VOA标准英语2014--韦斯特盖特围攻给人们带来痛苦的回忆

 

Westgate Siege Anniversary Brings Back Painful Memories 韦斯特盖特围攻给人们带来痛苦的回忆

NAIROBI—

One year after it happened, the survivors¹ of the terror attack on Nairobi's Westgate Shopping Mall still cannot shake the images of that tragic² incident.   Victims are still waiting for the answer to one question: 'How could this happen?'

All is quiet at the now-empty Westgate Mall. Construction crews are working to restore the building that, a year earlier, was the scene of unimaginable horror.

At midday on Saturday, September 21, 2013, four gunmen from the Islamist al-Shabab militant³ group stormed the mall, firing at anyone in their path -- killing⁴ 67 people and wounding hundreds more.

They say they did it out of revenge for Kenya's military operations in Somalia.

In a series of events that are still unclear, it took Kenyan forces four days to declare the mall free and clear.

Karsan and Harish Rabadia were the first civilians⁵ to get to the scene. One was armed with pistol and the other with nothing. They helped the injured escape the mall.

Today the two are regarded as heroes. But Karsan said behind the courage lies regret, bitterness and pain.

"Those who were killed… it [is] still in my mind. It’s now one year, that’s not far… it will be very hard for me to forget what happened here in my life," said Karsan.

Kenyan First Lady Margaret Kenyatta opened a memorial exhibit in Nairobi dedicated⁶ to the survivors as well as to the civilians who risked their lives to rescue those trapped in the mall during the early, chaotic⁷ hours of the attack.

 “Our resilience is incomparable. The unity⁸ we show in times of crisis should never be forgotten. And as I have said many times before, we should always be our brother's keeper,” said Kenyatta.

Kenyans are still trying to come to grips with what happened that day.

A parliamentary inquiry⁹ said the government had been warned of a possible terrorist attack on the mall.

Kenyan security forces were blamed for a delayed and unorganized response that may have cost lives. Soldiers were caught on security cameras looting the mall after the attack.

Ambi Ghautarhae, who lost his mother and his son in the attack, said he and his family are still searching for answers.

 “Who were these people? How did they just walk into a shopping mall where our children used to go every Saturday?” asked Ghautarhae.

Harveen Sihra, Ghautarhae's 16-year-old niece, was shot three times.

While she has physically¹⁰ recovered, she said she still thinks about it every day.  Sorting through the mental images gives her some relief, but this anniversary is especially difficult.

“If you speak to a person who hasn't lost someone, they can say 'I feel a bit better after one year.' But for us, it's still the same because we lost someone,” said Sihra.

No one knows when Westgate will reopen. And the survivors, one year later, still feel the echoes of the terror.

1 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

2 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

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。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 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。

6 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

7 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

8 unity   

n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调

参考例句：

• When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结，并非一团和气。
• We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前，我们必须加强团结。

9 inquiry   

n.打听，询问，调查，查问

参考例句：

• Many parents have been pressing for an inquiry into the problem.许多家长迫切要求调查这个问题。
• The field of inquiry has narrowed down to five persons.调查的范围已经缩小到只剩5个人了。

10 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。