2006年VOA标准英语-Nigeria Buries Dead Army Officers

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
21 September 2006

A total of 13 senior Nigerian military officers who died in a plane crash over the weekend were given a national burial in the capital Thursday. The occasion that brought the country together.

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Thousands of Nigerians and several foreign delegations¹ attended the solemn ceremony at the military cemetery² in Abuja.

President Olusegun Obasanjo was joined by his estranged³ deputy, Atiku Abubakar, as the two most powerful men in Nigeria put aside their differences to mourn the dead.

A somber-looking President Obasanjo, who lamented⁴ the loss of 10 army generals in a single peace-time incident, urged Nigerians to be comforted by the fact that the rest of the world mourns with them. 

Defense5 Staff General Martin Luther Agwai (L) comforts relatives of the victims at the military national cemetery in Abuja " src="/upimg/allimg/070428/1020040.jpg" width="210" border="0" /> Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo (C) accompanied by Chief of Defense Staff General Martin Luther Agwai (L) comforts relatives of the victims at the military national cemetery in Abuja

"I am only going to say to the nation, the armed forces and to the families of our departed brothers, that we are not alone, judging by the phone calls I have received from world leaders, African leaders, including the secretary-general of the United Nations. Delegations have been sent to me by brother African leaders and the fact that we have President Kabbah [of Sierra Leone], former president Kaunda, is an indication that we are not alone in our hour of darkness," said President Obasanjo.

Nigeria's chief of defense staff, General Luther Agwai, said the 13 officers represented some of the best in the Nigerian military.

"They were among the most productive, articulate and bravest in the Nigeria armed forces before their demise," he said.  "They were officers who had gone to various hot spots in the world and were tested in the rudiments⁶ of modern military battlefield.  They came back alive and in one piece, only to lose the ultimate battle to death in a peaceful environment.  The death of these gentlemen officers is a terrible blow to the military. They were officers who had received the very best of both military and civilian⁷ training."

The climax⁸ of the three-hour ceremony was the lowering of the caskets into the 13 graves, amid wailing⁹ by friends and relations of the dead officers.

The Nigerian air force plane, with 18 passengers, crashed in a remote village in central Nigeria. Five passengers survived the crash.

An official investigation¹⁰ has been launched.

1 delegations   

n.代表团( delegation的名词复数 )；委托，委派

参考例句：

• In the past 15 years, China has sent 280 women delegations abroad. 十五年来，中国共派280批妇女代表团出访。 来自汉英非文学 - 白皮书
• The Sun Ray decision follows the federal pattern of tolerating broad delegations but insisting on safeguards. “阳光”案的判决仿效联邦容许广泛授权的做法，但又坚持保护措施。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

2 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。

3 estranged   

adj.疏远的，分离的

参考例句：

• He became estranged from his family after the argument.那场争吵后他便与家人疏远了。
• The argument estranged him from his brother.争吵使他同他的兄弟之间的关系疏远了。

4 lamented   

adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• her late lamented husband 她那令人怀念的已故的丈夫
• We lamented over our bad luck. 我们为自己的不幸而悲伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 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。

6 rudiments   

n.基础知识，入门

参考例句：

• He has just learned the rudiments of Chinese. 他学汉语刚刚入门。
• You do not seem to know the first rudiments of agriculture. 你似乎连农业上的一点最起码的常识也没有。

7 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

8 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

9 wailing   

v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱

参考例句：

• A police car raced past with its siren wailing. 一辆警车鸣着警报器飞驰而过。
• The little girl was wailing miserably. 那小女孩难过得号啕大哭。

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。