VOA慢速英语2009年-IN THE NEWS - Remembering Wars of the Past

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

November eleventh, nineteen eighteen, was the day Germany signed a cease-fire agreement with the Allies in World War One. Some countries observe November eleventh as Armistice¹ Day or Remembrance Day.
　
Fireworks at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

This year, Chancellor² Angela Merkel became the first German leader to attend the ceremony in Paris. Her visit was another sign of growing European unity³, and growing ties between France and Germany.

Two days earlier, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was in Germany as thousands of people remembered a different war -- the Cold War. They celebrated⁴ the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in a peaceful revolution.

For almost thirty years the huge wall divided Germany. It also represented the separation of western Europe from the communist east.

In the United States, November eleventh is Veterans Day. The holiday honors all those who have served in the armed forces. It has special meaning for service members like Lieutenant⁵ Colonel Dan Snowden, now serving in Afghanistan.
　
Dan Snowden

DAN SNOWDEN: "Veterans Day is very important, it goes back to generations. My father was a veteran of the Korean War, and it really represents the future and the past and present."

On Veterans Day, the president traditionally lays a wreath of flowers next to the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery⁶ near Washington. But President Obama surprised mourners by also visiting the graves of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Later, he met again with his advisers⁷ about a decision on the future of the Afghan war. His war commander has asked for an additional forty thousand troops. But officials say the American ambassador in Kabul has expressed concerns because of Afghan government corruption⁸. The ambassador, Karl Eikenberry, is a former commander of the war. President Obama said Friday in Tokyo that "the decision will be made soon."

Veterans Day came a day after the president spoke⁹ at a memorial service at the Army base at Fort Hood¹⁰, Texas. The service was for the thirteen people killed in a shooting there last week. Military officials have brought murder charges against Major Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist¹¹. He was one of the Army's mental health professionals working with soldiers to deal with the effects of war.
　
Soldiers honor victims of the shooting at Fort Hood, Texas

Officials say he shot at unarmed soldiers and civilians¹² as troops were preparing for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. Major Hasan was shot and seriously wounded by police.

Investigators¹³ say they are looking at every possible reason for the shooting. Officials say they will also investigate whether warning signs about Major Hasan's behavior were ignored.

Fort Hood is a huge base that has lost more than five hundred soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many soldiers say the best way to honor those killed in the shooting is to continue doing their duty. Sergeant¹⁴ Perry Osburn put it this way:

PERRY OSBURN: "We cannot let this make us afraid, you know what I'm saying? You just got to keep moving on."

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. Transcripts¹⁵, podcasts and archives of our programs can be found at voaspecialenglish.com. And you can follow us on Twitter at VOA Learning English. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 armistice   

n.休战，停战协定

参考例句：

• The two nations signed an armistice.两国签署了停火协议。
• The Italian armistice is nothing but a clumsy trap.意大利的停战不过是一个笨拙的陷阱。

2 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

3 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。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

6 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

7 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

8 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

9 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。

10 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

11 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

12 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。

13 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

15 transcripts   

n.抄本（ transcript的名词复数 ）；转写本；文字本；副本

参考例句：

• Like mRNA, both tRNA and rRNA are transcripts of chromosomal DNA. tRNA及rRNA同mRNA一样，都是染色体DNA的转录产物。 来自辞典例句
• You can't take the transfer students'exam without your transcripts. 没有成绩证明书，你就不能参加转学考试。 来自辞典例句