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.

破損的鉆油井還在向墨西哥灣泄漏原油。英國(guó)石油公司仍在爭(zhēng)分奪秒地建造一個(gè)疏導(dǎo)設(shè)備來(lái)控制油井漏油，但這個(gè)能源巨頭并不確定這套設(shè)備是否能解決問(wèn)題。

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.

這個(gè)鐵質(zhì)的疏導(dǎo)設(shè)備重達(dá)98噸，高達(dá)40英尺，十分像一架早期的太空火箭。在它的頂部有一個(gè)開(kāi)口，從這里用管子從海底將油疏導(dǎo)到海面，之后再用駁船將油收走。

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.

美國(guó)政府和公眾給予英國(guó)石油公司很大壓力，要求英國(guó)石油公司設(shè)法控制大面積漏油，以免影響航運(yùn)，對(duì)野生動(dòng)物，海灘，以及美國(guó)最富饒的漁業(yè)區(qū)造成威脅。

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.

從理論上講，這套設(shè)備應(yīng)該能收回85%從海底漏出的原油。但是英國(guó)石油公司沒(méi)有用這套設(shè)備對(duì)5000英尺下的深度進(jìn)行處理，并且也不確定這套設(shè)備是否能夠正常運(yùn)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.

這次漏油事件使英國(guó)石油公司成為了眾矢之的。為了證明控制漏油的困難程度，英國(guó)石油公司將控制漏油設(shè)備建在了哥登梅多，路易斯安那州的南部。


Listening Notes:
threatening a fragile ecosystem:威脅到了脆弱的生態(tài)系統(tǒng)

the fishing and sea food business already fighting upstream against the economic downturn: 已在經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退中掙扎前行的漁業(yè)和海洋食品業(yè)

the battle to contain the leak looking like a long-time war:　控制漏油似乎是一場(chǎng)持久戰(zhàn)

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