VOA标准英语2008年-US Mourns Victims of 9/11 Terror Attacks

Across the United States, Americans marked the seventh anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with solemn memorial services and heartfelt tributes. Mona Ghuneim reports from VOA's New York Bureau.
　
A child tosses a rose into the reflecting pool at the site of the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks, in New York, 11 Sep 2008

Seven years after the attacks, New Yorkers gathered at "ground zero," the site where the World Trade Center skyscrapers² once stood.

As in years past, the ceremony included four moments of silence, twice to mark the time that two hijacked³ airliners⁴ crashed into the twin towers and twice at the time of morning when each building collapsed⁵ in an inferno⁶ of flames and smoke.

This year, family members and students representing victims who came from scores of nations around the world read aloud the names of more than 2,700 people who died in New York on September 11, 2001.

The children of John Salvatore, who worked at the World Trade Center, spoke⁷ about their father when their turn came to read.

Child 1: "My dad died on 9/11, but he is not gone. Just look at each of our faces and you will see him shine through us every day."
Child 2: "We love you, Daddy.

The city's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, the keynote speaker at the memorial ceremony, said Americans come together on this day to bear witness to a "day which began like any other, and ended as none ever has." "We return this morning as New Yorkers, Americans and global citizens remembering the innocent people from 95 nations and territories that lost their lives together that day," he said.
　
Members of a military honor guard stand at the covered benches of the The Pentagon Memorial,during a dedication⁸ ceremony for the memorial, 11 Sep 2008

In Washington, President Bush and first lady Laura Bush observed a moment of silence at the White House. The president then attended the dedication of a new September 11 memorial at the Pentagon, where 184 people died when another hijacked plane crashed into the building.

The Pentagon memorial is the first of three major September 11 memorials to be completed. It is made of stone benches, each engraved⁹ with a victim's name.

The president says he hopes the memorial will provide some peace and comfort to the victims' friends and families. "People from across our nation will come here to remember friends and loved ones who never had the chance to say goodbye. A memorial can never replace what those of you mourning a loved one have lost."
　
A woman pauses before throwing a rose into reflecting pool during commemoration ceremony at Ground Zero, in New York, 11 Sep 2008

While the 9/11 structure in Washington is complete, the controversy¹⁰ over the New York memorial continues. Seven years after the attacks, "ground zero" is still a construction site. And many New Yorkers are frustrated¹¹ by years of delays and disagreements about their monument's progress.

The memorial and a new skyscraper¹ should be complete by 2012, but construction work will alter anniversary ceremonies before then. This year, as they have in the past, the victims' family members walked down a ramp¹² to the bottom of the site, at bedrock about 15 meters below ground, where they left wreaths, flowers and mementos¹³ of their loved ones. As construction progresses, this may no longer be possible.

Henry Bustillo, whose brother died on September 11, hopes the ramp will remain. "Hopefully, they will continue on having the ceremony down at the pit, downstairs, because it [won't] feel the same if they have it up here."

An official memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, is also years away from being built. However, services were held there Thursday in the field where another passenger jet went down. Forty-four people died aboard the hijacked plane, which dove at full speed into a field, apparently¹⁴ as the passengers struggled with their captors, trying to regain¹⁵ control of the aircraft.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain took part in the ceremony in Pennsylvania before heading to New York. In Shanksville, McCain paid special tribute to those who died there because they are believed to have disrupted the hijackers' plan to attack another target in Washington. "I've had the great honor and privilege to witness great courage and sacrifice for America's sake, but none greater than the sacrifice of those good people who grasped the gravity of the moment, understood the threat and decided¹⁶ to fight back at the cost of their lives."

McCain and his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, appeared together at "ground zero" late Thursday to pay their respects and speak with mourners, including police and firefighters who honored more than 300 of their comrades who died on September 11.

Laying politics aside for the day, the presidential candidates placed flowers at the World Trade Center site. They will speak Thursday at a forum¹⁷ on public service at Columbia University.

As in years past, two bright blue beams of light will shine all night over New York City from the spot where the fallen towers stood.

 

1 skyscraper   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• The skyscraper towers into the clouds.那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
• The skyscraper was wrapped in fog.摩天楼为雾所笼罩。

2 skyscrapers   

n.摩天大楼

参考例句：

• A lot of skyscrapers in Manhattan are rising up to the skies. 曼哈顿有许多摩天大楼耸入云霄。
• On all sides, skyscrapers rose like jagged teeth. 四周耸起的摩天大楼参差不齐。

3 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

4 airliners   

n.客机，班机( airliner的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The fog grounded the airliners. 大雾迫使班机停飞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They placed very stable and accurate atomic clocks on regularly scheduled jet airliners. 他们将非常稳定、准确的原子钟装在定期飞行的喷气式班机上。 来自辞典例句

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 inferno   

n.火海；地狱般的场所

参考例句：

• Rescue workers fought to get to victims inside the inferno.救援人员奋力营救大火中的受害者。
• The burning building became an inferno.燃烧着的大楼成了地狱般的地方。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

9 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

13 mementos   

纪念品，令人回忆的东西( memento的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The museum houses a collection of mementos, materials and documents. 博物馆保存着很多回忆录以及文献资料。
• This meant, however, that no one was able to retrieve irreplaceable family mementos. 然而，这也意味着谁也没能把无可替代的家庭纪念品从火中救出来。

14 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

15 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

16 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。

17 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。