阅读理解

　　NBC News and news services

　　Updated：1∶15.pm．

　　ET Jan．9,2006

　　TALLMANSVILLE, W．Va．-Eleven miners who died in the Sago disaster could have walked out alive had they known that there was healthier air less than 2,000 feet away, the head of the mining company told NBC News in an interview aired on zMonday-exactly a week to the day that the men sat trapped in the mine awaiting rescuers who arrived too late for all but one survivor．

　”They were headed into an unknown,” International Coal Group CEO Ben Haield said．“They had no way of knowing how big, how disastrous the explosion was．In hindsight, if they had known that the smoke was only extremely dense in an area of perhaps 1,000 or 1,500 feet, yes they could have moved to fresh air, yes they could have survived, but they had no way of knowing that．”

　”It’s over two miles to the outside and they no doubt would have been concerned that they can’t walk through two miles of smoke,” he added．“If they had known that it was only 1,500 or 42,000 feet of smoke certainly they could have come on out and yes they could have been saved．”

　　Haield called it a tragedy that was”unavoidable and horribly sad” because the miners, even though they had breathing devices, did exactly what they had been taught to do：hunker down(蹲下)and wait for rescuers．

　　Crews did not know the location of the miners while they awaited rescue and had no way to communicate with them．

　　The men appeared to have died after about 10 hours and the rescuers only arrived after about 40 hours．Eleven men died awaiting rescue, one died in the blast that caused the disaster and a 13^th survived．

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阅读理解

　　Nelson Mandela is one of the great political leaders of our time．His lifelong efforts to the fight against racial(种族)oppression(压迫)in his country won him the admiration(钦慕)of millions worldwide, as well as the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize．As the leader of South Africa’s anti-partheid(反种族隔离)movement, Mandela was a key player in helping to move his country toward multiracial government(多民族政府)and majority rule．

　　Mandela’s long, hard struggle is a victory of dignity(尊严)and hope．He’s a man of true courage．If determination and patience were considered talents, Mandela would win hands down in any sort of competition．

　　accomplishments(成就)& fame(名誉)

　　Nelson Mandela’s greatest accomplishments were his role in ending apartheid, and becoming South Africa’s first elected black president．He has been the recipient(收件人)of dozens upon dozens of awards, prizes and honors from countless associations and organizations, but perhaps none more prestigious(声望很高)than the Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared with former South African President Frederik W．de Klerk, in 1993．

　　He has been awarded several other major peace prizes, such as the UNESCO(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)Peace Prize in 1991(also shared with F．W．de Klerk); the Africa Peace Award in 1995 and the International Gandhi Peace Prize in 2002．

　　Mr．Mandela also received dozens of honorary degrees(名誉学位)from universities the world over, including the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Glasgow, London, Nottingham, and Oxford, as well as an Honorary Doctorate from the Sorbonne University in Paris(all in July 1996), and Harvard Business School’s Statesman of the Year Award in 1995－to name but a few．He has also been presented(赠送)with the key to cities such as Rome, Rio de Janeiro, London, Dublin, and Sydney, Australia(where he became the first person ever to receive the Freedom of that city)．In July of 2002, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States highest civilian(公民)award．

　　Model

　　There’s something admirable about having been a leader fighting for a people’s freedom and equality in an unjust society．Mandela has become a worldwide symbol(楷模)of the struggle of the oppressed(被压迫者)over the oppressor．He has been celebrated in song by artists the world over, in many different languages．One entitled “Nelson Mandela”was recorded by British 2-Tone group The Special A．K．A(formerly The Specials); making the top 10 in the UK and a few other European nations in 1984．

　　Personal style

　　As a president, Mandela sported the typical garb(服饰)of high-ranking government officials： expensive, well-tailored(缝制精致的)suits．Now retired(退役)from public life, Mandela the elder statesman dresses in an ordinary way．

　　He attends many activities, often where he is the guest of honor, in bright, colorfully patterned(典型的)traditional African robes(长袍)or shirts all the better for getting down when the music begins．

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