CCTV9英语新闻：搜索和救援人员面对恶劣的条件

Leading the search for the missing ferry passengers are underwater divers 1. CCTV Correspondent Shane Hahm takes a look at the difficult situation they face both in and out of the water.

 

Air bags can be seen near the capsized ferry in Jindo on April 18, 2014. South Korean coast guard and navy divers will seek to enter into the hull 2 of the sunken South Korean passenger ferry for three hours late Friday after failing to make their way into passenger cabins earlier. (Xinhua/Song Cheng Feng) 

 

Air bags can be seen near the capsized ferry in Jindo on April 

18, 2014.  (Xinhua/Song Cheng Feng)

 

Any hope to find survivors 3 in the sinking of the South Korean ferry lies in the hands of underwater deep sea divers. But their job isn’t easy. And, the natural elements are their toughest enemy.

 

On the ocean floor where the ferry sits, waters are murky 4. Visibility is so poor, divers can barely see their own hands in front of them. To make matters worse, strong water currents hamper 5 their efforts. In an instant, these underwater experts can be swept away 50m downstream.

 

This civilian 6 dive crew arrived in Jindo immediately upon hearing news of the accident. Since then, they’ve conducted numerous missions to find survivors in the wreckage 7, but all have ended in failure.

 

"We need cranes to come in and lift the vessel 8 so that the water depth decreases. Then rescue efforts can pick up speed. But at a depth of 30-45 meters, even if there were survivors, it would be difficult to bring them up.” Rescue diver Hwang Jang-Bok said. 

 

Military, Coast Guard, and civilian dive teams like these are all taking part in the search. Time is of the essence under extremely stressful conditions. But it’s not just the physical toll 9 their bodies are put under. The mental toll weighs heavily as well.

 

"Even if we had physical stress, we wouldn’t be able to feel it. We haven’t slept in days. We work throughout the night. We eat one meal a day. But, I can’t even fathom 10 what the families are going through.” Rescue diver Choung Dong-Nam said. 

 

The divers understand what family members with loved ones still missing are going through. That’s why they can’t bear to see the disappointment on their faces when they come up from the water empty-handed. So until all of the passengers and crew members onboard that fateful ship are accounted for, divers will work around the clock putting their own lives at risk to help save another’s.

点击收听单词发音  






1
divers

  
 


adj.不同的；种种的


参考例句：





He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。












2
hull

  
 


n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳


参考例句：





The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。












3
survivors

  
 


幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )


参考例句：





The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者












4
murky

  
 


adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗


参考例句：





She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。












5
hamper

  
 


vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子


参考例句：





There are some apples in a picnic hamper.在野餐用的大篮子里有许多苹果。
The emergence of such problems seriously hamper the development of enterprises.这些问题的出现严重阻碍了企业的发展。












6
civilian

  
 


adj.平民的，民用的，民众的


参考例句：





There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。












7
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。












8
vessel

  
 


n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管


参考例句：





The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。












9
toll

  
 


n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)


参考例句：





The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。












10
fathom

  
 


v.领悟，彻底了解


参考例句：





I really couldn't fathom what he was talking about.我真搞不懂他在说些什么。
What these people hoped to achieve is hard to fathom.这些人希望实现些什么目标难以揣测。