VOA标准英语2013--波士顿爆炸的后果

Boston Copes With Bombing Aftermath

 

It's still obvious a marathon was held here in Boston. And more obvious that something went wrong.

Four hours into the Boston marathon, one bomb exploded at the finish line and another 13 seconds later.  

Police and National Guard troops now protect a wide area around the crime scene.

The city's police commissioner¹ said investigators² are sifting³ through the debris⁴. Authorities have said the bombs were hidden in pressure cookers inside nylon duffel bags.  They contained materials like gun pellets and ball bearings. But they're not saying much more.   

“We are in the process of securing and processing the most complex crime scene that we've dealt with in the history of our department," said Ed Davis, Boston Police Commissioner.

The event shattered the city's 117th running of the oldest annual marathon in the world.

Marathon runners walked around today, easily identifiable in their blue and yellow jackets.  Some gazed at the finish line area for the first time since police had stopped the race after the blasts.  

One street over, some signs of the marathon are going away - shelved for another year.  But the scars will stay.  Heather Buda and Lisa Mara live three blocks from the finish line.

“It hits too close to home. Going to bed at night last night, I double bolted the door," Mara said. "You don't feel safe in an area where I've never not felt safe in.”

So, how does a tough, old city like Boston heal? By not changing a thing.  That's what Matt Thomas says.  It's his fourth Boston marathon and won't be his last. 

“That's what terrorists try to do, and it's our duty as citizens and free people not to let them prevail," he stated. "We have our freedoms and we aren't going to let something change that.”

President Obama says the American people refuse to be terrorized.  That's echoed by many runners here who hope to return to compete next year in defiance⁵ of the attack. 

 

1 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

2 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》

3 sifting   

n.筛，过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审

参考例句：

• He lay on the beach, sifting the sand through his fingers. 他躺在沙滩上用手筛砂子玩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I was sifting the cinders when she came in. 她进来时，我正在筛煤渣。 来自辞典例句

4 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。

5 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。