美国有线新闻 CNN 巴西溃坝事故已致150人遇难

 

We're starting today's show in the South American nation of Brazil, which is trying to come to grips with the worst mining disaster in its history.

We told you on January 28, how the collapse¹ of a dam at an iron mine sent a flood of mining debris² and mud into the city of Brumadinho. The number of people who died from the incident has risen to 150, and Brazil's government says at least 182 others are still missing.

Rescue officials do not think they're going to find any more survivors³, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation. It also reports that Vale, the company that owns the mine says it followed recommended safety procedures. But this is the second mine owned by Vale where a dam has collapsed⁴. The other incident happened in the same region in 2015, killing⁵ 19 people and polluting the environment.

And as the Reuters news organization reports, a Brazilian state official recently blamed the same problem for both disasters. Parts of the dam which was made of dried mud and sand turned into liquid, causing the structure to fail. In addition to the lives lost, the collapse contaminated a river downstream with mining debris, waste and toxins⁶. And observers say the resulting pollution from that could indirectly⁷ impact millions.

1 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

2 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

3 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 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。

5 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

6 toxins   

n.毒素( toxin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The seas have been used as a receptacle for a range of industrial toxins. 海洋成了各种有毒工业废料的大容器。
• Most toxins are naturally excreted from the body. 大部分毒素被自然排出体外。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 indirectly   

adv.间接地，不直接了当地

参考例句：

• I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
• They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人，他们进行了间接接触。