I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Cr

 Friday the 13th in October of 1972 was a dark day for an amateur rugby1 team from Uruguay. The team had paid for a plane to fly them, their families, and their friends to a match in Santiago, Chile. What was supposed to be a routine flight from Montevideo, Uruguay turned into a fight for their lives. The plane with its five crew2 members and 40 passengers was starting to descend3 when it crashed in the Andes Mountains.
對一支來自烏拉圭的業餘橄欖球隊來說，1972年十月十三日的黑色星期五是個不幸的一天。這支球隊包機與他們的親友一同飛往智利的聖地牙哥參加一場比賽。這趟從烏拉圭蒙特維多起飛的例行航程，卻成為了攸關他們生死的一場奮戰。這架載著五名機組人員和四十位乘客的飛機，在開始降落時竟撞上了安地斯山脈。
　　Twelve people were killed instantly. After 10 days, search efforts were called off, which left the survivors with little hope of rescue. The 27 survivors4 found a way to make it through the harsh weather conditions, starvation5, and extreme cold. Even worse, an avalanche6 buried the crashed plane in snow and killed eight more people. In the end, two of the survivors went in search of help and succeeded in crossing over 60 kilometers and reaching civilization7. Finally, on December 23, 1972, all 16 of the remaining survivors were rescued. To find out how they beat death for 72 days, don't miss History Channel's "I Am Alive: Surviving the Andes Plane Crash" this month.
飛機上有十二個人當場死亡。十天後，搜救行動竟被取消，這也使得生還者得救的機會愈加渺茫。這二十七位倖存者設法撐過惡劣的天候狀況，以及飢餓和酷寒的折磨。更慘的是，一場雪崩掩埋了墜毀的飛機，進一步造成八人喪命。最後有兩位生還者出發向外求援，並成功橫越六十多公里，抵達了文明世界。終於在1972年十二月二十三日那天，空難生還者中僅存的十六人全數獲救。想知道他們如何在這七十二天中擊敗死神，就不能錯過本月份歷史頻道播出的《空中驚魂》。

@Building Your Vocabulary
1. amateur　a. 業餘的，非職業的
Joshua is an amateur tennis player, but he hopes to turn professional one day.
喬許亞是業餘的網球選手，但他希望有一天能轉戰職業。
2. routine　a. 例行的，一般的
Did you have your routine health checkup this year?
你今年去做例行的健康檢查了嗎？
3. instantly　adv. 立即，馬上
Karen raised her hand instantly when the professor asked the class a question.
當教授向全班問一個問題時，凱倫立刻就舉起手來。
4. rescue　n. & vt. 救援，拯救
The lifeguard jumped into the pool and rescued the drowning boy.
救生員跳進泳池裡，救起那個溺水的男孩。
5. harsh　a. 嚴酷的，惡劣的
No matter how harsh life gets, I never give up hope.
無論生活會有多艱難，我都不會放棄希望。
6. extreme　a. 極度的，極端的
The extreme heat of the noon sun was unbearable, so the construction workers took a break in the shade.
正午的太陽極為炙熱難耐，因此建築工人們在陰涼處稍作休息






@Phrases for learning
1. call...off/call off...　　取消∕撤銷……
The couple called off their wedding after a big fight.
那對情侶大吵一架後就取消了他們的婚禮。
2. make it through...　　渡過∕熬過……（難關）
Al made it through the worst of the cancer treatment and is starting to feel better.
艾爾熬過了癌症治療最痛苦的時期，現在已開始好轉。






@Extra Words

1. rugby　n.（英式）橄欖球（本文中作形容詞用）
2. crew　n. 全體機組人員（本文中作形容詞用）
3. descend　vi. 下降
4. survivor　n. 倖存者，生還者
5. starvation　n. 飢餓，挨餓
6. avalanche　n. 雪崩
7. civilization　n. 現代文明

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@Grammar Check

What was supposed to be a routine flight from Montevideo, Uruguay turned into a fight for their lives.
（這趟從烏拉圭蒙特維多起飛的例行航程，卻成為了攸關他們生死的一場奮戰。）
　　疑問詞（what, when, where, why, how 等）可以引導名詞子句，在主要子句中作主詞、受詞或置於 be 動詞後作主詞補語。本句中，what 所引導的名詞子句"What was supposed to be a routine flight from Montevideo, Uruguay"即作主詞用。
I want to know when you're coming over.
（我想知道你何時會過來。――名詞子句作受詞用）
注意:
how 在引導的名詞子句中修飾形容詞或副詞時，須將該形容詞或副詞置於 how 之後，使 how 直接修飾該形容詞或副詞。
Just go outside and you'll see how cold it is today.
（只要走到外面，你就會知道今天有多冷。）