IQUIQUE, Chile (Reuters) — Rescue workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week. A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage to freedom for 33 trapped miners, who spent 69 days underground. “Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply,” says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency, which helped in the rescue.
But the chief medical officer for the miners said most are in good enough health to leave the hospital within a day or so. The first three recovered and went home Thursday night.
For much of the day the miners relaxed with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. The 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian still wore special sunglasses to protect their eyes.
A partial mine collapse on 5th August trapped them more than half a kilometer underground. They had to stretch a two-day food supply. For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead. Later, they received supplies.
The first miner rescued on Wednesday was Florencio Avalos. The second was Mario Sepulveda, who talked about how the experience tested his faith. The last miner up was Luis Urzua, who was the shift leader when his crew became trapped.
Rescuers used a metal cage to pull the miners to safety in less than 24 hours — faster than expected. The rescue capsule was a half-meter wide and known as the Phoenix, an imaginary bird from ancient stories. It bursts into flames but is continually reborn and rises from the ashes.
Chile’s Navy built the capsule with advice from mining experts and NASA engineers. It worked like an elevator, traveling up and down on a cable through a shaft（竖井）drilled 622 meters into the rocks.
Millions of people around the world watched the rescue. More than one thousand journalists traveled to the mine in the Atacama Desert to report on the rescue. They joined family members of the miners and rescue crews housed in an area of tents known as Camp Hope.
小题1:What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Rescued miners speak out
B．Miners’ life deep underground
C．A rebirth for 33 rescued miners in Chile
D．Chilean president honors rescued miners小题2:How many rescued miners are still in hospital?
A．3.
B．30.
C．33.
D．69.小题3:We can infer from the passage that ______.
A．all the trapped miners are Chileans
B．the Chileans rescued the miners alone
C．the rescue caught the world’s attention
D．the trapped miners lived easily underground小题4: Which of the following is true of the Phoenix?
A．It was a wooden cage like a capsule.
B．It worked efficiently in the rescue.
C．It was named after a real Chilean bird.
D．It was built by NASA engineers.小题5:The rescue is great for the reason that ______.
A．33 trapped miners were saved
B．the American space agency took part
C．Chilean President was on the rescuing spot
D．it lasted so long and the miners were trapped so deep
