台湾列车脱轨伤亡惨重 事故原因仍在调查中
Taiwan authorities are investigating what caused a train carrying 366 passengers to derail Sunday in Yilan County, northeastern Taiwan, killing at least 18 people and injuring 207. The train was traveling between the cities of Shulin and Taitung when it left the tracks just before 5 p.m. local time. Among the dead are eight people from the same family who were traveling back from New Taipei city.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but at a news conference Monday the officials said they were looking into speed as a possible factor, as well as a report before the incident that said the air pressure in the train’s brakes was “too low”. It is said that if the air pressure was too low there wouldn’t be enough power to brake the train. Further investigation was needed to determine whether this caused the accident. The train entered service at the end of 2011 and had just finished major maintenance work.
One passenger, who spoke from the hospital, said the train “kept shaking” and “all the chairs were out of place”. The passenger, who only gave her surname as Leong, said the train had stopped many times during the journey. “I felt the speed was very high, and then the train derailed,” she said. Another passenger told that he could hear people screaming before the train came off the tracks. A 43-year-old American woman was among those injured. She has been sent to a local hospital.
An official visited Yilan Monday to meet family members of passengers killed in the accident. She issued statements on social media Sunday night, saying that she was “deeply saddened” by the “major tragedy”. “I mourn those who died, and wish that those injured can quickly get well,” she said. “Let us give support together to those who are providing disaster relief on the front line.”
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1.The underlined word “derail” in the first paragraph may mean “______”.
A carry passengers
B kill people
C leave tracks
D injure authorities
解析：选C。词义猜测题。 根据第一段第二句when it left the tracks just before 5 p.m. local time可知火车脱轨了，据此可以推知该词意为“leave tracks”。故选C。
2.What may cause the accident?
A The careless driver.
B The powerless brake.
C The new conference.
D The terrible weather.
解析：选B。推理判断题。根据第二段第二句的It is said that if the air pressure was too low there wouldn’t be enough power to brake the train可推知可能是因为“无力的刹车”才导致了事故的发生。故选B。
3.What happened to the train during the journey?
A It kept speeding.
B It stopped sometimes.
C It got the maintenance.
D It kept screaming.
解析：选B。细节理解题。根据第三段第二句的The passenger, who only gave her surname as Leong, said the train had stopped many times during the journey可知在旅途中火车不断地停车。故选B。
4.How did the official feel about the disaster?
A Excited.
B Happy.
C Confused.
D Sorry.
解析：选D。细节理解题。根据最后一段第二句的She issued statements on social media Sunday night, saying that she was “deeply saddened” by the “major tragedy”可知她对事故的发生表示很难过。故选D。