标准英语2010年-Gulf of Mexico Oil Well Remains Shut A

U.S. officials say a cap on a damaged oil well in the Gulf¹ of Mexico appears to have a small leak, but they say there are no plans to remove the cap from the well. Engineers are carefully studying the well for any evidence of problems.

Engineers spotted² the leak in the containment³ cap that was placed on the damaged well last week.  BP installed the tight-fitting cover to enable them to seal the well as part of a pressure test that started on Thursday.

U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, who is overseeing the response operation, says the leak appeared as pressure continues to build inside the well.  He says engineers have found no signs of oil exiting the leak.  Instead, he says, they see hydrates, which form when natural gas mixes with cold ocean water. "There may not be any clear visual indication of the oil.  We believe it is a small amount of oil and a small amount of natural gas, and the natural gas would be associated with the hydrates," he said.

The pressure test was initially⁴ set to end Saturday.  But U.S. officials have agreed to allow BP to continue on a day-by-day basis.

Teams of scientists from the U.S. government and BP are monitoring the well and the Gulf floor in the area for signs of problems.  Officials say they want to ensure that the pressure test does not damage the well pipe that runs nearly four kilometers under the floor of the Gulf of Mexico.

Admiral Allen says scientists have been studying evidence of liquids seeping⁵ through the Gulf floor near the well in recent days.  So far, he says experts believe the seeps⁶ are among the scores that occur naturally in the region. "The small seepages we are finding right now do not present at this point any indication there is a threat to the well bore.  If we think that was going to happen we would take immediate⁷ action," he said.

Admiral Allen says his team has been pressing BP engineers to be prepared to investigate other seeps or anomalies in the sea floor as quickly as possible.  He says BP has agreed to use its remote-controlled submarines near the well site to that end. "The number one issue is to be able to respond to an anomaly that would indicate we have an irreversible problem in the well bore, and be able to respond to that," he said.

Allen says no decision has been made about how long the pressure test will continue or whether the well might be reopened.  If the cap is reopened, BP crews plan to use four vessels⁸ to siphon oil from the well to prevent it from leaking into Gulf waters.

 

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

3 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

4 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。

5 seeping   

v.（液体）渗( seep的现在分词 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water had been slowly seeping away from the pond. 池塘里的水一直在慢慢渗漏。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Chueh-hui could feel the cold seeping into his bones. 觉慧开始觉得寒气透过衣服浸到身上来了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

6 seeps   

n.（液体）渗( seep的名词复数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出v.（液体）渗( seep的第三人称单数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water seeps through sand. 水渗入沙中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Water seeps out of the wall. 水从墙里沁出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》