VOA慢速英语2019 澳大利亚在野火救援中的军事援助（在线收听）

Australia’s Military Aids in Wildfire Rescues

Tens of thousands of vacationers raced to flee seaside towns on Australia's east coast Thursday as fires burned across large areas.

星期四，大面积的大火燃烧，成千上万的度假者竞相逃离澳大利亚东海岸的海边小镇。

Military ships and helicopters have begun rescuing thousands of people trapped by the fires.

军舰和直升机已经开始营救数千名被大火困住的人。

Fueled by hot weather and high winds, more than 200 fires are now burning across the southeastern states of New South Wales and Victoria.

在炎热的天气和强风的推动下，新南威尔士州和维多利亚州的东南各州目前燃烧着200多场大火。

Long lines formed outside food stores and fuel stations near high-danger areas. Shelves were emptied of foods like bread and milk as local people and visitors sought supplies to either stay or leave.

在高危险区域附近的食品商店和加油站外面排成长队。货架上的面包和牛奶之类的食物倒空了，当地人和游客都在寻找可以留下或离开的物品。

More than 50,000 people were reported without electricity. Some affected towns had no available drinking water.

据报告，有超过50,000人没有电。一些受影响的城镇没有可用的饮用水。

Evacuation urged

敦促疏散

Officials urged evacuation of several towns on Australia's southeast coast, a popular area during the holiday season. The officials warned that extreme heat predicted for the weekend will fuel the fires' growth.

官员们敦促撤离澳大利亚东南沿海几个节日期间受欢迎的地区。官员警告说，预计周末的高温将助长火势的增长。

"The priority today is fighting fires and evacuating, getting people to safety," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney.

总理斯科特·莫里森（Scott Morrison）在悉尼对记者说：“今天的首要任务是扑救和撤离人员，使人们安全。”

The wildfires have kiiled eight people in the eastern states of New South Wales and Victoria since Monday. Eighteen other people are still missing, officials said Thursday.

自周一以来，山火已将东部新南威尔士州和维多利亚州的八人烧死。官员星期四说，另外还有18个人失踪。

Also, a naval ship arrived at the southeastern coastal town of Mallacoota, where 4,000 residents and visitors have been waiting on a beach since Monday night. Naval officers said they would open registration for evacuation Thursday. The ship is expected to make two or three trips in the coming days, state officials said.

另外，一艘军舰抵达东南沿海小镇马洛科塔（Mallacoota），自周一晚上以来，已有4000名居民和游客在海滩上等着。海军军官表示，他们将在周四开放疏散登记。该州官员说，预计该船将在未来几天进行两次或三次航行。

‘It is hell on earth'

‘这是人间地狱’

Michelle Roberts owns a small restaurant in Mallacoota. She told Reuters reporters by phone, "It is hell on earth. It is the worst anybody's ever seen."

罗伯茨希望将她18岁的女儿带离船上，以避开继续围绕着小镇的大火和浓烟。

Michelle Roberts在Mallacoota拥有一家小餐厅。她通过电话告诉路透社记者：“这真是人间地狱。这是有史以来最糟糕的一次。”

Roberts hoped to get her 18-year-old daughter out on the ship to get away from the fires and thick smoke that continue to surround the town.

澳大利亚国防军说，五架军用直升机正在前往南海岸，以支持消防员的努力并运送物资。该飞机还将用于疏散受伤的老人和年轻人。

Five military helicopters were on their way to the south coast to support firefighters' efforts and bring in supplies, the Australian Defense Force said. The aircraft will also be used to evacuate injured, old and young people.

周五，来自北美的39名消防队员降落在墨尔本。近100位美国和加拿大专家前往澳大利亚帮助应对危机。

State of emergency

紧急状态

The New South Wales state government declared a state of emergency beginning Friday. The declaration gives officials powers to forcibly evacuate people and take control of services. Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged those waiting for help and those stuck in traffic "to be patient ... help will arrive."

从周五开始，新南威尔士州政府宣布进入紧急状态。该宣言赋予官员权力，以强行撤离人员并控制服务。总理斯科特·莫里森（Scott Morrison）敦促那些等待帮助的人和陷入交通困境的人们“请耐心等待……帮助将到来。”

Temperatures are expected to be above 40 degrees Celsius along the south coast Saturday. "It is going to be a very dangerous day. It's going to be a very difficult day," said NSW Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons.

周六南海岸的气温预计将超过40摄氏度。新南威尔士州农村消防局局长肖恩·菲茨西蒙斯说：“这将是非常危险的一天。这将是非常困难的一天。”

The prime minister said the fires will burn for "many, many months ... unlike a flood, where the water will recede, in a fire like this, it goes on and it will continue to go on...until we can get some decent rain."

总理说，大火将持续很多月……与洪水不同，洪水会退去，在这种大火中，这种情况会继续下去，并将继续下去……直到我们能够得到一些下雨。”

Bushfires so far this season have destroyed more than 4 million hectares of bushland and more than 1,000 homes.

本季节到目前为止，大火已经摧毁了超过400万公顷的丛林和1000多个房屋。

Words in This Story

shelf - n. a flat board which is attached to a wall, frame, etc., and on which objects can be placed

evacuation - n. the act of removing (a person or people) from a dangerous place

priority - n. something that is more important than other things and that needs to be done or dealt with first

recede - v. to move away gradually

decent - adj. good enough but not the best