英国石油公司承诺为漏油事件"埋单"

British Petroleum is still racing against time to build a funnel to help contain the busted oil rig which is gushing oil into the Mexican Gulf - but the energy giant is unsure whether it will work.

破损的钻油井还在向墨西哥湾泄漏原油。英国石油公司仍在争分夺秒地建造一个疏导设备来控制油井漏油，但这个能源巨头并不确定这套设备是否能解决问题。

The funnel is a 98-ton, 40-foot iron box that resembles a primitive space rocket with a hole on top to channel oil through a pipe from the sea floor to the surface where it can be collected on a barge.

这个铁质的疏导设备重达98吨，高达40英尺，十分像一架早期的太空火箭。在它的顶部有一个开口，从这里用管子从海底将油疏导到海面，之后再用驳船将油收走。

BP has been under intense pressure from the US Government and public to contain a giant slick that threatens shipping, wildlife, beaches and one of the United States' most fertile fishing grounds.

美国政府和公众给予英国石油公司很大压力，要求英国石油公司设法控制大面积漏油，以免影响航运，对野生动物，海滩，以及美国最富饶的渔业区造成威胁。

In theory, the system should collect 85 percent of the oil rising from the sea floor but BP has never deployed the structure at a depth of 5,000 feet and the company cannot guarantee it will function correctly.

从理论上讲，这套设备应该能收回85%从海底漏出的原油。但是英国石油公司没有用这套设备对5000英尺下的深度进行处理，并且也不确定这套设备是否能够正常运作。

The spill is a public relations nightmare for BP and in an apparent bid to show how hard it is working to contain the slick the company has opened the building facility at Golden Meadow, southern Louisiana.

这次漏油事件使英国石油公司成为了众矢之的。为了证明控制漏油的困难程度，英国石油公司将控制漏油设备建在了哥登梅多，路易斯安那州的南部。

Listening Notes:
threatening a fragile ecosystem:威胁到了脆弱的生态系统

the fishing and sea food business already fighting upstream against the economic downturn: 已在经济衰退中挣扎前行的渔业和海洋食品业

the battle to contain the leak looking like a long-time war:　控制漏油似乎是一场持久战