美国国家公共电台 NPR Branson Mayor Karen Best Reacts To Tragic Duck Boat Accident

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

We're going to turn now to Branson, Mo., where 17 people were killed when a tourist duck boat capsized in a lake during sudden foul¹ weather. Nine of the people killed were members of the same family, the Coleman family of Indiana. Karen Best is the mayor of Branson, Mo., and joins us now.

Mayor Best, thanks for being with us.

KAREN BEST: Thank you, Scott.

SIMON: First, I'm very sorry. This has to be a terrible time for the entire community. Is there any news that you know about the investigation² or information as to why this amphibious tourist boat sank?

BEST: I can tell you that both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Coast Guard arrived yesterday, and they will be jointly³ running the investigation, with the NTSB taking the lead. Senator McCaskill and Senator Blunt were both in town yesterday, as well, and just assuring that the groups that are going to be running the investigation would be looking at everything - looking at training, looking at inspections⁴, looking at the weather - everything that could have possibly been a factor in the accident.

SIMON: So I don't have to tell you, Mayor Best, there have been questions over the years - although there haven't been, as I understand, previous accidents in Branson. There have been questions raised over the years about duck boats and whether - you know, whether they're good for tourists, that they were built in a certain time during World War II to accomplish a certain mission, but they're not really good tourist vehicles. I'm wondering if you're having thoughts about that now.

BEST: You know, that's one of the things that I think we'll be looking at as we move forward with this attraction in our community. You know, anytime you have anything that has resulted in a loss of life, that's caused so much heartbreak in our community, I know you always want to look at everything that's involved with that entity⁵. And so once the investigation is complete, I know that that's some of the things that we'll be looking at. You know, we are very committed to making sure that our citizens and our visitors both are safe and they're safe on anything that we have in town, whether that be an attraction or anything that has that same appeal and feel to it.

SIMON: Have you been able to speak with any of the survivors⁶ or family members of the victims?

BEST: Yes. We opened City Hall the evening of the incident and became the place for the families to come to gather, to grieve, to look for loved ones. As a community, we had counselors⁷ there to help them. We became a shoulder to cry on. We cried with them. It's very hard to step aside and not have emotions when you're dealing⁸ with this - first responders and the citizens and the visitors, as well. And so we walked alongside them. We held their hands. We grieved with them. And it's not been an easy experience. It's been very heart-wrenching. It really is - we're really a heartbroken community. We're usually a community of smiles, but for the past 24, 36 hours, we've been a community of tears and grieving.

SIMON: And so, as you say, the NTSB is going to continue their investigation, and you'll have your own interest there, too, I would imagine.

BEST: Yes, absolutely. We'll be looking forward to all the information. I can tell you the evening that the boat sank, I was out on my front porch, watching the storm as it was getting ready to arrive. And the weather changed almost on a dime⁹. The winds came, and I was not expecting the severity of the storm that we received.

SIMON: Mayor Karen Best of Branson. Thanks so much.

BEST: Thank you.

1 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

4 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

6 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

7 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。