阅读理解
Coal mine accidents are frequently headline makers in China, offering a plentiful supply of long lists of the dead．Before this, five major coal mine accidents since January have already claimed lives of 287 coal miners．
Once an accident happens, the safety measures are scrutinized, officials and owners responsible are punished or warned or fined．But the accidents keep happening time and again．
The background of this endless disaster is a country thirsty for energy to satisfy the appetite of its economic engine．
With the rich reserve(储存)of coal and relatively limited petroleum(石油)reserve, the former makes up 67.12 percent of energy consumption．By contrast, petroleum and natural gas take about 60 percent of the energy consumption in other countries．
Such a situation is unlikely to change within a foreseeable future because the country still counts heavily on coal for more and more energy．If no measures with great effects are taken to improve the safety in the mines, the accidents will remain a long-term headache for China．
Digging coal underground is, by its nature, a dangerous job．No equipment can guarantee 100 percent safety for the miners working underground because numerous uncertainties exist．
Most of China’s coal mines are far from being mechanized．The average output of coal for each Chinese coal miner every day is 1 ton, while the number in the US coal mines, where the production is highly mechanized, is 40 tons．
Mechanized production in coal mines can cut down the number of miners who have to work on the dangerous coal face．It can also enhance the capability of the mines to detect potential danger．In this way mine accidents will be decreased．
Admittedly, the mechanized production demands financial support．
But what is the price of a life, or a dozen, a score－a hundred?Compare these awful figures with the misery they bring, heavy investment is worthy．
