英语听力—环球英语 1167 Between Memories and Truth

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Adam Navis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　On August 5th, 2010, Jose Henriquez, Edison Pena, and 31 other men went to work. They were miners³ at the San Jose Mine near Capiapo, Chile. Much of the land in Chile is full of valuable minerals. At the San Jose Mine, miners worked under the ground. Their job was to find and dig copper⁴ and gold out of the ground. It was supposed to be a normal day. But instead it was a day of crisis⁵. Today's Spotlight is on the San Jose Mine crisis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　On that day in August, a group of 33 miners worked deep under the ground. Suddenly, the ground above them collapsed⁷. Large rocks began to fall. These rocks blocked the path that led back to the surface. Huge clouds of dust filled the mine. Jose Henriquez, Edison Pena, and the other miners could not reach the surface. The miners were trapped.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Luis Urzúa was the leader of the work group. He knew there was a safe room close by. This room had extra support so that falling rocks would not be able to crush⁸ the space. Urzúa led the men down to the room – it was 700 meters under the ground. The miners called this room "the refuge⁹" because it was their place of safety.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In "the refuge" Urzúa prepared for a bad situation. He organized the miners. Some men searched for another way out of the mine. Others made "the refuge" and the surrounding paths safer. All the men took turns with these jobs.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Urzúa also organized the food. The miners had enough food for two days. But Urzúa reduced how much food each man received. The men only ate every other day. Each man ate two bites of tuna fish, took one drink of milk, and ate a small piece of fruit. As a result, they made the food last for two weeks. Urzúa prepared the trapped miners to survive under the ground for as long as possible.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　For weeks, the trapped men waited for help. They believed they had a better chance to survive if their attitudes were positive. So, they did things to encourage themselves.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Edison Pena enjoyed music by the famous musician Elvis Presley. So he led the men in singing Elvis songs. Pena also continued to exercise. He would run many kilometers each day! This physical exercise helped him remember his desire to live.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Jose Henriquez found hope in his Christian¹⁰ faith. He believed God would keep them safe. And he trusted God to save them. Many other men found hope in their Christian faith too. Henriquez told the BBC,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"We began by praying. We sat in a circle and prayed together. Two times a day we would have prayer services. Each person could pray and tell what he was feeling in his heart. Then I would speak to them about God."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　While the trapped men waited under the ground, people gathered on the surface. A rescue team organized efforts to find the miners. Families of the men gathered too. They hoped the men had survived. News organizations from around the world came to report about the crisis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The rescue team started their work immediately. They used several drills. These tools made very deep and narrow holes in the ground. Rescue workers hoped one of these drills would reach the miners. 17 days passed. Finally, one of the drills broke through the rock just outside of "the refuge"! The trapped miners saw it. They tied a note to the end of the drill. The rescue team felt a pressure change on the drill. They knew they had found an open space under the ground. So they pulled the drill back to the surface. At the end of the drill was the note from the miners. The note said,

 

　　Voice 3

 

　　"We are fine in the refuge, all 33 of us."

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The rescue workers and families on the surface celebrated¹¹ the good news! Rescue workers sent a camera down the drill hole. The world was able to see pictures and film of the miners. And the people on the surface were able to communicate with the miners. Rescue workers also used the holes to send the miners much needed food and medicine. However, the drill holes were not large enough to remove the miners.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　So now, the rescue team had to create a rescue plan. The rescue was going to be very difficult. They needed to make a hole wide enough for a human to fit through. Not very many drills can make a hole this big. And workers feared that the large drills could cause another collapse⁶ of rock in the mine. They needed to be very careful.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The rescue team organized three drilling plans - "Plan A," "Plan B," and "Plan C." They decided¹² to try all three plans at the same time. If one plan failed, the rescue would not be delayed. Each plan used a different kind of drill and method of drilling. And each drill entered the ground at a different place. On October 9, after 52 days of drilling, the Plan B drill reached the miners.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Next, the rescue workers created a container shaped like a large bullet¹³. The container was large enough to fit one person. It could be lowered down into the hole and raised back up to carry a miner² to the surface.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　On October 12, the rescue team was ready. After 69 days trapped in the mine, it was time to bring the miners out. The rescue team sent a container down into the mine - with one rescue worker inside. It took about 15 minutes for the rescue worker to reach the trapped men. Once he arrived he looked over the container - to make sure it was safe. Then he prepared the men for their trip to the surface!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　For 25 hours, the rescue team worked. They sent four more rescue workers down. And one by one the trapped miners returned to the surface. With each successful trip, the rescue workers and families celebrated. People cried tears of joy.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　On October 13, 2010, Luis Urzúa entered the rescue container. He was the last miner to leave the mine. When he reached the surface, the rescue workers in the mine held up a sign to the rescue camera. The sign said, "Mission¹⁴ Accomplished¹⁵ Chile." They had completed their goal!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When the last rescue worker returned to the surface, the president of Chile placed a metal cover over the rescue hole. The long and horrible crisis was finished.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　However, the crisis and rescue is only part of the amazing story. Listen for another Spotlight program about life AFTER the San Jose Mine Crisis.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Courtney Schutt. The producer was Ryan Geertsma. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. You can find this program and many others on our website at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called "The San Jose Mine Crisis." We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye!

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 miner   

n.矿工

参考例句：

• He was a miner all his working life.他一辈子都是矿工。
• I think it is dangerous to be a miner.我认为当矿工是很危险的。

3 miners   

矿工( miner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The coal miners have come out for about two weeks. 煤矿工人已罢工约两周了。
• The roof of the cave dropped in on the miners, trapping them. 洞穴的顶部坍了下来，砸在矿工身上。

4 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

5 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

6 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。

7 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。

8 crush   

v.压垮，压倒，压服，镇压；压碎，碾碎

参考例句：

• This machine is made to crush the rock into powder.这台机器是用来把石头压成碎末的。
• You can't crush so many people into the classroom.不能让这么多人挤进教室。

9 refuge   

n.避难（处），庇护（所）；v.庇护，避难（所）

参考例句：

• They took refuge in a cave yesterday.他们昨天是在一个洞里避难的。
• We took refuge in the lee of the wall.我们在墙的背风处暂避。

10 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

11 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 bullet   

n.枪弹，子弹

参考例句：

• The bullet wound in his shoulder was opened up for treatment.切开他肩上的枪伤进行治疗。
• The bullet missed me by a hair's s breadth.那颗子弹差一点就打中了我。

14 mission   

n.使命，任务，天职；代表团，使团

参考例句：

• He was charged with an important mission.他受委托承担一项重要使命。
• I'll leave you to undertake an important mission.我要让你承担一项重要使命。

15 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。