2006年VOA标准英语-Moussaoui Trial Hears Eyewitness Accounts

By Jim Malone
Washington
06 April 2006

There was some emotionally wrenching¹ testimony² Thursday in the death penalty trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person tried and convicted in connection with the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Guiliani was among those who appeared at Thursday's session.

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Drawing of former New York mayor Giuliani (2nd from left) at Moussaoui trial   
  

Guiliani recounted the horrors of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

The former mayor said he still recalls the image of two people jumping from one of the burning towers, holding hands as they plummeted³ toward the ground.

Guiliani's testimony begins what is expected to be an emotionally exhausting final phase to the death penalty trial of confessed al-Qaida member Zacarias Moussaoui.

Moussaoui pleaded guilty to six conspiracy⁴ counts last year and on Monday the jury in the case found him eligible⁵ for the death penalty. It is now up to the jury to decide if he should be put to death or sent to prison for life.

Dozens of relatives who lost family members in the September 11th attacks will testify over the next few weeks.

They will attempt to bolster⁶ the prosecution's contention⁷ that Moussaoui should die because he failed to inform investigators⁸ about the 9/11 plot when he was arrested three weeks before the attacks in August of 2001.

Among those supporting the death penalty for Moussaoui is Abraham Scott, whose wife Janice died in the attack on the Pentagon.

"To describe him as well as those who perpetrate the act of terrorism, I describe them as like a dog with rabies, one that cannot be cured and the only cure is to put him or her to their death," he said.

Prosecutors⁹ say they will also play audio tapes of emergency calls on September 11 and cockpit voice recordings¹⁰ from United Flight 93, the plane that crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers on board. That tape has never been heard in public but has been played for family members.

One of Moussaoui's defense¹¹ lawyers, Gerald Zerkin, acknowledged that the emotional testimony from family members of victims will be hard to counter.

But he urged the jury to keep an open mind.

Alice Hoagland lost her son Mark on Flight 93. But she told the CBS Early Show that she opposes the death penalty for Moussaoui.

"I do not want him to become a martyr¹². Secondly¹³, and perhaps more important, we in America can now demonstrate that we are a nation of mercy as well as a nation of laws and justice," he said.

Legal analyst¹⁴ Jonathan Turley says this final phase of the death penalty trial will be difficult, both for the witnesses and the jury. He spoke¹⁵ on VOA's Talk to America program.

"You have to get into its impact upon victims and that is not just the people who died on 9/11, but the survivors¹⁶ who have to live with this terrible loss and memory," he said.

Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, says he expects Moussaoui's defense attorneys to present evidence questioning the mental competence¹⁷ of their client, who is known for his frequent outbursts in court.

"It is very rare, if not unique, to see someone put to death for the failure to act. The second issue is going to be his sanity¹⁸. Many people have great skepticism that this man is legally competent," he said.

Last year, Moussaoui told the court he was supposed to be part of a second al-Qaida attack on the United States after September 11. But just last week he reversed himself, saying he was supposed to fly a fifth hijacked¹⁹ plane into the White House on September 11.

1 wrenching   

n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛

参考例句：

• China has been through a wrenching series of changes and experiments. 中国经历了一系列艰苦的变革和试验。 来自辞典例句
• A cold gust swept across her exposed breast, wrenching her back to reality. 一股寒气打击她的敞开的胸膛，把她从梦幻的境地中带了回来。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

6 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

7 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。

8 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》

9 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

10 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐

11 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

12 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

13 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

14 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

15 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。

16 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

17 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

18 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

19 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。