A drill should reach 33 trapped Chilean miners by Saturday and an operation to extract the men could start only days later, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said, placing a rescue within reach months earlier than originally projected.
智利矿业部长戈尔沃内(Laurence Golborne)说，钻井机可在周六之前将救援通道打通至33名被困矿工目前所处位置，接下来再过几天就可以开始对这些矿工展开营救了，这使救援行动比最初预计的提前了数月。
Mr. Golborne, who heads the effort to extract miners trapped since Aug. 5, said a drill operated by one of three rescue team had reached 1,755 feet as of Thursday morning and was only a little more than 300 feet from where the miners have taken refuge.
戈尔沃内自8月5日起一直负责被困矿工的脱险救援行动，他说，三个救援团队中有一个团队的钻井机于周二早间已钻到了1755英尺的深度，距离矿工被困位置只有300英尺多一点点。
Once the drill reaches the miners, he said engineers would assess the need to reinforce the 28-inch-wide shaft with steel pipe before pulling the men out.
他说，钻井机一旦钻到矿工被困位置，工程师将根据实际情况首先用钢管加固28英寸宽的竖井，然后再救矿工出井。
Mr. Golborne said operations to extract the men in a custom capsule could start within two to three days after the drill breaks through. Installing the casing, he said, might delay the rescue at least eight more days.
戈尔沃内说，钻井机打通救援通道两三天后，就可开展用定制升井舱将矿工运送出井的救援行动。他说，安装升井舱可能会使救援行动至少耽搁八天以的时间。
The question about reinforcing all or a portion of the shaft has triggered heated debate. Some engineers, and a number of outspoken relatives of the miners, consider the casing a necessary precaution. Others say the shaft may be sufficientlystable to make the installation of pipe unnecessary. In addition, some note the casing itself could pose a danger if it fractures underground. 'There are also risks involved in placing the [casing] so we have to evaluate all the elements to make the final decision,' Mr. Golborne said.
关于加固全部还是部分竖井的问题引起了激烈讨论。一些工程师与很多直言不讳的矿工家属认为，安装升井舱是必要的防范措施。而其他人则认为竖井可能已足够稳固，加装钢管是多此一举。另外，有些人指出，如果升井舱在地下断裂，本身就可能引发危险。戈尔沃内说，安装升井舱也有风险，因此我们在做最后决定之前要综合考虑各种因素。
Center Rock Inc., a small drilling tools company from Berlin, Pa., is providing the drilling-bit technology for the so-called Plan B effort, the most advanced of three shafts rescuers are drilling to reach the trapped men.
美国宾州生产钻井工具的小型公司Center Rock Inc.为所谓的B计划提供钻头技术，它是三个竖井救援小组中技术最先进的一个，目前正在为解救被困矿工不断钻探。
Civil defense and medical workers on Thursday ran a trial of the postextraction operation in which they will attend to the miners in a field hospital and then transfer them by helicopter to the nearby town of Copiapo.
智利民防和医护工作者周四演练了矿工出井后的救援工作，演习中他们在野战医院照料被救矿工，然后用直升机将其转移至附近的科皮亚波镇。
Matt Moffett
- minister [´ministə]
n.部长；大臣 v.伺候 (英语单词">初中英语单词) - rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- portion [´pɔ:ʃən] n.嫁妆；命运 vt.分配 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- debate [di´beit] n.&v.讨论，辩论 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- stable [´steibəl] n.马棚 a.稳固的 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- addition [ə´diʃən] n.加；加法；附加物 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- berlin [bə:´lin] n.柏林 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- medical [´medikəl] a.医学的；医疗的 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- transfer [træns´fə:] v.&n.迁移；调动；转让 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- helicopter [´helikɔptə] n.直升飞机 (英语单词">初中英语单词)
- extract [ik´strækt, ´ekstrækt] vt.取出；摘录 n.精华 (高中英语单词)
- mining [´mainiŋ] n.采矿；矿业 (高中英语单词)
- originally [ə´ridʒənəli] ad.本来；独创地 (高中英语单词)
- reinforce [,ri:in´fɔ:s] vt.增援 n.加固物 (高中英语单词)
- precaution [pri´kɔ:ʃən] n.预防 vt.预先警告 (高中英语单词)
- underground [,ʌndə´graund] ad.&a.地下(的) (高中英语单词)
- so-called [´sou ´kɔ:ld] a.所谓的，号称的 (高中英语单词)
- installation [,instə´leiʃən] n.就职；安装；装置 (英语六级单词)
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