英语四级阅读 PM orders reinforcements as toll rises to 14,866

　　Meanwhile, huge amounts of relief materials are required, Wang said, adding that up to 60,000 tents are needed in Mianyang alone, putting further pressure on transport.
　　Wang, while expressing appreciation for all domestic and foreign donations, said conditions were "not yet ripe" to allow foreign rescue teams into the country.
　　"At this point, transportation in affected areas is still blocked and it is impossible even for our own rescue teams to reach the disaster-hit areas," he said.
　　A Foreign Ministry spokesman on Tuesday also welcomed the international community’s aid to China’s relief efforts.
　　Many international organizations and foreign leaders have expressed sympathy and pledged to offer help.
　　Qin Gang told a news briefing that no casualties of foreigners in quake-affected area had been reported.
　　A group of 31 British tourists have arrived safe in Chengdu, Qin Gang late on Tuesday.
　　The 31 British tourists encountered the massive quake Monday afternoon on their way back from a tour to Wolong, and all of them finally returned to Chengdu safe without any casualty or injury, with the assistance of the police of Dujiangyan, a city near Chengdu, according to Qin.
　　Train Derailed
　　A 40-car freight train carrying gasoline derailed and caught fire in neighboring Gansu during the quake and was still burning Tuesday evening, a railway official said. One injury was reported.
　　The train, including 13 tank cars filled with gasoline, derailed and burst into flames on Monday in Gansu province when the quake cut a major rail line, Wang Yongping, spokesman for the Ministry of Railways said.
　　It was still on fire more than 26 hours after the accident, Xinhua News Agency reported.
　　The heat of the fire could be felt 100 m away.
　　Wang said all the railway lines affected by the quake in Sichuan province had been reopened, apart from the line with the burning freight train. That railway runs from Baoji in Shaanxi province to Guangyuan in Sichuan.
　　The earthquake left trains and passengers stranded on major rail lines leading to Chengdu, Xinhua said. At least 149 cargo trains and 31 passenger trains were affected and passengers were being moved to safety yesterday.
　　Emergency Warning
　　Water resources authorities issued an emergency warning after water projects suffered severe damage in the quake.
　　According to E Jingping, vice-minister of water resources, the quake has resulted in the damage of "a considerable number of water projects".
　　"Given that water reservoirs are prone to risks, dam collapses might lead to mass casualties if inspections and rescue work are not conducted in a timely manner," E told Xinhua after an urgent video conference with the water authorities in Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Gansu and Shaanxi.
　　Torch Relay
　　In another development, organizers of the Beijing Olympic Games said on Tuesday that a minute’s silence will be observed during future stops of the torch relay to mourn the victims of the quake.
　　The relay is scheduled to head to Jiangxi province on Wednesday as it continues its three-month journey through the country.
　　"All participants of the torch relay will observe one minute of silence at the beginning of the "Donation centers will also be set up along the route of the relay."
　　Li Zhanjun, a BOCOG spokesman, said earlier yesterday that there were no plans to change the relay’s route in Sichuan.
　　The torch is to be carried through seven towns and cities in Sichuan from June 15 to 18. They include Mianyang and Guanghuan, both hit hard in the quake.