BUKHANNON,
West Virginia—Two rescue teams slowly moved along a two-mile path on Monday
night to the site of a coal mine explosion that trapped 13 miners, who had not
been heard from since the early morning accident.
Meanwhile, at a nearby
church, more than 250 family members and friends gathered, waiting for updates（最新报道）on
the rescuers’ progress.
The
miners were trapped at about 6:30 and many families weren’t informed of the
accident until about 10 a.m-more than three hours after it happened. “It’s very
upsetting, but you’ve got to be patient, I guess,” said John Helms, whose
brother, Terry, was trapped in the mine.
The trapped miners
were about 260 feet underground and about 10,000 feet from the Sago Mine’s
entrance, said Roger Nicholson, general counsel from International Coal Group.
At
a late night news conference, Nicholson said one team had advanced about 4, 800
feet in the four hours since entering the mine just before 6 p.m. Another team
entered the mine about 30 minutes later.
He said the crew was
very experienced, with some members having worked underground for
30
to 35 years. The miners were equipped with about one hour of breathable oxygen
each. The company has not released the names of the miners.
The teams test the air
about every 500 feet, and have to disconnect （remove）
the power to the phones they use to communicate with the surface before doing
that. “ We don’t want to be energizing anything if it’s in an atmosphere with
burnable gases,” Kips said.
The
cause of the explosion was not immediately known. High levels of carbon
monoxide were detected shortly after the explosion, which delayed rescue
efforts, but those levels have since subsided（减退）,
authorities said.
1. According to the
passage, we can infer that ________.
A.
all the miners who were trapped underground were still alive
B. communication with
the trapped miners was cut off
C.
the two rescue teams entered the mine at the same time
D. the rescue started
as soon as the accident happened
2.
If the first team advanced at an average speed, they could dig about _______
per hour.
A. 1,000 feet B.
2,400 feet C. 1,200feet D.
4,800feet
3.
Where can the passage be seen?
A. In a magazine. B.
In a newspaper.
C.
In a science book.. D.
On an advertisement.
4. Which of the
following shows the position where the miners were trapped?
