新西兰英语 619 Earthquake Inquiry

 　　First listen to September 15th 2011 to hear about the Royal Commission¹ of Inquiry² into the Canterbury Earthquakes.

　　The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Canterbury Earthquakes started hearings today to find out why the CTV building collapsed³. CTV is Canterbury Television. CTV workers were in the bottom two floors. No one in those first two floors survived.

　　Today, the Royal Commission heard from several witnesses⁵ who said that after the September 2010 earthquake, the building did not feel safe. Workers thought the building moved when trucks went past but were told not to worry. Engineers had checked the building after September.

　　One witness⁴ today who had been on the top floor – the sixth floor – said she was shocked to find herself on the ground floor after the earthquake in February 2011. She could feel herself falling, as if she was in a very fast elevator. Another woman and her two young children also fell from the top floor to the ground floor but they could not get out. They were in a space like a box but were later rescued.

　　Another witness said the whole building collapsed in just a few seconds. It looked like a stack⁶ of pancakes. The only thing left was the wall with the elevators.

　　This part of the Inquiry will last about eight weeks. Eighty witnesses will give evidence⁷. They include engineers and the owner of the building.

　　Listen to February 12th 2012 to hear about the CTV building.

　　Vocabulary

　　hearing – judges hear evidence from witnesses; it is like a court

　　witness – a person who was there, who saw what happened or is an expert

　　stack of pancakes – pile of pancakes, one on top of another

　　evidence – a witness gives evidence; he or she has to promise to tell the truth

1 commission   

n.委托，授权，委员会，拥金，回扣，委任状

参考例句：

• The salesman can get commission on everything he sells.这个售货员能得到所售每件货物的佣金。
• The commission is made up of five people,including two women.委员会由五人组成，其中包括两名妇女。

2 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。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 witness   

n.证人，目击者，证据，证明，证词；vt.目击，作证，证明，表明，经历；vi.作证人

参考例句：

• She was a witness of the incident.她是事件的目击者。
• A witness was examined by him in a court of law.他在法庭上质问一个证人。

5 witnesses   

n.目击者( witness的名词复数 )；证词；见证（以言行证实信仰）；见证人v.作证( witness的第三人称单数 )；表示；（摆证据）…就是证据；是…的迹象

参考例句：

• The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses. 此证据由两名独立证人提供。
• Police have appealed for witnesses to the accident. 警方呼吁这起事故的目击者出来作证。

6 stack   

n.堆叠，堆；vt.堆积，成叠放在；vi.堆成一堆

参考例句：

• There's a whole stack of bills waiting to be paid.有一大堆账要付呢。
• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。

7 evidence   

n.明显，显著，明白，迹象，根据，[物]证据，证物

参考例句：

• The first signs of spring are in evidence.春天的最初迹象已显然可见。
• From the evidence I must conclude that you are wrong.从证据看，我敢断定你错了。