11-23-07

中国救援者找到被滑坡掩埋客车 (Chinese Rescuers Find Crushed Bus Buried in Landslide)

中国官员说，在造成约30人死亡的湖北省滑坡事故中找到生还者的希望渺茫。救援工作者星期五在发生事故的湖北省三峡大坝附近一个铁路隧道建筑工地找到了一辆被压坏的客车。道路检查站的记录显示，客车上载有27名乘客。官方媒体早些时候的报导说，塌方造成一名工人死亡，一人受伤。两名工人依然下落不明。

滑坡事故星期二发生。目前正值人们不断批评这座世界最大水坝可能造成的环境影响。一些地方官员警告说，如果不能制止水库附近的泥土侵蚀和其他问题，中国会面临一场大灾难。不过，中国官员表示，大坝与这次滑坡事故没有关联。

Chinese officials say there is little hope for survivors from a landslide in Hubei Province, which has killed about 30 people. Rescue workers found a crushed bus Friday underneath the rubble at a railway tunnel construction site near the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei province. Checkpoint records show the bus was carrying 27 people. Earlier reports from state media said the landslide killed one worker and injured another. Two workers are still missing.

The landslide happened Tuesday amid criticism over the environmental impact of the world's biggest dam. Local officials have warned that China faces a catastrophe if it fails to stop erosion and other problems around the reservoir. However, Chinese officials suggest there is no connection between the dam and the landslide.

美商家希望黑色星期五开门红 (American Businesses Hope "Black Friday" Succeeds in Boosting Sales)

美国一年一度的圣诞节销售旺季星期五开始，各地零售店期盼大批人群前来购物。人们通常称这一天为“黑色星期五”。在美国感恩节之后的第一天，大量的购物者涌进商店，希望找到打折商品或购买最新的玩具和电子游戏机。但是最近几年，许多商店在感恩节当天或在“黑色星期五”的黎明前就开门营业。

今年美国零售商希望全面打折优惠办法能吸引对美国经济感到忧虑的消费者。萎靡不振的房屋市场加上石油和天然气涨价打击了消费者信心。零售商之所以称之为“黑色星期五”是因为通常黑颜色在帐本上记录营收，亏损则用红色记载。

Retail department stores across the United States are hoping for large crowds Friday, the first day of the annual Christmas shopping season. Commonly known as "Black Friday," the day after the annual Thanksgiving Day celebration brings out massive numbers of shoppers frantically looking for discount sales or a chance to buy the latest toy or electronic game. But in recent years, many department stores have opened on Thanksgiving Day itself, or in the pre-dawn hours of "Black Friday."

This season, retailers are hoping across-the-board price cuts will attract consumers worried about the current state of the U.S. economy, which has been battered by a slumping housing market and rising oil and gas prices. Retailers call it "Black Friday" because profit in accounting books is traditionally recorded in black and debt in red.