VOA双语新闻 Bush Pays Tribute to Hurricane Victims

President Bush has led the nation in a day of prayer and remembrance for the people killed by the winds and flood waters of Hurricane Katrina.

布什总统主持了今天全国的祈祷日活动，纪念在卡特里娜飓风和洪水中丧生的民众。

Washington's National Cathedral choir¹ led a congregation of many religions in remembering those lost and those displaced by the killer² storm.

美国首都华盛顿的国家大教堂唱诗班带领来自许多宗教信仰的信众共同吟唱圣歌，缅怀那些被这次灾难性风暴夺去生命的人，同时慰问那些被疏散的民众。

President Bush spoke³ of the hurricane's fury and its destruction along the Gulf⁴ Coast.

布什总统谈到了这次飓风的猛烈，也谈到了飓风给墨西哥湾沿岸造成的破坏。

"On this day of prayer and remembrance of the storm that departed two weeks ago, we are humbled⁵ by the vast and indifferent might of nature," the president said. " We feel small beside its power. We commend the departed to God. We mourn with those who mourn. And we ask for strength in the work ahead."

布什说：“今天，我们祈祷并回忆两周前离去的那次风暴。在大自然磅礴和冷默的力量面前，我们显得十分渺小；除了感受到大自然的力量外，我们还感到自己的渺小。我们将那些死去的人们托付给上帝。我们同那些悼念死者的人共同悼念。我们祈求能够获得今后工作的力量。”

The president says the federal government will pay for most of that work ahead from rebuilding roads and bridges to establishing housing and health care to providing job training and primary education for hundreds of thousands of people displaced.

布什总统说，联邦政府将支付今后大部份工作的费用，其中包括道路和桥梁重建、住房和医疗设施的建立、另外还包括向数十万被疏散民众提供就业训练以及初步教育等。

"Through this tragedy, great duties have come to our nation. The destruction of this hurricane was beyond any human power to control, but the restoration of broken communities and disrupted lives now rests in our hands," he said.

布什说：“这次悲剧使我们的国家承担巨大的责任。这场飓风的破坏超出了人类所能控制的力量。不过恢复遭到破坏的社区以及被打乱的正常生活的任务现在已经落在我们的手中。”

There is no cost estimate for this unprecedented⁶ federal spending, though the total is expected to be far higher than the $62 billion already approved by Congress as that money is expected to run out next month.

关于这次前所未有的联邦开支，目前还没有估计性数字出台，不过，总额预计将大大高于美国国会目前已经批准的620亿美元，因为这笔资金预计下个月就将用光。

In a nationwide address Thursday evening, President Bush laid out plans for a so-called opportunity zone in the areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama hardest hit by the storm. Within this zone, Mr. Bush says there would be immediate⁷ incentives⁸ for job-creating investment and tax relief and loan guarantees for small businesses.

在星期四晚上对全国发表的讲话中，布什提出了为路易斯安那州、密西西比州一些地区以及亚拉巴马州风暴重灾区制定的所谓“发展机遇”计划。布什说，创造就业的投资将会立即得到一系列好处，另外还要对小公司提供税赋缓解以及贷款保证等。

He also responded to some of the criticism that has followed the slow response to the storm and allegations that the delay may have been influenced by race. Many of the people trapped by the floodwaters of New Orleans were black. Public opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of black Americans believe help would have come quicker if those stranded⁹ were white.

布什还对某些批评做出了回应，这些批评认为对于风暴所做的反应迟缓，还有指控说，上述拖延可能受到了种族因素的影响。被困在新奥尔良洪水当中的许多人是黑人。民意调查显示， 绝大多数黑人认为， 如果被困的是白人，有关援助可能会来得更快。

In his sermon at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance, Texas Bishop¹⁰ T.D. Jakes spoke of the biblical Good Samaritan who cared for a man beaten and robbed by thugs.

在这次全国祈祷和追思活动中， 德克萨斯州的主教杰克斯谈到了圣经中乐善好施的撒玛利亚人。撒玛利亚人曾经为一个遭到一群恶棍毒打和抢掠的人提供了关爱。

Bishop Jakes says neighbors are not always those nearest us, those who look like us, or vote like us, or drive the same kind of car. As the physical infrastructure¹¹ of the Gulf Coast is rebuilt, Bishop Jakes spoke of a hope that the devastation¹² of the hurricane might bridge America's racial and political divide.

杰克斯主教说，邻里并非总是那些离我们最近的人、他们还是那些同我们长相类似的人，那些同我们选举方式一样的人，或者是那些同我们开同一类车的人。杰克斯主教在谈到墨西哥湾沿海地区的基础设施正在重建时表示，希望这次的飓风灾难将能够弥合美国的种族和政治鸿沟。

At the Cathedral, President Bush said every race was affected¹³ by the hurricane, but the greatest hardship fell on those already facing lives of struggle - the elderly, the vulnerable, and the poor.

布什在华盛顿国家大教堂说，这次飓风的影响所至包括所有种族，不过最大的困苦却落在了那些已面临生活挑战的一些群体身上，即那些老年人、脆弱群体以及穷人。

"And this poverty has roots in generations of segregation¹⁴ and discrimination that has closed many doors of opportunity," Mr. Bush said. "As we clear away the debris¹⁵ of the hurricane, let us also clear away the legacy¹⁶ of inequality."

布什说：“贫困的根源是几代的种族隔离和种族歧视，这种隔离和歧视关掉了许多机遇的大门。让我们在清除飓风瓦砾的过程中，同时清除这种不平等所遗留下来的影响。”

President Bush says the nation accepts the responsibility of rebuilding from the hurricane not as a burden but as an opportunity to serve fellow Americans.

布什总统说，国家接受飓风重建的责任，不是将其作为一个负担，而是将其作为服务于美国人民的机会。
 

1 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

2 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

3 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。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 humbled   

adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低

参考例句：

• The examination results humbled him. 考试成绩挫了他的傲气。
• I am sure millions of viewers were humbled by this story. 我相信数百万观众看了这个故事后都会感到自己的渺小。

6 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

7 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

8 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 stranded   

a.搁浅的，进退两难的

参考例句：

• He was stranded in a strange city without money. 他流落在一个陌生的城市里， 身无分文，一筹莫展。
• I was stranded in the strange town without money or friends. 我困在那陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友。

10 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

11 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

12 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

15 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

16 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。