听播客学英语 133 Remembering

 　　The First World War ended on 11 November 1918. Nearly 1 million British servicemen and civilians¹ died in the war. After the war, people thought that it was important to find ways to remember those who had been killed. So, throughout Britain, towns and villages, churches, schools and colleges built war memorials, with the names of the men who had died written on them. After the Second World War, the names of those killed in that war were often added to the memorials

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　　It was also decided² that 11 November should be observed every year as Remembrance Day. On 11 November, at 11am, many people stand silent for two minutes, to remember those killed in the two World Wars and in other conflicts. It is also common for people to wear little red flowers – called poppies- made of cloth. Real poppies flowered all over the battlefields in Flanders in the First World War, because the destruction³ caused by the fighting created good conditions for them. The red poppy has become Britain’s national symbol for Remembrance Day. On the second Sunday in November, there are special Remembrance services in most churches in Britain, and parades of ex-servicemen, and ceremonies at war memorials.

　　For a time, in the 1960s and 1970s, Remembrance Day became less important. A new generation had grown up since the end of the second World War. And many older people did not want to think back to the war years any longer – for them, the loss of friends and relatives, the bombing, the queues to buy food, and the general hardship of life in wartime were things they wanted to forget. It even seemed possible that Remembrance Day would slowly fade away. But since the 1990s, Remembrance Day has been back in fashion, strongly encouraged by our government. Indeed, more people seem to observe the two minutes silence today than at any time I can remember.

　　I wonder what people are remembering when they stand in silence. There are, I believe, only 5 people still alive in Britain who fought in the first World War. People who fought in the second World War are all 80 years old or older. So most people who stand in silence on Remembrance Day are not thinking about specific people – relatives, friends, army comrades⁴, work colleagues – who died. Perhaps they are thinking about war and conflict generally; or perhaps they are thinking about something completely different, like what to cook for supper. (That is the wonderful thing about thinking – it is completely private. No-one but you knows what you are thinking about.)

　　And now I am going to say something controversial⁵ – that means, something which some people may disagree with strongly. It is right to remember those who died in the great wars of the 20th century. It is right also to remember that most of those who died were not British. And it is important also to find a way to leave the past behind; because otherwise we cannot properly face the problems of today.

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 destruction   

n.破坏，毁灭，消灭

参考例句：

• The enemy bombs caused widespread destruction.敌人的炸弹造成大面积的破坏。
• Overconfidence was his destruction.自负是他垮台的原因。

4 comrades   

n.亲密的伙伴( comrade的名词复数 )；战友；朋友；同志

参考例句：

• They were old army comrades. 他们是部队的老战友。
• In conclusion she wished her comrades every success in their work. 最后她祝同志们工作顺利。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 controversial   

adj.引起争论的，有争议的

参考例句：

• The topic of argument is controversial.这个议题是很有争议的。
• Immigration is a controversial issue in many countries.在很多国家，移民都是一个颇有争议的问题。