(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
This is Steve Ember. And this is Faith Lapidus with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Red Adair. He was famous for putting out dangerous oil well fires around the world.
Paul Neal Adair was born in Houston, Texas in nineteen fifteen. He was one of five sons of a metal worker. He also had three sisters. While growing up, he became known as Red Adair because his hair was bright red. The color became a trademark for Adair. He wore red clothes and red boots. He drove a red car, and his crew members used red trucks and red equipment.
As a young man, Red Adair dropped out of high school to help support his family. He worked as a laborer for several different companies. In nineteen thirty-eight, Adair got his first oil-related job with the Otis Pressure Control Company.
During World War Two, Adair served on a trained army team that removed and destroyed bombs. After the war, he returned to Houston and took a job with Myron Kinley. At the time, Kinley was the leader in putting out fires in oil wells. Red Adair worked with Myron Kinley for fourteen years. But in nineteen fifty-nine, Adair started his own company.
During his thirty-six years in business, Red Adair and his crews battled more than two thousand fires all over the world. Some were on land. Others were on ocean oil-drilling structures. Some fires were in burning oil wells. Others were in natural gas wells.
Red Adair was a leader in a specialized and extremely dangerous profession. Putting out oil well fires can be difficult. This is because oil well fires are extinguished, or put out, at the wellhead just above ground. Normally, explosives are used to stop the fire from burning. The explosion robs the fire of oxygen. But, once the fire is out, the well still needs to be covered, or capped, to stop the flow of oil. This is the most dangerous part of the process. Any new heat or fire could cause the leaking well and the surrounding area to explode.
Red Adair developed modern methods to extinguish and cover burning oil wells.
They became known in the industry as Wild Well Control techniques. In addition to explosives, the techniques involved large amounts of water and dirt. Adair also developed special equipment made of bronze metal to help extinguish oil well fires. The modern tools and his Wild Well Control techniques earned Red Adair and his crews the honor of being called the "best in the business."
Red Adair was known for not being afraid. He was also known for his sense of calm and safety. None of his workers were ever killed while putting out oil well or gas fires. He described his work this way: "It scares you -- all the noise, the rattling, the shaking. But the look on everyone's face, when you are finished and packing, it is the best smile in the world; and there is nobody hurt, and the well is under control."
One of Red Adair's most important projects was in nineteen sixty-two. He and his crew put out a natural gas fire in the Sahara Desert in Algeria. The fire had been burning for six months. This famous fire was called the "Devil's Cigarette Lighter."
Fire from the natural gas well shot about one hundred forty meters into the air. The fire was so big that American astronaut John Glenn could see it from space as he orbited Earth.
The desert sand around the well had melted into glass from the extreme heat. News reports said Adair used about three hundred forty kilograms of nitroglycerine explosive material to pull the oxygen out of the fire.
Adair's success with the "Devil's Cigarette Lighter" and earlier well fires captured the imagination of the American film industry. In nineteen sixty-eight, Hollywood made an action film called "Hellfighters." It was loosely based on events in Red Adair's life. Actor John Wayne played an oil well firefighter from Houston, Texas whose life was similar to Adair's. Adair served as an advisor to Wayne while the film was being made. The two men became close friends. Adair said one of the best honors in the world was to have John Wayne play him in a movie.
Here is John Wayne in the film "Hellfighters." He has just flown into Venezuela to help his crew fight a dangerous fire. He has brought needed supplies with him.
JOE HORN: "Wooo. It's about time you got back to earning an honest living."
CHANCE BUCKMAN (JOHN WAYNE): "If you think I'm going to say it's a pleasure to be here, forget it." GEORGE HARRIS: "Hi boss."
CHANCE BUCKMAN: "George, nice to see you. I spent a lot of your money."
GREG PARKER: "Well, what did you do, buy up all the control heads in Houston?"
CHANCE BUCKMAN: "This far away from supplies, you get all the spares you can."
GREG PARKER: "This is Colonel Valdez, Chance. He's in charge of keeping us from getting shot."
CHANCE BUCKMAN: "Well, I hope you do a good job, Colonel."
COLONEL VALDEZ: "If I do not, you will have my profound apologies."
JOE HORN: "The longer you guys stand there, the longer it's going to take to unload this thing." CHANCE BUCKMAN: "Right Joe..."
In nineteen eighty-eight, Adair fought what was possibly the world's worst off-shore accident. It was at the Piper Alpha drilling structure in the North Sea. Occidental Petroleum operated the structure off the coast of Scotland. The structure produced oil and gas from twenty-four wells.
One hundred sixty-seven men were killed when the structure exploded after a gas leak. Red Adair had to stop the fires and cap the wells. He faced winds blowing more than one hundred twenty kilometers an hour, and ocean waves at least twenty meters high.
In March of nineteen ninety-one, Red Adair went to Kuwait following the Persian Gulf War. He and his crews were called in to help put out fires set by the Iraqi army as it fled from coalition forces. But Adair faced serious problems in putting out the fires. In June, he flew to Washington, D.C. to talk to government officials about those problems. He told congressional lawmakers that he needed more water and more equipment. He also described his concerns about medical services for his men, and the buried landmines throughout Kuwait.
Adair also met with then-President George H.W. Bush. President Bush listened to his concerns and offered his support. Within weeks, Adair had the equipment he needed to complete the job.
The Red Adair Company capped more than one hundred wells. His crews were among twenty-seven teams from sixteen countries called in to fight the fires. The crews' efforts put out about seven hundred Kuwaiti fires. Their efforts saved millions of barrels of oil. Some experts say the operation also helped prevent an environmental tragedy.
The job had been expected to take three to five years. However, it was completed in just eight months. In a ceremony, the Emir of Kuwait extinguished the last burning well on November sixth, nineteen ninety-one.
In addition to Kuwait, Adair and his men carried out sixteen other jobs that year. They worked in India, Venezuela, Nigeria, the Gulf of Mexico and the United States.
Red Adair had spent his seventy-sixth birthday in Kuwait working side by side with his crew. When asked when he might retire, he told reporters: "Retire? I do not know what that word means. As long as a man is able to work, and he is productive out there and he feels good – keep at it."
Still, Red Adair finally did retire in nineteen ninety-four. At that time, he joked about where he would end up when he died. He said he hoped to be in Heaven. But he said this about Hell: "I have made a deal with the devil. He said he is going to give me an air-conditioned place when I go down there – if I go there – so I won't put all the fires out."
Red Adair died in two thousand four. He was eighty-nine years old. At his funeral, many family members and friends honored him by wearing red clothes. Many Americans remember Red Adair for his bravery. He lived his life on the edge of danger. He was known for his willingness to risk his own life to save others.
During his life, Adair received Special Letters of Recognition from Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush. One of the letters said this: "You have served your country well by your willingness to do a dangerous and important job with a rare ability. In an age said to be without heroes, you are an authentic hero."
重点解析
1.be famous for因...著名
If I am not mistaken, BMW used to be famous for its 6-cylinder engine.
如果我没弄错的话，宝马以前的6缸引擎很出名。
2.grow up成长
Their childhood should be happy and they should grow up in a healthy environment.
他们的童年应该是快乐的，他们应该在健康的环境中成长。
3.put out熄灭；出版
Firemen tried to free the injured and put out the blaze.
消防员们竭力救出伤者，扑灭大火。
4.drop out辍学；退学
He'd dropped out of high school at the age of 16.
他16岁时就从高中退学了。
5.In addition to除...之外
In addition to the quiz, we have tests once every month.
除了小测验以外，我们每个月还有一次测试。
6.carry out执行；贯彻
Police say they believe the attacks were carried out by nationalists.
警方称他们认为这些袭击行为是民族主义分子发动的。
参考译文
我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔，我是费丝·拉皮德斯，这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们讲述雷德·亚戴尔的故事。他以扑灭世界各地危险的油井大火而闻名。
保罗·尼尔·阿代尔于1915年出生在德克萨斯州的休斯顿。他是一个金属工人的五个儿子之一。他还有三个姐妹。在他成长的过程中，因为他的头发是鲜红色的，所以他被称为雷德·阿戴尔。这种颜色成为了亚戴尔的标志。他穿红色的衣服和红色的靴子。他开红色的车，他的团队使用红色卡车和红色设备。
年轻时，雷德·亚戴尔从高中辍学来帮助供养他的家人。他在几家不同的公司作为工人工作。1938年，亚戴尔在公司获得了他的第一个石油相关的工作。
二战期间，亚戴尔曾在一支训练有素的拆弹部队服役。战争结束后，他返回了休斯顿，在迈伦·金利那里找到了一份工作。当时，金利是扑灭油井火灾的领导者。雷德·亚戴尔在迈伦·金利那里工作了14年。但是在1959年，亚戴尔创办了他自己的公司。
在他从商的36年里，雷德·亚戴尔和他的团队在世界各地扑灭了两千多起火灾。有些是在陆地上，有些则是在海洋石油钻探结构上。一些是油井火灾，其他的则是天然气井火灾。
雷德·亚戴尔是一个专业的、极其危险的职业的领导者。扑灭油井火灾是很困难的。这是因为油井火灾需要在地面上方的井口被扑灭。通常情况下，炸药是用来阻止火燃烧的。爆炸使火失去了氧气。但是，一旦大火熄灭，油井仍然需要被盖上盖子，以阻止石油的流动。这是灭火过程最危险的部分。任何新的热量和火势都可导致泄露的油井和周边区域爆炸。
雷德·亚戴尔开发了灭火和盖油井的现代方法。
它们在业内被称为野喷井控制技术。除了炸药，这些技术还涉及大量的水和泥土。亚戴尔还开发了青铜金属制成的特殊设备，以帮助扑灭油井火灾。现代工具和他野喷井控制技术为瑞德·亚戴尔和他的团队赢得了“业内最佳”的荣誉。
雷德·亚戴尔以不害怕而闻名。他也因他的冷静和安全感闻名。他的工人没有一个在扑灭油井或天然气火灾时丧生。他这样描述自己的工作：“它让你害怕，所有的噪音，卡塔声，还有晃动。但是当你扑灭火灾收拾的时候，你可以看看每个人脸上的表情，那是世界上最棒的微笑。没有人受伤，油井也得到了控制。”
1962年，雷德·亚戴尔完成了他的最重要的工程之一。他和他的团队扑灭了阿尔及利亚撒哈拉沙漠的一场天然气大火。那时大火已经烧了六个月。这场著名的大火被称为“魔鬼的打火机”。
天然气井的大火向空中喷射了大约140米。这场大火是如此之大，以至于美国宇航员约翰·格伦在绕地球轨道飞行时可以从太空中看到它。
在极高的温度下，油井周围的沙子被融成了玻璃。新闻报道说，亚戴尔使用了大约340公斤硝化甘油炸药把氧气从火中抽出来。
阿代尔凭借“魔鬼的打火机”工程和早期的扑灭油井之火的事迹大获成功，这激发了美国电影业的想象力。1968年，好莱坞制作了动作电影《地狱战士》。这部电影大体上是根据雷德·亚戴尔生活中的一些事件改编的。演员约翰·韦恩扮演一位来自德克萨斯州休斯顿的油井消防员，他的生活和亚戴尔相似。在电影拍摄期间，亚戴尔担任韦恩的顾问。这两个人成了亲密的朋友。亚戴尔说，世界上最大的荣誉之一就是让约翰·韦恩在电影中扮演他。
这是约翰韦恩在电影《地狱战士》。他刚刚飞抵委内瑞拉，帮助他的团队人员扑灭一场危险的大火。他带来了所需的物资。
乔·霍恩：“哇。是时候让你过上了正当的时候了。”
钱斯·巴克曼（约翰·韦恩）：“如果你觉得我要说很高兴来到这里的话，忘了吧。”乔治·哈里斯：“你好，老板。”
钱斯·巴克曼：“乔治，很高兴见到你。我花了你很多钱。”
格雷格·帕克：“你做了什么，买了休斯顿所有的控制装置？”
钱斯·巴克曼：“这里远离补给，你可以得到所有你能得到的备件。”
格雷格·帕克：“钱斯，我是瓦尔迪兹上校。他负责不让我们中枪。”
钱斯·巴克曼：“我希望你干得好，上校。”
瓦尔迪兹上校：“如果我没做好，你会收到我深深的歉意。”
乔·霍恩：“你们站在这里越久，就需要越长时间来卸载这个东西。”钱斯·巴克曼：“好的，乔。”
1988年，亚戴尔与可能是世界上最严重的海上事故作斗争。它位于北海的派普艾尔法钻井平台。西方石油公司在苏格兰海岸附近建造了这个平台。该结构从24口井中开采石油和天然气。该平台的天然气泄漏导致的爆炸致使167人死亡。雷德·亚戴尔不得不灭火，把油井盖住。他面临的是时速超过120千米的大风，还有至少20米高的海浪。
1991年3月，在海湾战争后，雷德·亚戴尔去了科威特。伊拉克军队在逃离联军部队时纵火，他和他的团队被召来帮助灭火。但是亚戴尔灭火时面临着严重的问题。六月，他飞到华盛顿和政府官员谈论这些问题。亚戴尔告诉国会议员，他需要更多的水和更多的设备。他也描述了他对自己队员医疗服务的担忧，还有科威特全境埋下的地雷。
亚戴尔也见了当时的总统乔治·H·W·布什。布什总统聆听了他的担忧，给了他支持。几周之内，亚戴尔得到了他需要完成这个工作的设备。
雷德·亚戴尔公司盖住了超过100口井。他的团队是来自16个国家的27支救火队伍中的一员。救援人员努力扑灭了大约700起科威特大火。他们的努力节省了数百万桶石油。一些专家称，这次行动帮助避免了一次环境悲剧。
这份工作预计要花三到五年的时间完成。然而，它只用了8个月。1991年11月6日，在一次仪式上，科威特埃米尔扑灭了最后一口燃烧的油井。
那一年，除了在科威特救火，亚戴尔和他的队员做了16个其他的工作。他们在印度、委内瑞拉、尼日利亚、墨西哥湾和美国工作。
雷德·亚戴尔在科威特与他的船员们并肩工作，度过了他76岁的生日。记者问他什么时候可能退休，他告诉记者：“退休？我不知道这个词是什么意思。只要一个男人还能工作，而且他在工作中富有成效，而且感觉良好，那就坚持下去。”
尽管如此，雷德·亚戴尔最终还是在1994年退休。那时候，他开玩笑说他死后会去哪里。他说，他希望去天堂。但是他是这样说地狱的：“我已经和魔鬼做了交易。他说，如果我下地狱的话，他要给我一个有空调的地方。所以我不会把所有的火熄灭。”
雷德·亚戴尔于2004年去世。享年89岁。在他的葬礼上，很多的家庭成员和朋友通过穿红色的衣服向他致敬。很多美国人都记得雷德·亚戴尔的勇敢。他生活在危险的边缘。他以愿意冒生命危险拯救他人而闻名。
在他的一生中，亚戴尔收到过来自林登·约翰逊、吉米·卡特和乔治·H·W布什的特别赞誉信。其中一封信是这样说的：“你愿意用一种罕见的能力来做一份危而重要的工作，你很好地服务了这个国家。在一个没有英雄的时代，你是一个真正的英雄。”
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