11-23-07

中國救援者找到被滑坡掩埋客車 (Chinese Rescuers Find Crushed Bus Buried in Landslide)

中國官員說，在造成約30人死亡的湖北省滑坡事故中找到生還者的希望渺茫。救援工作者星期五在發生事故的湖北省三峽大壩附近一個鐵路隧道建築工地找到了一輛被壓壞的客車。道路檢查站的記錄顯示，客車上載有27名乘客。官方媒體早些時候的報導說，塌方造成一名工人死亡，一人受傷。兩名工人依然下落不明。

滑坡事故星期二發生。目前正值人們不斷批評這座世界最大水壩可能造成的環境影響。一些地方官員警告說，如果不能制止水庫附近的泥土侵蝕和其他問題，中國會面臨一場大災難。不過，中國官員表示，大壩與這次滑坡事故沒有關聯。

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開門紅 (American Businesses Hope "Black Friday" Succeeds in Boosting Sales)

美國一年一度的耶誕節銷售旺季星期五開始，各地零售店期盼大批人群前來購物。人們通常稱這一天為“黑色星期五”。在美國感恩節之後的第一天，大量的購物者涌進商店，希望找到打折商品或購買最新的玩具和電子遊戲機。但是最近幾年，許多商店在感恩節當天或在“黑色星期五”的黎明前就開門營業。

今年美國零售商希望全面打折優惠辦法能吸引對美國經濟感到憂慮的消費者。萎靡不振的房屋市場加上石油和天然氣漲價打擊了消費者信心。零售商之所以稱之為“黑色星期五”是因為通常黑顏色在帳本上記錄營收，虧損則用紅色記載。

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.