VOA慢速英语:Hopes Decrease in Search for Survivors of South Korean Ferry

Almost 270 people are still missing from a boat that sank off the southern coast of South Korea. Most of the missing are high school students.
韩国南部海岸沉没的客轮上仍有将近270人失踪，大多数失踪者为高中生。

The South Korean ferry Sewol was carrying about 475 passengers. It sank Wednesday morning near the island of Jindo. More than 25 people are confirmed dead. Rescuers have saved more than 175 people. But hopes of finding more survivors are decreasing.
韩国渡轮Sewol载有大约475名乘客，该船于周三上午在珍岛附近沉没。超过25人被证实死亡。救援人员已经救起超过175人。但要找到更多幸存者的希望正在降低。

Some of the passengers jumped in the water and were rescued by ships. Rescue teams and helicopters pulled others from the boat.
部分乘客跳进水里被一些船只所救。救援队和直升机将其他人从这艘船上转移了出去。

Student Kim Tae-yuon survived. He said, "I held a handrail and moved toward the right side of the ferry to ride a helicopter as water kept coming in."
学生Kim Tae-yuon存活了下来。他说，“我扶着扶手转移到渡轮的右侧，坐上了直升飞机，与此同时水不断涌了进来。”

Another survivor, Cha Eun-ok, described the situation on the boat, "I was keeping still without making any movement. There was an announcement that we should not move."
另一位幸存者Cha Eun-ok描述了船上的情况。“我一直静止不动，有广播通知大家不要动。”

Oh Byung-Hwan is the father of a missing student. Like many parents, he expressed anger about the search effort.
Oh Byung-Hwan是一名失踪学生的父亲。像其他父母一样，他对搜救工作感到非常气愤。

He said there was no rescue effort on Wednesday. He said emergency workers could not get into the ferry. He said they just dove around the area.
他说，星期三没有任何救援工作。他说救援人员无法进入渡轮，他们只能在四周潜水。

Cho Kyung-mi is related to a missing student. She said too much time has passed.
Cho Kyung-mi和一名失踪学生有关联。她说已经过去太多时间了。

She said, "They should have rescued the children on the day it happened. What are they doing now? Three days have passed." She said, "They must be cold and scared, deep underwater."
她说，“他们应该在当天救出这些孩子。他们现在都在干什么？三天都过去了。孩子们在水下一定非常寒冷和害怕。”

Divers could not enter the ship during several rescue attempts. The water in the area is dark and cold with a strong current. Three divers were caught in a current and later rescued.
潜水员在几次尝试救援中都无法进入该船。该区域的海水伴着一股强劲水流，昏暗又寒冷。三名潜水员陷入了一股水流，其后获救。

The release of incorrect information has made it more difficult for parents. Soon after the boat sank, South Korean officials reported all of the students and most of the other passengers had been rescued. But a little later, officials said many fewer people were rescued than first reported.
不确切信息的发布让家长们更为艰难。在该船沉没后不久，韩国官员报告称，所有学生和大部分乘客已经获救。但过了一会，有关官员又称获救者比首次报道所说的少得多。

When the ship began to sink, survivors said that ferry operators told passengers not to move. The media reported of text messages from survivors trapped in the ferry. The reports were later withdrawn.
幸存者说，当该船开始下沉时，渡轮运营方让乘客不要动。有媒体报道了被困在渡轮上的幸存者发出的短信，该报道后来被撤回。

South Korean media reported that the ship captain was one of the first people to leave the ship. Lee Joon-seok was shown on Korean TV with his head down in an attempt to hide his face. Lee said that he was extremely sorry and did not know what to say.
韩国媒体报道说，船长是第一批离开船的人之一。Lee Joon-seok在韩国电视台上露面，他低着头，试图掩盖住自己的脸。Lee说，他感到非常难过，不知道该说些什么。

It is still not clear what caused the ferry to sink. Rescued passengers said they heard a loud noise before the ship began to sink. This led people to guess that the ferry hit a rock. The Coast Guard also said that the ferry did not follow the path suggested by officials.
但目前还不清楚是什么原因导致渡轮沉没。获救乘客说他们在船开始下沉之前听到了一声巨响。这导致人们猜测渡轮是不是撞上了礁石。海岸警卫队还表示，这艘渡轮没有遵照有关官员建议的路线行驶。

Captain Lee told a newspaper that he did not hit anything.
Lee船长对一家报纸表示，他没有撞上任何东西。

Kim Han-sik is president of the company that operates the ferry. He has publicly apologized. He said, "executives and employees of the Chinghaejin Marine Office have committed a grave sin."
Kim Han-sik是这艘渡轮经营方的公司总裁。他公开道歉。他说，“清海镇海运公司（Chinghaejin Marine Office）的行政部门及雇员犯下了大罪。”