[學測指考必備時事焦點] 黎巴嫩首都貝魯特災難性大爆炸

1. Beirut was declared a “disaster city” by authorities on Wednesday, in the wake of a huge explosion in the port of the Lebanese capital that left at least 135 people dead and 5,000 injured.

(由於黎巴嫩首都港口發生大規模爆炸，至少有135人死亡和5,000人受傷，當局在星期三宣佈貝魯特為“災難城市”。)

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in the wake of  (phrase) 作為…的後果；隨…之後而來

• 補充用法：in the wake of + sth

explosion (n.) 爆炸；爆破；爆裂

• 同義字：blast, burst

2. A warehouse storing thousands of tons of an unsecured and volatile chemical compound has emerged as a possible source of the blast. It’s still not exactly clear what led to the ignition that wiped out entire streets, but questions swirled Wednesday over whether the authorities had failed to act on warning signs.

(儲存數千噸不穩定揮發性化合物的倉庫，可能是爆炸的來源。 目前尚不清楚是什麼原因導致整個街道被燒毀，但有關當局是否未對警告標誌採取行動的問題在周三引發了質疑。)

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warehouse (n.) 貨倉，倉庫

• 同義字：storehouse, stockroom

volatile (adj.) 不穩定的

• 同義字：unstable, erratic
• 反義字：stable

compound (n.) 化合物

• 同義字：composite, mixture

ignition (n.) 著火，燃燒

• 同義字：combustion, kindling

3. The Director of Lebanese Customs, Badri Daher, told CNN that officials had written to legal authorities six times calling for that cargo be removed from the port, but the requests went unheeded.

(黎巴嫩海關局長Badri Daher告訴美國有線電視新聞網（CNN），官員已六次致函法律當局，要求將貨物從港口移走，但要求沒有得到理會。)

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customs (n.) 海關

• 補充用法：to go through customs 通過海關

unheeded (adj.) 被忽視的，未受到注意的

• 同義字：disregarded, put aside, ignored
• 反義字：considered , heeded, regarded

4. Lebanese President Michel Aoun promised a transparent investigation into the causes of the explosion, vowing Wednesday that those responsible would be held accountable and face “severe punishment.”

(黎巴嫩總統Michel Aoun承諾將對爆炸的原因進行透明調查，並誓言將對肇事者追究責任，並面臨“嚴厲懲罰”。)

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transparent (adj.) 透明的，不隱藏的

• 同義字： direct , open, unhidden
• 反義字：hidden, shady

vow (v.) 發誓，立誓

• 同義字：promise , resolve
• 補充用法：S1 + vow (+ that) + S2 + V… 某人發誓⋯⋯
  vow to V… 發誓要⋯⋯

severe (adj.) 嚴厲的

• 同義字：stern , strict

5. Immediate concerns remain with the casualties, which are expected to rise further. Following the blast, hospitals in Beirut were overwhelmed with the wounded and doctors conducted triage on dozens of injured people in car parks and sidewalks. Some were so full  they were turning people away.

(傷亡仍然令人擔憂，預計傷亡人數將進一步增加。 爆炸發生後，貝魯特的醫院不堪重負，醫生在停車場和人行道上對數十名受傷人員進行了分類。 有些醫院太忙了，以至於把人們拒之門外。)

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casualty (n.) （嚴重事故或戰爭中的）傷亡人員

• 同義字：death, fatality, loss , victim
• 補充用法：S. + suffered heavy casualties. ⋯⋯傷亡慘重

triage (n.) （醫院）檢傷分類（以確定哪些病人情況最為嚴重須優先處理）

turn someone away (phrase) 拒絕某人