Obama, Former NYC Mayor Giuliani Remember Sept. 11

 　　One day before the tenth anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, President Barack Obama is paying tribute to those who were lost that day, those who tried to save their lives, and members of the military.  Meanwhile, New York’s former mayor says America is safer today than on 9-11, but not safe enough.

　　President Obama and his wife Michelle visited Arlington National Cemetery¹ Saturday, paying their respects to U.S. military personnel who died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  They comforted others who were visiting the grave sites.

　　In his weekly Internet address, Mr. Obama said Americans will protect their country, in the name of those who acted heroically at New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on United Flight 93, which crashed in a Pennsylvania field. “Ten years ago, ordinary Americans showed us the true meaning of courage when they rushed up those stairwells, into those flames, into that cockpit.  In the decade since, a new generation has stepped forward to serve and keep us safe.  In their memory, in their name, we will never waver," he said.

　　he president also said the United States is stronger than it was ten years ago, and that al-Qaida, which conducted the attacks, is on the path to defeat. “They wanted to terrorize us, but as Americans, we refuse to live in fear.  Yes, we face a determined² foe³, and make no mistake, they will keep trying to hit us again.  But as we are showing again this weekend, we remain vigilant⁴," he said.

　　The president was referring to what authorities say is a credible⁵ but unconfirmed terrorist threat planned to coincide with Sunday’s anniversary.

　　Security has been increased in Washington and New York.  Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is urging Americans to be vigilant in reporting suspicious activity.

　　Secretary of State Hillary Clinton indicated Friday that al-Qaida is behind the threat.

　　Mr. Obama said the U.S. is taking the fight to al-Qaida, having killed its leader, Osama bin⁶ Laden⁷, in May.  He also said his administration is working to improve security at ports, airports and borders, and is forging new partnerships⁸ with other countries to meet global security challenges.

　　In the Republican Party’s weekly address, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said America is safer today than on 9-11, but not as safe as it should be.

　　Giuliani received widespread praise for his leadership in New York in the days after the attacks.

　　He briefly⁹ ran for president in 2008, and is said to be considering running again in 2012.

　　Giuliani said Saturday the Obama administration’s deadlines for ending U.S. military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan are keeping the armed forces from meeting their objective. “American security requires a long-term military presence in the part of the world where people and organizations are plotting to kill us.  The timetable should not be based on a politically expedient¹⁰ calendar, but on when we have eliminated the threat of domestic attacks being generated in that particular part of the world," he said.

　　Giuliani agreed with the president, however, that the 9-11 attacks failed in their goal to destroy America’s spirit. “The country was not broken, but rather, it was more united in the days after September 11 than at any time in my lifetime.  We displayed heroic spirit in many ways, but perhaps the most heroic was the unity¹¹ of spirit that we shared as Americans.  The American people demonstrated one of the most basic values that we share-our love of freedom and the value we place on individual human life," he said.

1 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。

2 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

3 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

4 vigilant   

adj.警觉的，警戒的，警惕的

参考例句：

• He has to learn how to remain vigilant through these long nights.他得学会如何在这漫长的黑夜里保持警觉。
• The dog kept a vigilant guard over the house.这只狗警醒地守护着这所房屋。

5 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

6 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

7 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

8 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

9 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

10 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

11 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。