文本选自：The Dallas Morning News（达拉斯晨报）
作者：Sarah Bahari
原文标题：More than 18,000 cattle killed in Texas dairy farm explosion
原文发布时间：14 Apr. 2023
More than 18,000 cattle killed in Texas dairy farm explosion
A fiery explosion in the Texas Panhandle killed more than 18,000 cattle and critically injured one worker in what is being described as the deadliest barn fire for cattle on record. Fire tore through the holding pens of Southfork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt on Monday night, as the cattle were waiting to be milked, authorities told local news outlets. A dairy farm worker rescued from the building was taken to a hospital and was in critical but stable condition.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire, but Castro County Sheriff Sal Rivera told KCBD-TV that overheating electrical equipment used to suck waste from the holding pens may have ignited methane. Photos and videos of the fire posted to social media show a massive plume of thick black smoke swelling from the fire. "It's mind-boggling," Dimmitt Mayor Roger Malone told USA Today. "I don't think it's ever happened before around here. It's a real tragedy."
It was the biggest single-incident death of cattle in the U.S. since the Animal Welfare Institute, an animal advocacy group, began tracking barn and farm fires in 2013. Texas ranks fourth nationally in milk production and is home to an estimated 625,000 cows producing almost 16.5 billion pounds of milk a year, according to the Texas Association of Dairymen. Castro County is the second-highest-producing county in Texas, with 15 dairies producing roughly 11% of the state's milk.
得克萨斯州奶牛场爆炸造成18000多头牛死亡
精听党背景导读
近日，美国得克萨斯州发生了一起惊人的事件：一座奶牛场发生爆炸，导致大约1.8万头奶牛死亡。这是美国历史上最大规模的一次奶牛死亡事件，对于当地居民和农民来说，无疑是一场灾难。
文本选自：The Dallas Morning News（达拉斯晨报）作者：Sarah Bahari原文标题：More than 18,000 cattle killed in Texas dairy farm explosion原文发布时间：14 Apr. 2023关键词：奶牛 爆炸 死亡
精听党带着问题听
1.“人口爆炸”用英语可以如何表达？2. 如何理解第二段的“tear through”？3. 得克萨斯州的牛奶产量在全国排名第几？
精听党选段赏析
标题解读
More than 18,000 cattle killed in Texas dairy farm explosion
得克萨斯州奶牛场爆炸造成18000多头牛死亡
cattle n. 牛；家牛（包括牦牛、犎牛及水牛）；1. dairy cattle 奶牛；
dairy n. 乳品公司，乳品店；乳制品；牛奶场，乳品场；
explosion n. 爆破，爆炸（声）；激增；爆发，迸发；突发的巨响；1. She was blinded in the explosion. 她在那场爆炸中双目失明了。2. The explosion startled the horse. 爆炸声使马受了惊。3. population explosion 人口爆炸；人口激增；
段一
A fiery explosion in the Texas Panhandle killed more than 18,000 cattle and critically injured one worker in what is being described as the deadliest barn fire for cattle on record. Fire tore through the holding pens of Southfork Dairy Farm in Dimmitt on Monday night, as the cattle were waiting to be milked, authorities told local news outlets. A dairy farm worker rescued from the building was taken to a hospital and was in critical but stable condition.
fiery adj. 燃烧的，充满火焰的；火红的，血红的；易怒的，暴躁的；怒气冲冲的，充满激情的；（食物或饮料）辣的；1. A helicopter crashed in a fiery explosion. 一架直升机在猛烈的爆炸中坠毁。
critically adv. 严重地；很大程度上，极为重要地；令人担忧地；批判性地；评判性地，批评性地；评论性地；严谨地；1. critically ill 危重症；垂危；2. During the covid lockdown, a lot of cities were running critically low on food supplies. 在新冠疫情封锁期间，很多城市的食品供应严重匮乏。
deadliest adj. 最致命的；1. The cobra is one of the world's deadliest snakes. 眼镜蛇是世界上毒性最剧烈的蛇类之一。
barn n. 畜棚，谷仓；
on record 记录在案的；公开发表的；1. Americans drove more miles last year than any other year on record. 美国人去年的驾驶里程比以往任何一年都多。
tear through 袭击，烧毁；1. The tornadoes tore through the region. 龙卷风袭击了该地区。
holding pens 围栏；候宰栏；
参考译文
得克萨斯州Panhandle发生的一场大火，造成18000多头牛死亡，一名工人重伤，这场大火被称为有记录以来，最致命的牛棚火灾。当局告诉当地新闻媒体，周一晚上，当牛在等待挤奶时，大火烧毁了迪米特Southfork奶牛场的围栏。从大楼里救出的一名奶牛场工人被送往医院，情况危急但稳定。
段二
Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire, but Castro County Sheriff Sal Rivera told KCBD-TV that overheating electrical equipment used to suck waste from the holding pens may have ignited methane. Photos and videos of the fire posted to social media show a massive plume of thick black smoke swelling from the fire. “It’s mind-boggling,” Dimmitt Mayor Roger Malone told USA Today. “I don’t think it’s ever happened before around here. It’s a real tragedy.”
determine vt. 决定，控制；查明，确定；下定决心；1. An inquiry was set up to determine the cause of the accident. 为了确定事故的原因，已进行了调查。
suck vt. 吸，吮，啜；含在嘴里吸食；抽，吸（空气或液体）；
ignite vt. 点燃，燃烧；引发，激起；1. to ignite a car 点燃汽车；
methane n. 甲烷，沼气；1. The ignition of methane gas killed eight men. 甲烷起火造成8人死亡。
massive adj. 大而重的，结实的；非常严重的；大量的，大规模的；1. The explosion made a massive hole in the ground. 爆炸在地上炸出了一个大洞。
plume n.（尤指污染物）一团物质；1. a plume of smoke 一缕轻烟；
swell vi. 气体扩散；（身体部位）肿胀，膨胀，增长；
mind-boggling adj. 令人难以置信的；令人惊异的；1. The workload is mind-boggling. 工作量大得令人难以想象。
参考译文
调查人员尚未确定火灾原因，但卡斯特罗县警长萨尔·里维拉告诉KCBD-TV（电视台），用于从围栏中吸取废物的电气设备发热可能点燃了甲烷。社交媒体上发布的火灾照片和视频显示，大火中冒出一股巨大的黑烟。迪米特市长罗杰·马隆在接受《今日美国》采访时表示：“这太令人难以置信了。我认为这里以前从未发生过这种事。这真是一场悲剧。”
段三
It was the biggest single-incident death of cattle in the U.S. since the Animal Welfare Institute, an animal advocacy group, began tracking barn and farm fires in 2013. Texas ranks fourth nationally in milk production and is home to an estimated 625,000 cows producing almost 16.5 billion pounds of milk a year, according to the Texas Association of Dairymen. Castro County is the second-highest-producing county in Texas, with 15 dairies producing roughly 11% of the state’s milk.
advocacy n. 拥护，提倡；辩护，辩护术；
estimated adj. 估计的，预计的；
roughly adv. 粗略地，大约；粗暴地，粗鲁地；粗糙地，不精细地；1. Sales are up by roughly 10%. 销售额增长了大约10%。
参考译文
这是自2013年动物倡导组织动物福利研究所开始追踪谷仓和农场火灾以来，美国最大的一起牛死亡事件。根据得克萨斯州奶农协会的数据，得克萨斯州的牛奶产量在全国排名第四，估计有62.5万头牛，每年生产近165亿磅牛奶。卡斯特罗县是得克萨斯州牛奶产量第二高的县，拥有15家奶牛场，生产的牛奶约占该州牛奶产量的11%。
精听党每日单词
cattle
/ˈkæt(ə)l/ n. 牛；家牛（包括牦牛、犎牛及水牛）；
dairy
/ˈderi/ n. 乳品公司，乳品店；乳制品；牛奶场，乳品场；
explosion
/ɪkˈsploʊʒn/ n. 爆破，爆炸（声）；激增；爆发，迸发；突发的巨响；
fiery
/ˈfaɪəri/ adj. 燃烧的，充满火焰的；火红的，血红的；易怒的，暴躁的；怒气冲冲的，充满激情的；（食物或饮料）辣的；
critically
/ˈkrɪtɪkli/ adv. 严重地；很大程度上，极为重要地；令人担忧地；批判性地；评判性地，批评性地；评论性地；严谨地；
deadliest
/ˈdɛdliəst/ adj. 最致命的；
barn
/bɑːrn/ n. 畜棚，谷仓；
on record
记录在案的；公开发表的；
tear through
袭击，烧毁；
holding pens
围栏；候宰栏；
determine
/dɪˈtɜːrmɪn/ vt. 决定，控制；查明，确定；下定决心；
suck
/sʌk/ vt. 吸，吮，啜；含在嘴里吸食；抽，吸（空气或液体）；
ignite
/ɪɡˈnaɪt/ vt. 点燃，燃烧；引发，激起；
methane
/ˈmeθeɪn/ n. 甲烷，沼气；
massive
/ˈmæsɪv/ adj. 大而重的，结实的；非常严重的；大量的，大规模的；
plume
/pluːm/ n.（尤指污染物）一团物质；
swell
/swel/ vi. 气体扩散；（身体部位）肿胀，膨胀，增长；
mind-boggling
/ˈmaɪnd bɑːɡlɪŋ/ adj. 令人难以置信的；令人惊异的；
advocacy
/ˈædvəkəsi/ n. 拥护，提倡；辩护，辩护术；
estimated
/ˈestɪmeɪtɪd/ adj. 估计的，预计的；
roughly
/ˈrʌfli/ adv. 粗略地，大约；粗暴地，粗鲁地；粗糙地，不精细地；
精听党文化拓展
牛有四个胃室，在最大的胃中，草类纤维被微生物分解发酵产生氢气，其他微生物则会将氢气转化为甲烷。然后，牛会通过打嗝放屁，把甲烷排出去。每年，牛类排放的甲烷占全世界所有温室气体的15%。
而甲烷，就是我们所说的“天然气”的主要成分。几乎所有养牛场都有甲烷，因此必须要做好通风换气。
然而，这次爆炸的Southfork奶牛场，却似乎在这一方面上并没有处理得很好。根据报道，这座养牛场大约有50-60名员工，是当地数家养牛场中最新建成的一家。2019年，这家养牛场才在该地区开业。
值得注意的是，有记者发现，这家养牛场，原定养殖数量为1.15万头牛。2019年，得克萨斯州环境质量委员会忽然授权，将他们允许养殖的数量提高了一倍以上，最大容量增加到了3.2万头牛。同时，他们还允许这个养牛场将最高粪便产量增加50%。
有人猜测，养殖数量增加，但养牛场内通风换气的效率没有跟上。所以养牛场内甲烷堆积，慢慢达到了危险的临界点……
根据初步调查，专家认为这次养牛场的爆炸是由火花点燃堆积的甲烷导致的。养牛场中有一台名为“蜜獾”的真空抽吸机，用来吸走粪便与废水。“可能是这台机器故障过热，甲烷被点燃、扩散，并发生爆炸。”
精听党每日美句
Time dresses the greatest wounds.
时间能愈合最大的创伤。