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Six men have been trapped in a mine for seventeen hours. If they are not brought to the surface soon they may lose their lives. However, rescue operations are proving difficult. If explosives are used, vibrations will cause the roof of the mine to collapse. Rescue workers are therefore drilling a hole on the north side of the mine.

有六个人陷在了矿井里已经16小时了。如果他们再不被带到地上，他们可能会失去生命。然而，救援工作也遇到了难题。如果使用炸药，震动会引起矿顶坍塌。救援工作于是改到了从洞的北边钻个洞进去。

They intend to bring the men up in a special capsule. If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have completed the job in a few hours. As it is, they have been drilling for sixteen hours and they still have a long way to go. Meanwhile, a microphone, which was lowered into the mine two hours ago, has enabled the men to keep in touch with their closest relatives.

他们打算把矿井里这些人从这个特殊的胶囊里救出来。如果不是因为土壤下面有一层坚硬的岩石，他们可以在几个小时内完成工作。实际情况是，他们已经钻了6个小时，而且他们还在继续干很久。同时，同时，一个麦克风在两小时前被丢进了矿洞，可以让这些人跟他们的亲属保持联系。

Though they are running out of food and drink, the men are cheerful and confident that they will get out soon. They have been told that rescue operations are progressing smoothly. If they knew how difficult it was to drill through the hard rock, they would lose heart.

虽然他们已经耗尽了水和食物，但是这6个人还是很振奋，相信他们马上就会获救。他们被告知，救援过程很顺利。如果他们知道钻头穿透坚硬岩石很困难的话，他们就会失去信心。