2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Hails Hungarian Democracy, Marks Anniversa

By Paula Wolfson
Budapest
22 June 2006

President Bush says the 1956 Hungarian uprising against communism has provided a lesson to the world. Mr. Bush spoke¹ to the Hungarian people from a Budapest hillside steeped in history.

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President Bush speaking on top of Gellert Hill in Budapest
  
The president spoke from Gellert Hill, which towers over the streets of Budapest and the waters of the Danube River that cuts through the city.

As he prepared to speak, there were echoes of a day almost 50 years ago that began in hope and ended in blood.

On November 4, 1956, Soviet² tanks rolled into Budapest to crush a popular uprising against communism that began just days earlier, on October 23. Prime Minister Imre Nagy went on the radio to announce the assault on Hungary's short-lived revolution.

The Soviets³ bombarded targets in Budapest with mortar⁴ fire from a massive fortress⁵ on Gellert Hill, not far from the spot where the president stood.

"Fifty years ago, you could watch history being written on this hill," said President Bush.

President Bush said the Hungarian people proclaimed their liberty in the streets below the hill, and the Red Army took it away.

"They crushed the Hungarian uprising, but not the Hungarian people's thirst for freedom," he said.

The West did not respond to appeals for help at the time, and Mr. Bush said they learned a lesson - that those who are free must help those who seek freedom. He said the sacrifices of the Hungarians, who gave so much in 1956, are an example to the world.

"You know that the democratic journey is not easy," he said. "But you continue to make the tough decisions that are necessary to succeed."

The president noted⁶ that Hungary is helping⁷ in the Balkans, in Afghanistan, and in Iraq. He said the Hungarians know only too well the challenges facing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

"Iraq's young democracy still faces determined⁸ enemies, people who will use violence and brutality⁹ to stop the march of freedom," he said. "Defeating these enemies will require sacrifice and continued patience, the kind of patience the good people of Hungary displayed after 1956."

The speech was the last event on the president's brief trip to Europe. His first stop was Vienna for summit talks with the leadership of the European Union that focused largely on Iran, trade, energy issues, and the fate of the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

1 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。

2 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。

3 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

4 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

5 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 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。

9 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军