VOA慢速英语2017--Deadly Bombing on St. Petersburg Subway

 

An explosion Monday on a subway train in St. Petersburg, Russia, killed at least 10 and injured dozens more.

The attack happened as Russian President Vladimir Putin was in the city to meet with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.

The explosion hit the subway train as it traveled between stations. The train’s driver chose to continue on to the next station, Technology Institute.

That might have saved lives.

By moving the train to the next station the driver made it easier to remove injured passengers, said an official with Russia’s Investigative Committee. It also took away the possibility of injury, or even death, if passengers were to have walked along the subway system’s electrified¹ tracks, the official said.

Russian officials later found and disabled another bomb at the city’s Vosstaniya station.

Searching for suspects

Russian news media reported that police are searching for two men recorded on subway cameras. Russian state television showed a photo of one possible suspect wearing what appeared to be the kind of hat common in mostly Muslim areas of the former Soviet² Union.

President Vladimir Putin said investigators³ are looking at all possibilities for the attack, including terrorism.

"The reasons are yet unclear so it’s early to talk about them. The investigation⁴ will tell,” he said.

Appearing on Russian television, Putin offered his condolences to the relatives of those killed and injured in the blast⁵.

In Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump⁶ called the St. Petersburg bombing “a terrible thing.”

Scene in St. Petersburg

All subway stations in St. Petersburg were shut down after the attack. It left many people looking for a way to get home after finishing their jobs Monday afternoon.

More than two million riders use the subway system each workday in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second largest city.

Video and photos showed injured people on the ground, bleeding on the platform at the Technology Institute station. A big hole could be seen in the side of what appeared to be the train’s third car.

Some people ran past clouds of smoke, some shouted and others held their hands to their faces, Reuters reported.

St Petersburg resident Leonid Chaika told Reuters, “I saw a lot of smoke, a crowd making its way to the escalators, people with blood and other people's insides on their clothes, bloody⁷ faces. Many were crying."

Previous attacks

In past years, Islamic militants⁸, connected to Chechnya and other Caucasus republics, have targeted trains and planes in Russia.

In October 2015, Islamic State militants downed a Russian airliner⁹ leaving from an Egyptian resort city, killing¹⁰ all 224 people on board.

Chechen terrorists¹² were blamed for previous subway attacks in Moscow, killing 40 people in 2010 and nearly 50 in 2004. The same terrorist¹¹ group also claimed responsibility for suicide¹³ bombings at the Moscow airport, killing 37 people in 2011 and 90 people in 2004.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

subway - n. a train that operates mostly underground

tracks - n. a pair of metal bars that a train, trolley¹⁴, or subway car rides along

suspect - n. a person believed by police to be involved with a crime

condolence - n. expressions of sympathy for the death of a relative or loved one

escalator - n. a moving set of stairs that carries people up or down from one level of a building or station to another

resort - n. a place where people go for vacations

1 electrified   

v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The railway line was electrified in the 1950s. 这条铁路线在20世纪50年代就实现了电气化。
• The national railway system has nearly all been electrified. 全国的铁路系统几乎全部实现了电气化。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 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。

5 blast   

v.炸毁，摧毁；n.爆炸，爆破，一阵，汽笛声

参考例句：

• A huge bomb blast rocked central London last night.昨晚一次剧烈的炸弹爆炸震动了伦敦市中心。
• Not until last week was the project in full blast.工程直到上星期才全部开工。

6 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

7 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

9 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

10 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。

11 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

12 terrorists   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子( terrorist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The terrorists have halted their bloody campaign of violence. 恐怖分子已经停止了他们凶残的暴力活动。
• They were finally forced to capitulate to the terrorists' demands. 他们最后被迫屈从恐怖分子的要求。

13 suicide   

n.自杀，自毁，自杀性行为

参考例句：

• The number of suicide has increased.自杀案件的数量增加了。
• The death was adjudged a suicide by sleeping pills.该死亡事件被判定为服用安眠药自杀。

14 trolley   

n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车

参考例句：

• The waiter had brought the sweet trolley.侍者已经推来了甜食推车。
• In a library,books are moved on a trolley.在图书馆，书籍是放在台车上搬动的。