2006年VOA标准英语-Failed 1956 Hungarian Revolution Remembered

By Barry Wood
Washington, DC
18 October 2006
 
watch Hungarian Revolt report 

Fifty years ago, on October 23, 1956, Hungarians rose up against their communist rulers and for two precious weeks lived in relative freedom, until their revolution was brutally¹ crushed by the Red Army. VOA's Barry Wood has this report on a somber² anniversary, as reflected in a newly-released documentary ("Torn From the Flag"), and newsreels of the era.

Movie newsreel announcer: "Scenes on the Austro-Hungarian border. Now Hungary is rebel controlled. From the uniforms of the border guards and the flag, the red star has been ripped."

It was a revolt that riveted³ the world's attention. And at first it appeared to succeed.

Video: "There were hand-made posters all over the walls (proclaiming): There is freedom, everybody free. We don't want communism."

 
Barrett McGurn
In 1956 Barrett McGurn was Rome bureau chief of the New York Herald⁴ Tribune.  Sent to Budapest at short notice, McGurn arrived shortly after Soviet⁵ troops had withdrawn⁶ from Budapest. "The impression I had was that the Hungarians really thought that they were free.  When we got in there, the first thing I saw was a huge bonfire in front of a communist book store."

Video: "At the end of a six day fight that astonished the world and shook the Kremlin to its foundations, Hungary was free, free to fraternize on its borders. But even as these scenes were recorded, rumors⁷ flared⁸ of the re-entry of the Russian forces and new fighting."

McGurn recalls, "On Sunday morning, November 1st, on All Souls Day, candles were burning in the windows when the Russians came in -- firing at everything."

 
The body of a young woman left in front of a military tank
Video: "And in the dark dawn, we woke up at the sound of the cannons⁹. On the radio we heard (Prime Minister) Imre Nagy saying Budapest is under attack and we should defend it."

It was a devastating¹⁰ blow, "One of the correspondents said to me, and he mentioned a plaza¹¹, 'Have you been out there?' I said, 'No.' He said, 'There is a swatch of blond hair on the ground there. That is all that was left of a young woman who tried to stop a Soviet tank.' " recalled McGurn.

Video: "I was ready to fight and die along with those unarmed, unknown people around me."

Hopelessly outnumbered, Hungarian freedom fighters were no match for hundreds of Soviet tanks. Hungarians held their breath hoping that the United States and the West would come to their rescue. But President Eisenhower had his eye on an even bigger problem--the Suez crisis--in which British, French and Israeli troops were attacking Egypt, a major Soviet ally.

As the Russians tightened¹² their grip on Budapest, McGurn and other foreign journalists were ordered out of the city and then unexpectedly were turned back by Soviet troops. "We were driving now into Budapest with the flags of 20 countries. And the Hungarians thought we were the arrival of the rescue battalion¹³. We were cheered all the way. This acutely depressed¹⁴ us. Here we were adding to the misery¹⁵ of these poor people. Giving them the hope when it was absolutely hopeless."

Video: "The avenue to freedom is brief. As night descends¹⁶ on liberty behind the Iron Curtain a ring of red tanks blocks the last road. An estimated 80,000 have fled Hungary since the eruption¹⁸ against Soviet rule early in November. Entire families are risking everything for this chance for liberty."

More than 2,000 people died during the Hungarian revolution; 200,000 fled the country.

It was a close call; McGurn says, "I think we came very close to World War III. Perhaps not as close as during the Cuban crisis, but very close to it." 

The dark night of imposed communism would endure in Hungary and neighboring east bloc¹⁷ countries for another three decades. But its dream of freedom was kept alive and finally triumphed when the Berlin Wall came down in 1989.

"Torn from the Flag" video -- courtesy Klaudia Kovacs/Vilmos Zsigmond

1 brutally   

adv.残忍地，野蛮地，冷酷无情地

参考例句：

• The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
• A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。

2 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

3 riveted   

铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意

参考例句：

• I was absolutely riveted by her story. 我完全被她的故事吸引住了。
• My attention was riveted by a slight movement in the bushes. 我的注意力被灌木丛中的轻微晃动吸引住了。

4 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 withdrawn   

vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出

参考例句：

• Our force has been withdrawn from the danger area.我们的军队已从危险地区撤出。
• All foreign troops should be withdrawn to their own countries.一切外国军队都应撤回本国去。

7 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

9 cannons   

n.加农炮，大炮，火炮( cannon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cannons bombarded enemy lines. 大炮轰击了敌军阵地。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One company had been furnished with six cannons. 某连队装备了六门大炮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

11 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

12 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

13 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

14 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

15 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

16 descends   

v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜

参考例句：

• This festival descends from a religious rite. 这个节日起源于宗教仪式。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The path descends steeply to the village. 小路陡直而下直到村子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

18 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。