VOA慢速英语2010年-IN THE NEWS - Oil Spill Spreads Fears

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Five years ago this August, Hurricane Katrina struck. Now, American states along the Gulf¹ of Mexico are fearing a different kind of environmental disaster. Oil is flowing from a damaged well one thousand five hundred meters under the sea.

JANET NAPOLITANO: "This is a spill of national significance."

That was Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, announcing a higher level of government action. President Obama on Thursday ordered federal officials to intensify² efforts to deal with the huge spill.

The Horizon Deepwater [correction: Deepwater Horizon] oil drilling rig exploded and sank last week. Eleven workers are missing. British Petroleum³ leased the rig, owned by Switzerland-based Transocean.

The president said again Friday that BP is "ultimately responsible" under the law for paying the costs of response and cleanup operations.

BARACK OBAMA: "But we are fully⁴ prepared to meet our responsibilities to any and all affected⁵ communities."

He said he has ordered a report in thirty days on what, if any, additional safety measures and technologies should be required to prevent future spills.

A photo from last week showing the wreckage⁶ of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Oil continues to spill into the Gulf of Mexico.

Oil reached the coastline late Thursday near the mouth of the Mississippi River in the southern state of Louisiana. The oil could also affect parts of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas.

It threatens birds, fish, shrimp⁷ and other wildlife. Seafood⁸ is a big industry along the gulf. Eric Drury is a shrimper but knows that his business is not the only one threatened.

ERIC DRURY: "Everybody's in the same boat. It's going to hurt everything: oyster⁹ fisherman, everybody."

Workers have been placing long lengths of containment¹⁰ booms around the oil as winds and waves push it toward shore. Cleanup efforts have included controlled burns. And robotic submarines are being used to try to stop the leak -- a process that could take weeks.

What caused the explosion was not known. Also, the damaged well did not stop the flow of oil as it should have.

At the end of March, President Obama called for the United States to expand its offshore¹¹ oil and gas exploration. He said his plan would balance the need for energy with the need to protect natural resources. Now the White House says there will be no additional drilling while the spill in the Gulf of Mexico is investigated.

Another issue facing the administration this week was immigration. Federal law makes being in United States illegally a civil offense¹². But a new state law in Arizona will make it a crime. The law was signed last week and goes into effect in a few months. Police could have to take action if they have a "reasonable suspicion" that someone is in the country illegally.

Supporters say the law will help reduce crime by illegal immigrants who cross the border from Mexico into Arizona. Critics say it will support racial discrimination. Some urge economic boycotts¹³ of the state.

Different groups are moving to fight the new law in court, and the federal government could join them. President Obama calls the Arizona law "misguided" and said Congress needs to pass immigration reform. But in this election year, that does not seem very likely to happen.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. You can find us on Facebook, Twitter and iTunes at VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember
 

1 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

2 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

3 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

7 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

8 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

9 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

10 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

11 offshore   

adj.海面的，吹向海面的；adv.向海面

参考例句：

• A big program of oil exploration has begun offshore.一个大规模的石油勘探计划正在近海展开。
• A gentle current carried them slowly offshore.和缓的潮流慢慢地把他们带离了海岸。

12 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

13 boycotts   

（对某事物的）抵制( boycott的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Their methods included boycotts and court action, supplemented by'sit-ins". 他们的主要方法包括联合抵制、法庭起诉，还附带进行静坐抗议。
• Are boycotts for other purposes illegal? 至于用于其它目的的联合抵制行动是否也是非法的呢？