撒哈拉沙漠里的“及时雨”

河南 刘同功

近年来，在非洲撒哈拉沙漠地区，活跃着一支被人们称为“沙漠玫瑰”的中国钻井队。 他们挥洒汗水，用精湛的中国钻井技术，为长久以来缺水的当地村民打出了一口口沙漠甘泉井。

主题语境：一带一路 篇幅：359词 建议用时：7分钟

In a remote village in the Siwa Oasis of Egypt's Western Desert, part of the Sahara Desert, a Chinese drilling company, is digging deep-water wells for the villagers in efforts to bring them sufficient access to drinking water.

“I offered a sheep to the Chinese drilling team on behalf of the whole village as a thank-you gift for drilling water wells for us,” said Hasan Osman, a 30-year-old villager, looking at the huge drilling platform of the Chinese firm Zhongman Petroleum and Natural Gas Group (ZPEC).

The village where Osman lives is called Malol, located in the Siwa Oasis, about 560 kilometres west of the capital Cairo. Being close to the Egyptian border with Libya, Siwa is the most remote and inaccessible desert oasis in Egypt. “The water we have been drinking is salty and insufficient for drinking, let alone for growing crops,” Osman said.

With the arrival of the ZPEC drilling team comes the potential access to potable water. Like long-awaited rain in the desert, the drilling site has become a magnet for villagers who talk about the promising project and make friends with the workers. “We're very happy that the Chinese company is digging a well for us! What a pleasure! ” Osman said with an expectant grin.

Li Wei, general manager of the ZPEC branch in Egypt, told reporters that the village heavily relies on underground water, but the existing wells are mostly shallow with a depth of 300 to 400 meters, offering water of high salinity (盐度) well below ideal drinking water level.

Pointing to a well being drilled at hand, Fahmy Abdel-Hamid, a project manager who has been working for ZPEC for nearly five years, said the well has been drilled to a depth of over 400 meters so far, with 28 workers manning it in two shifts round the clock.Abdel-Hamid also praised the Chinese technical expertise (专长) in the drilling field,noting he has gained a lot of experience from his work at ZPEC. “We're not only bringing a couple of deepwater wells to the village but also hope for the local people to live a better life,” said Li.

Reading Check

1. What can we know about Malol in the Siwa Oasis?

A. It has plenty of rainwater.

B. It has no access to clear water.

C. It is lacking in drinking water.

D. It has enough water for crops.

2. What does the underlined word “potable” in paragraph 4 mean?

A. Expensive. B. Drinkable. C. Recyclable. D. Aggressive.

3. What's the problem with the water in the wells in Malol village?

A. It contains too much salt.

B. It's seriously polluted.

C. It is not suitable for cooking.

D. It contains no minerals.

4. What's the attitude of Abdel-Hamid towards his Chinese colleagues?

A. Curious. B. Doubtful.

C. Admirable. D. Dissatisfied.

Language Study

Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text

Pointing to a well being drilled at hand, Fahmy Abdel-Hamid, a project manager who has been working for ZPEC for nearly five years, said the well has been drilled to a depth of over 400 meters so far, with 28 workers manning it in two shifts round the clock.Abdel-Hamid是一位已经在中曼集团工作了近五年的项目经理，他指着旁边一个正在掘进的深井说，那口井目前已经钻到了400多米的深度，有28名工人分两班日夜不停地作业。

【点石成金】本句是一个复合句。 Pointing...at hand为现在分词作伴随状语；a project manager who has been working for ZPEC for nearly five years是一个同位语；后面的with的复合结构作方式状语。

Ⅱ. Text-centered chunks

in efforts to 努力做到

on behalf of 代表

let alone 更不用说

round the clock 日夜不停；夜以继日