2006年VOA标准英语-Firefighters Set Fires to Lessen Threat of Wild

By Greg Flakus
Prescott, Arizona
03 November 2006
 
watch Forest Fire Prevention

In the western United States this year nearly four million hectares of land have been scorched¹ by fire, in the worst wildfire season on record.  Twenty-one firefighters have been killed and the flames have consumed millions of dollars worth of property.  The U.S. Forest Service has resources available to fight fires as they break out, but the government agency also takes action to prevent fires and to lessen² the impact of fires that do start.  As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Prescott, Arizona, that sometimes requires firefighters to set fires.

Clouds of smoke rising out of the forests around the city of Prescott may look ominous³, but this is not a wildfire.  This fire was set deliberately⁴ by the men whose job it is to prevent and fight fires.

 
Firefighter Bob Travis
The man in charge of this so-called "prescribed burn" is Prescott National Forest Firefighter Bob Travis. "The main objective here is to get fire back into its natural role in the ecosystem⁵ and reducing the fire hazard."

Travis says drought and an invasion of bark-eating beetles⁶ have combined to create tons of combustible⁷ material on the forest floor.  This material could fuel destructive fires if it is not burned off under controlled conditions.

Travis says crews on a prescribed burn both set fires and confine them within specified⁸ lines of control. "We have people out here today that are igniting, doing lighting⁹ and then we have a large amount of people out here doing holding, making sure that is stays within those lines."

Bob Travis says such burns are only conducted when weather conditions are right, with little or no wind. 

 
A fire crew works on a prescribed burn near Prescott
This is hard, dirty work carried out by the same men who face danger in fighting fires that get out of control.  Local bicycle rider Nathan Wasserman sees them as heroes. "(They are) Just brave men, doing what other people would rather not be doing."

By maintaining the forests around the city, the firefighters protect the city of Prescott from danger.  Like many other old western mining towns, Prescott suffered disastrous¹⁰ fires in its early days, when firefighting methods and technology were relatively¹¹ primitive¹². 

But the main danger today is for people who have built homes on hilltops outside the city or in areas close to the forest.

Homeowners in these areas clear brush from around their property to reduce potential fuel for wildfires and they rely on the Forest Service to do the rest.

The prospect¹³ of a prescribed fire getting out of control might worry some, but not John Pendergraft, whose house is tucked into the mountainside next to the forest.

"As far as I am concerned, the Forest department, it is a miracle we even have them, the way they do everything.  They know what they are doing. I know there are cases of accidents, but they know what they are doing," says Pendergraft.

The Forest Service firefighters will carry out dozens of these operations in the weeks ahead to protect the trees and the people who live near them.

1 scorched   

烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦

参考例句：

• I scorched my dress when I was ironing it. 我把自己的连衣裙熨焦了。
• The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. 热熨斗把桌布烫焦了。

2 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

3 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

4 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

5 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

6 beetles   

n.甲虫( beetle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Beetles bury pellets of dung and lay their eggs within them. 甲壳虫把粪粒埋起来，然后在里面产卵。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This kind of beetles have hard shell. 这类甲虫有坚硬的外壳。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 combustible   

a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物

参考例句：

• Don't smoke near combustible materials. 别在易燃的材料附近吸烟。
• We mustn't take combustible goods aboard. 我们不可带易燃品上车。

8 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

9 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

10 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

11 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

12 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

13 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。