Lily的Scalers Talk第八轮新概念朗读持续力训练Da

Lesson 88    Trapped in a mine

Six men have been trapped in a mine for seventeen hours. If they are not brought to the surface soon they may lose their lives. However, rescue operations are proving difficult. If explosives are used, vibrations will cause the roof of the mine to collapse. Rescue workers are therefore drilling a hole on the northside of the mine. They intend to bring the men up in a special capsule. If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have completed the job in a few hours. As it is, they have been drilling for sixteen hours and they still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, a microphone, which was lowered into the mine two hours ago, has enabled the men to keep in touch with the closest relatives. Though they are running out of food and drink, the men are cheerful and confident that they will soon get out. They have been told that rescue operations are progressing smoothly. If they knew how difficult it was to drill through the hard rock, they would lose heart.

trap [træp] 陷入，使陷入困境

mine  矿井

explosive  [ɪkˈsploʊsɪv] 炸药

vibration [vaɪˈbreɪʃn]  震动

collapse  [kəˈlæps] 坍塌

drill  [drɪl] 钻孔

therefore [ˈðerfɔːr] 因此;所以;

intend [ɪnˈtend] 打算;计划;

capsule  [ˈkæpsl] 容器

layer  [ler] 层

beneath  [bɪˈniːθ]  在。。。之下

as it is  事实上，实际上

run out of 用完，用尽

今天的课文有一些长句式不太熟悉，花了一些时间多读。好在文章的整体难度不大。快要过年了，心思有点飘了。坚持坚持。