2007年VOA标准英语-US Celebrates Independence Day Holiday

By Paula Wolfson
Washington
04 July 2007

Across the United States, Americans are celebrating the Independence Day holiday with picnics, fireworks, and a sense of caution¹. Festivities in the U.S. capital are scheduled to include a concert and fireworks display over the Washington Monument. Severe weather earlier Wednesday forced police to evacuate² the National Mall - the large open park area east and west of the monument. Authorities began allowing the crowds to return shortly after the rain cleared out, and the evening's activities are scheduled to continue as planned. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports in large cities, like Washington D.C., security is tight for the Fourth of July festivities.

The threat of terrorism was on President Bush's mind as he delivered a holiday speech to military personnel³ and their families in the state of West Virginia.

President Bush during his visit to West Virginia Air National Guard 167th Airlift Wing, in Martinsburg, W.V., 04 Jul 2007

"We must succeed for our own sake," he said. "For the security of our citizens we must support our troops. We must support the Iraqi government and we must defeat al-Qaida in Iraq."

The president defended his Iraq strategy, and praised those who are serving in the U.S. military during difficult times.

"In this war against radicals⁴ and extremists, in this war on terror, you are showing that the courage that won our independence more than two centuries ago is alive and well here in West Virginia," said Mr. Bush.

The holiday marks the 231st anniversary of the United States declaring its independence from Britain.

4th of July parade in Anchorage, Alaska

Mr. Bush returned to the White House after the speech, where he will watch the traditional holiday fireworks with friends and family.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to take part in the celebrations in the nation's capital, and extra security precautions are in place.

Security has been tight on the Fourth of July holiday since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. This year, Independence Day follows a series of attempted attacks in the United Kingdom, prompting local authorities to increase the police presence at major events.

1 caution   

n.小心，谨慎，警告；vt.告诫，警告

参考例句：

• You should exercise extreme caution when driving in fog.在雾中开车要极为小心。
• There is no need for such caution.不必如此小心谨慎。

2 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

3 personnel   

n.[总称]人员，员工，人事部门

参考例句：

• The personnel are not happy to change these rules.全体工作人员对改变这些规定很不高兴。
• Personnel has lost my tax forms.人事部门把我的税收表格给弄丢了。

4 radicals   

n.激进分子( radical的名词复数 )；根基；基本原理；[数学]根数

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals. 一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The worry is that the radicals will grow more intransigent. 现在人们担忧激进分子会变得更加不妥协。 来自辞典例句