土庫曼總統毀景點
Turkmenistan’s president has instructed experts to devise a plan to extinguish the blazing Darvaza natural gas crater known as the “Gateway to Hell.”
土庫曼總統最近指示專家擬定計劃，撲滅境內被稱為「地獄之門」的達瓦扎天然氣田。
instruct(v.)(尤指正式地)指示;命令;吩咐devise(v.)構思、設計、發明
Situated about 160 miles north of the capital Ashgabat, the crater has been burning for decades in the center of the country’s vast Karakum desert.
這座天然氣田位於首都阿什哈巴德以北約160英里，遼闊的卡拉庫姆沙漠中心處，幾十年來都不斷燃燒著。
Situated…座落於…=Sitting...=Located…capital(n.)首都has or have been V-ing現在完成進行式
It has been a popular attraction for the few tourists allowed to visit the Central Asian country.
儘管只有少數遊客能夠訪問這個中亞國家，「地獄之門」一直是受歡迎的景點。
attraction=tourist attraction=scenic spot 景點
However, the president has now ordered officials to figure out how to put out the flaming Darvaza gas crater, citing economic and environmental concerns as well as negative impacts on the health of the citizens living in the vicinity.
不過，總統現在已經命令官員釐清如何撲滅燃燒的達瓦扎天然氣田，理由是經濟和環境問題，以及油田對居住在附近民眾的健康造成負面影響。
flame(v.)燃燒=burncite(v.)舉例;引證、引用;引述impact(s) on 對～造成衝擊vicinity(n.)周圍地區;鄰近地區;附近in the vicinity=nearby在附近
It is believed that the crater, which is about the size of an American football field and 20 meters deep, was formed when a drilling operation conducted by the Soviets went awry in 1971.
據信，這座天然氣田大約有一個美式足球場那麼大，深度20米，是在1971年蘇聯進行的一次鑽探作業出現問題時形成的。
drill(v.)(用特殊工具)鑽孔、鑽探drill for oil鑽探石油conduct an operation進行…行動或任務
In order to prevent the spread of gas, geologists reportedly ignited the crater, expecting the gas to burn off in a few weeks.
據報導，為了防止天然氣擴散，地質學家在天然氣田點火，原本預計會在幾個禮拜內燃燒殆盡。
in order to RV 為了…ignite(v.)點燃;點火=set fire to sth.=set sth. on fireexpecting…=and they expected…預期;預料burn off燒掉;燒除
No one expected that the crater would still be burning to this day, and previous attempts to extinguish it have met with failure.
沒有人預料到這座天然氣田會一直燃燒至今，之前嘗試撲滅都以失敗告終。
attempt to do sth. 努力、想要達成某事情meet with…經歷;遭遇;遇到(尤指不愉快之事)=encounter
George Kourounis, the first man to descend to the bottom of the crater in 2013, says how it came to be remains a mystery.
喬治·康羅尼斯是2013年第一個下降到油田底部的人，他說油田是如何形成的仍然是一個謎。
descend(v.)下降;走下;降下=go down
“Essentially, there was a sinkhole that formed and caused a drilling rig, basically harvesting this methane gas, to collapse,” he said in a BBC interview. “Most seem to believe that it happened in 1971, but there’s evidence to suggest that it actually happened in the 1960s and wasn’t actually lit on fire until the 1980s.”
他在接受BBC採訪時說：「基本上有一個滲穴形成，導致收集甲烷氣體的鑽井平台坍塌。」「大多數人認為事發於1971年，但有證據指出實際上發生在1960年代，直到1980年代才真正被點燃。」
essentially(adv.)本質上;根本上;基本上=basicallysinkhole(n.)滲穴a drilling rig鑽井平台methane(n.)甲烷;沼氣not…until…直到…才…
Despite the possibility of losing a popular tourist spot, extinguishing the gas crater is the main objective.
儘管有可能失去一個熱門旅遊景點，但撲滅天然氣田仍是首要目標。
despite(prep.)儘管=in spite of=regardless of
In the words of Turkmenistan’s president, “We are losing valuable natural resources for which we could get significant profits and use them for improving the well-being of our people.”
如土庫曼總統所言：「我們正在失去寶貴的自然資源，我們可以從中獲取可觀的利潤，並將其用於改善我們人民的福祉。」
in the words of…用的話說;如...所言significant(adj.)大量的=considerablewell-being(n.)幸福安康