The Firefighter
美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习
Table of Contents Introduction.
导言表。
4 Ups and Downs.
上下四会.
5 Causes of Fire.
5 火灾原因。
8 Crew Life.
8人组生活.
11 Tools of the Trade.
11 贸易工具。
13 Who Fights Fires?
13谁打火?
17 Conclusion.
17 结论。
19 Wildfire Protection and Prevention.
19"野火保护与预防".
20 Glossary.
20 词汇表。
22 Introduction Wildfires are a part of nature.
22 导言:野火是自然的一部分。
Many scientists have found that certain plants and animals depend on fire to clear the wilderness of dead material, allowing room for new growth on the forest floor.
许多科学家已经发现,某些植物和动物依靠起火来清扫已死物质的荒野,为林地上的新生长留出了空间.
Some species of trees, such as the lodgepole pine, actually need fire to melt the waxy seals on their cones and release their seeds.
一些种类的树木,如花梗松,实际上需要起火来融化其锥上蜡状的封口并放出种子.
But plants and animals are not the only things that use the wilderness.
但植物和动物并不是唯一使用荒野的东西.
Human beings live near wilderness areas, grow crops and livestock in the countryside, and visit wild areas such as national parks.
人类居住在荒地附近,在农村种植农作物和牲畜,并参观国家公园等野生地.
When fire threatens homes, farms, ranches, or parks, wildland firefighters must try to save them.
当火灾威胁住家,农场,牧场,或公园时,野地消防员必须努力去拯救.
Often, wildfires are simply too large to put out, so wildland firefighters try to control the fires by forcing them to move in a certain direction.
通常,野火只是太大而无法扑灭,所以野地消防员试图通过强迫他们朝某个方向移动来控制火灾.
They clear fuel away from the fire’s path, either by moving it out of the fire’s way and creating a firebreak or by burning it away using a small, controlled back burn.
他们将燃料从火道上清除出来,或者把它从火道上移出,制造出起火口,或者用一个小的,可控制的后烧来烧去.
This mobile home park in Arizona was devastated by the Rodeo/Chediski Fire.
亚利桑那州的这个流动家园公园被罗德奥/切迪斯克大火所摧毁.
Ups and Downs Interviewer: What is your favorite thing about being a wildland firefighter?
上下行记者: 你最喜欢做野地消防员吗?
Todd: I love that I get to see some of the most scenic country in the world.
托德:我喜欢看到一些世界上最出名的国家。
Because I have to hike into the most remote areas to get to fires, the countryside is absolutely beautiful.
因为我必须走进最偏远的地方去取火, 农村绝对是美丽的。
I see a mixture of everything—landscape going from green, lush, gorgeous countryside to flames and burned areas.
我看到万物的混合——从绿地、花地、华丽的乡村到火焰和被烧毁的地区。
Many people are mesmerized by the flames and smoke.
许多人被火焰和烟雾所迷惑.
I also like the variety, because I never do the same thing two days in a row.
我也喜欢这种品种,因为我从来没有做同样的事情 连续两天。
Interviewer: What is the worst thing about your job?
采访者: 你的工作最糟糕的是什麽?
Todd: There are a couple of things I don’t like.
托德:有些东西我不喜欢。
One of the things I don’t like about firefighting is seeing the destruction that fire causes, mainly to property and people’s residences.
我最不喜欢的一件事就是看到火灾造成的破坏,
That’s real tough to stomach because you work so hard to save property that has value to people.
这对胃来说是很难的,因为你努力拯救对人们有价值的财产。
When you feel like you didn’t have enough time or like you didn’t do a good enough job, it’s difficult.
当你觉得自己没有足够时间或觉得自己做得不够好时,
Sometimes I feel like if I had just done one other thing, maybe I could have saved a home.
有时候我觉得 如果我刚刚做了一件事, 也许我可以拯救一个家。
That is probably the toughest thing about firefighting.
这也许是消防最困难的事情。
Interviewer: What is the other bad part?
采访者: 另一个坏部分是什么?
Todd: The other bad part is just the mop-up.
托德:另一个坏的部分只是打扫.
We go out and turn over every rock and ash, take our gloves off, and run the backs of our hands along the ground to make sure there’s no heat left.
我们出去翻转每块石头和灰, 脱掉手套,
That’s just long, hot, tedious work.
那只是漫长、热活、乏味的工作。
Plus we’ve got all our gear on our backs, like a bladder bag (a pump that sprays water) and hand tools.
包括膀胱袋(喷出水的泵)和手工具。
It’s a hot, heavy, dirty job.
这是一个热、重、肮脏的工作。
Todd Cupell, a wildland firefighter from Tucson, Arizona, gave this interview in 2002 during one of the worst fire seasons in history.
来自亚利桑那州图克森的野地消防员托德·丘贝尔(Todd Cupell)于2002年在历史上最糟糕的火灾季节之一接受了这次采访.
Interviewer: What was the scariest moment you ever experienced on a fire?
采访者: 你经历过最恐怖的时刻是什么?
Todd: There are lots of scary moments, because dangerous things are always going on all around you.
托德:有很多可怕的时刻, 因为危险的事情总是发生在你周围。
One of the scariest things is entrapment, which is when a fire burns all around you and cuts off your escape route so there is no way out.
最可怕的事情之一是被困住, 即当火烧了你们周围,切断了你们的出逃路线,所以没有出路。
Firefighters put up their fire shelters and hope the shelters are enough to save them.
消防员已搭起消防所,希望收容所足以救出.
Entrapment is the biggest fear that firefighters face, because it’s how many firefighters lose their lives.
困住是消防员面对的最大恐惧,
Causes of Fire Interviewer: How do wildfires get started?
火灾原因 采访者: 野火怎么开始的?
Todd: Wildfires get started for two main reasons, the first of which is Mother Nature.
Todd:"野火"开始主要有两个主要原因,第一个原因就是"大自然".
Lightning strikes are the most common natural cause.
闪电打击是最常见的自然原因.
Once in a while a windstorm is strong enough to knock over a power line and cause a spark, which causes a wildfire.
偶尔暴风雨会强得足以击倒一股电线并引起一股火花,这引发了一场野火.
But still, most wildfires are caused by lightning.
不过,大多数野火都是由闪电引起的.
The biggest problem is that when nature causes wildfires, most of the time the fires are out in the middle of nowhere.
最大的问题是,当自然界引起野火时,大部分时间大火都是出自地外.
No one sees them to report them in time, and it’s too late to control them.
没有人看到他们及时报告,
Wildland firefighters set small, carefully controlled back burns to eliminate a wildfire’s fuel supply.
野地消防员设置了小型的,精心控制的后烧来消除野火的燃料供应.
Fires started by nature are often located in remote areas.
自然起火的地方往往位于偏远地区.
Humans are the second cause of wildfires.
人类是野火的第二个原因.
Unfortunately, this year humans have been the cause of almost all the major wildfires in Arizona.
不幸的是,今年人类是亚利桑那州几乎所有重大野火的原因.
Embers blow from unattended illegal campfires, setting fire to an area.
安伯斯从无人看管的非法营火中出击,放火烧了一地.
Then there are intentionally set fires, like the Rodeo Fire, which was set by a firefighter.
后有故意放火,如被消防员放火的"罗德奥".
He hadn’t had much work this season, so he wanted to set a fire and create a job for himself.
他本季没有太多工作,
But the fire got out of control and endangered other firefighters and people’s homes.
但大火失控并危及了其他消防员和民宅.
The Madera Canyon Fire was actually started by a helicopter that flew too low and clipped a power line.
马德拉峡谷 火力实际上是由一架飞行过低并切断了电线的直升机所起.
Vehicles start wildland fires too, such as when somebody blows a tire and sparks fly to the side of the road, igniting dry brush or grass.
车辆也开始野地起火,例如有人吹出轮胎并放出火花向路边飞去,点燃干刷或草.
That’s happened a couple of times this year.
今年发生了几次。
Interviewer: How do you feel about people who cause wildfires?
采访者: 你对引起野火的人有什么感觉?
Todd: It’s a shame—especially this year, when we had two fires that were intentionally set by firefighters.
Todd:这真是可惜, 尤其是今年,
Whatever the reason they might have, it’s a real shame, and it puts a black mark on firefighters who are out there working hard, who love what they do.
无论他们有什么原因,这都太可惜了, 给那些努力工作的消防员,
We put our lives on the line to save people’s homes and property, and the arsonists are out there setting fires on purpose.
纵火者故意放火。
They’re not very well liked.
他们并不是很受欢迎。
Do You Know?
你知道吗?
Special firefighters called smoke jumpers get into extremely remote areas of large wildland fires.
被称为"烟花跳"的特种消防员进入了野地大火的极偏远地区.
They parachute from airplanes into the hearts of fires to combat the flames.
他们从飞机降落伞进入火的心脏,以对抗火焰.
The Bullock Fire, north of Tucson, Arizona, was suspected to have been started by a campfire.
亚利桑那州图克森以北的布洛克大火被怀疑由一起营火所起.
Crew Life Interviewer: What is life with the crew like?
船员生命 采访者: 船员的生活是怎样的?
Todd: You spend a lot of time at the station and working with your crew—they’re very much like a family.
你花很多时间在警察局,
One guy put it cleverly; he said that fifty years ago, firefighting was a brotherhood.
一个人巧妙地说,50年前,消防是兄弟情谊。
Now, with so many female firefighters, it is more like a family, with men and women working closely together toward the goal of controlling fire.
现在,有这么多女性消防员, 它更像一个家庭, 男人和女人密切合作 控制火灾的目标。
When we get off a shift, there is always a lot of camaraderie.
我们下班后 总是有很多朋友
We eat lunch together, we eat dinner together, and “families” are always together on fires.
我们一起吃午饭,一起吃晚饭,“家庭”总是一起着火。
If there are firefighters from several cities working on one fire, they still usually eat with the members of their own team.
如果有来自多座城市的消防员在一起火灾上工作,他们通常仍然和自己的队员一起吃.
You never see any fights between firefighters.
你从没见过消防员打架
When you’re on the fire line, you have to trust the people you’re with.
当您在火线上时, 您必须信任您所在的人。
You have to know that whoever is working with you is competent.
你必须要知道,谁跟你合作,都是有能力的。
The training that you’ve gone through together, the fires that you’ve fought together, and the experiences that you’ve had really help, because you know you can trust that person.
你们一起经历的训练,你们一起战胜的火力,以及你们真正有帮助的经验,因为你们知道你们可以信任那个人。
Your life depends on them and vice-versa.
你的生命取决于他们,反之亦然。
Interviewer: Describe a typical day in the life of a wildland firefighter.
采访者:描述野地消防员生活中一个典型的日子.
Todd: Well, it depends.
要看情况了
Usually it’s pretty quiet around here, but during the Rodeo Fire, the first few days were absolutely brutal.
通常这里相当安静, 但在Rodeo大火期间,
We spent 43 hours on the fire line without sleeping.
我们花了43个小时 在消防线上,没有睡觉。
I’d get up at about five o’clock every morning and go to the morning briefing with the forest service to find out what was going on and where everybody was going.
我每天早上5:00起床, 与森林服务处一起参加早晨的简报会,
We’d go out on the fire lines and spend all day cleaning up around houses, setting back burns, and doing what needed to be done to help work on the fire.
我们出行于消防线上,
Firefighters take a much-needed break after working for 16 hours on the Rodeo/Chediski Fire.
消防员在Rodeo/Chediski火灾中工作了16小时后需要休息。
Tools of the Trade Interviewer: Can you describe some of the gear you use on a fire?
贸易工具 采访者: 你能描述一下你用在火上的一些齿轮吗?
Todd: The most important gear firefighters have is their Personal Protection Equipment, or PPE, which is the clothing they wear.
Todd:最重要的齿轮消防员是他们的个人防护设备,或个人防护设备,这就是他们所穿的衣服.
PPE consists of a Nomex shirt, Nomex pants, and fire-retardant soles on our boots.
PPE由一顶诺姆斯衬衫,诺姆斯裤子,以及我们靴子上防火鞋底组成.
We have to wear leather boots because we can’t have any fabric or cloth that can catch fire or melt.
我们不得不穿皮靴,
Interviewer: What is Nomex?
采访者: 诺姆克斯是什么?
Todd: Nomex is a special fabric that is fire retardant, so if I put a match to it, it won’t catch on fire.
Todd:Nomex是一种特殊的阻燃剂,所以如果我放火,它不会着火。
It’s a big lifesaver because if we wore normal clothing, there’s a good chance that all the sparks flying around would light it on fire.
因为它是一个巨大的救生器, 因为如果我们穿着普通的衣服,
In order to work on a fire, you also have to carry a folded-up fire shelter.
要做好消防工作,也要搭载折叠式消防掩体.
A fire shelter looks like a one-person tent made of aluminum and fiberglass.
一个消防所看起来像一个由铝和纤维玻璃制成的单人帐篷.
It’s the last chance you have to save your life.
这是你救出生命的最后机会。
If you’re entrapped and a fire is going to burn over you, you open the shelter and get in.
若你被困住,
The temperature inside a fire shelter can get up to 190 degrees (Fahrenheit; 88°C), but it’s survivable.
防火所内部的温度最高可达190度(华氏;88°C),但能活下来。
If you weren’t in it, you could get 2,000-degree (Fahrenheit; 1,093°C) flames on you, and you’ d die instantly.
如果你没有加入,你可能会得到2000度(华为;1,093°C)的火焰,而你却会当场死亡。
Or if you inhaled the gases and super- heated air, they would burn and damage your lungs and could kill you.
或者如果你吸入气体和超热的空气, 它们会烧伤你的肺,并可能杀了你。
People still die in fire shelters, but the shelters save a lot of lives.
仍有人死在消防所中,但避难所拯救了很多人.
Interviewer: What else do you need?
采访者: 你还需要什么?
Todd: You have to wear a hard hat, because there are snags, such as dead trees or falling branches, that can hit you.
托德:你必须戴一顶硬帽子,因为有死树或倒下树枝等杂草可以打你.
There are actually numerous things that can fall.
有很多东西可以掉下来。
We also have an IA (Initial Attack) pack, which is basically a backpack that carries quite a bit of water.
我们还有一个IA(初次攻击)包,它基本上是一个背包,背着相当多的水.
We also carry other things in the pack, usually one change of clothes and some fusees, which are ignition devices kind of like very hot flares.
我们还在包里装了其他东西, 通常是换了一件衣服和一些引信, 它们是点火装置, 就像非常热的照明弹。
One of the ways firefighters try to save themselves from entrapment is to use a fusee to light another fire to burn all the fuel in an area.
消防员试图从陷阱中自救的方法之一是使用引信来点燃另一起火来燃烧一个区域的所有燃料.
A firefighter can get into the black area that has already been burned, which is what we call a safety zone.
消防员可以进入已经被烧毁的黑区,这就是我们所称的安全区.
We carry a ton of things.
我们携带一吨的东西。
We always have to have a pair of gloves with us because we’re dealing with heat and flames and wood, so we have to have hand protection.
我们总是必须带着一副手套,因为我们正在处理热火和木材问题,所以我们必须有手保护。
Each firefighter will usually carry one hand tool, either a Pulaski, which is a combination ax and hoe, or a pick or scraper.
每个消防员通常会携带一手工具,要么是普拉斯基(Pulaski,即合斧和合蹄),要么是拾取或刮取.
There are so many, I can’t even think of them all.
我甚至都想不起来,
So basically the requirements are a fire shelter, helmet, water, and Nomex.
因此,基本的要求是消防所,头盔,水和诺姆克斯.
The rest of the gear that you have depends on the job you’re doing.
其他装备取决于你的工作。
We’re carrying a minimum of fifty pounds (23 kg) of gear on our backs.
我们背上装有至少50磅(23公斤)的装备。
Do You Know?
你知道吗?
An IA pack holds an amazing amount of equipment.
一个IA包 拥有惊人数量的设备。
Here is just a partial list: • quick-deploy fire shelter • a variety of hand tools • reference books for dealing with every kind of fire • Velcro (for repairing clothing and packs) • extra socks and bandannas • extra Nomex pants • extra shoelaces • lip balm • earplugs • goggles • fusees • matches • electrical tape • MREs—”Meals Ready to Eat” Do You Know?
以下只是一份部分清单: • 快速部署消防所 • 各种处理各种火灾的手工工具 • Velcro (用于修理衣服和包) 额外袜子和被子 · 额外Nomex裤子 · 额外鞋带 · 唇膏 · 耳罩 · 引信 · 相配 · 电磁带 • MREs-“准备吃的东西”
Firefighters wear heavy gear and clothing, and they work in hot conditions.
消防员身穿重装和衣物,在炎热的条件下工作.