It's impossible to translate this exactly, you'll never fully appreciate the piece.
这篇文章不可能准确翻译,所以你也许永远不可能好地阅读它。
If there had not been a hard layer of rock beneath the soil, they would have completed the job in a few hours.
如果不是因为土壤下面有一层坚硬的岩石,他们的营救工作仅用几个小时就可以完成了。