2007年VOA标准英语-Americans Honor War Dead on Memorial Day

By Paula Wolfson
White House
28 May 2007

Americans are honoring the nation's military war dead on this Memorial Day holiday in the United States. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports President Bush led observances at Arlington National Cemetery¹.

This is the day when America remembers those who died in service to their country. And nowhere is the extent of their sacrifice more on display than in Arlington National Cemetery - where seven generations of the fallen are buried.

"Today, we honor the warriors² who fought our nation's enemies, defended the cause of liberty and gave their lives in the cause of freedom," he said.

President Bush spoke³ in the cemetery's amphitheater - a massive white structure surrounded by seemingly endless rows of small white headstones.

Many of the nation's greatest military heroes are buried in Arlington. But so too are hundreds of thousands of men and women whose names are known only to the families and communities that mourn them.

They include several hundred soldiers killed since the September 11 attacks on the United States in places like Kabul and Kandahar, Baghdad and Ramadi. The sod is still fresh on those graves, many covered with personal messages, flowers and flags.

"Like those who came before them, they did not want war, but they answered the call when it came," Mr. Bush said. "They believed in something larger than themselves. They fought for our country, and our country unites to mourn them as one."

The president said their sacrifice must not be in vain, and the cause of protecting freedom will never end.

President Bush lays wreath at Tomb of The Unkowns at Arlington National Cemetery, 28 May 2007

"From their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants⁴ and terrorists are frustrated⁵ and foiled, where our nation is more secure from attack and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have never known it," the president said.

Earlier, the president laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, which contains the unidentified remains⁶ of members of the U.S. military killed in major conflicts. He was accompanied by several families of the fallen.

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 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

3 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。

4 tyrants   

专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物

参考例句：

• The country was ruled by a succession of tyrants. 这个国家接连遭受暴君的统治。
• The people suffered under foreign tyrants. 人民在异族暴君的统治下受苦受难。

5 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。