VOA标准英语2009年-Hungarians Commemorate 20th Anniversary of

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
24 October 2009

Hungary is commemorating¹ its crushed 1956 Revolution against Soviet² domination and the 20th anniversary of its declaration as a republic and the end of communism. The ceremonies come however as opinion polls show a growing number of Hungarians are dissatisfied with the political changes that have occurred since then.

The Hungarian flag was raised and the Hungarian national anthem³ played on a rainy autumn Friday morning, as Hungarians observed two major historical events.

The ceremony in front of Hungary's Gothic parliament building commemorated⁴ the failed revolution against Soviet domination, which erupted on October 23, 1956. It was crushed within days by the Soviet military, leaving thousands of Hungarian citizens dead.

But, also on Friday, Hungarians recalled that exactly 20 years ago acting⁵ president Matyas Szuros fulfilled one of the greatest dreams of those involved in the anti-Communist rebellion.

Standing⁶ on the balcony of the parliament building, he declared Hungary an independent, democratic state. He told a cheering crowd that beginning on the 23rd of October, 1989 Hungary would be known as the Hungarian Republic.

Hungary's current president Laszlo Solyom observed solemnly as a military honor guard marched nearby in remembrance of those who fought and died for freedom.

Later, people laid flowers at the graves of Hungarian heroes, including Hungarian Prime Minister Imre Nagy who was executed for his role in the 1956 revolt.

His grandchildren and former freedom fighters also laid wreaths on the central monument of the revolution in Budapest, and a memorial on the dismantling⁷ of the Iron Curtain, made of barbed wire, was inaugurated near the Austrian border.

However, although freedom has long since been achieved, many Hungarians were not in a celebratory mood on Friday. A just released survey by the respected Ipsos opinion institute found that most Hungarians are dissatisfied with the political, social and economic changes of the past two decades.

Half of the respondents said they or their families are "'the losers" of the post-communist transition. Nearly 60 percent of those questioned regarded the political and economic developments that began 20 years ago as "bad for Hungary." Only one in five Hungarians said they satisfied with the changes.

That worries Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai.

Speaking at a conference in parliament on the changes, Mr. Bajnai said that although the 1956 Revolution failed, it planted the seeds for the declaration of an independent state in 1989. However he acknowledged that although the past 20 years saw many achievements , there are many people who feel disappointed about post - communist Hungary. He said politicians have a great responsibility in this because it was them and not the people who missed the available opportunities.

Adding to the frustration⁸ is the growing gap between young people - 20 years old and younger - and those older people who lived under communist-rule.

There has been international concern that extremist parties might use this disillusionment and generation gap to gain support ahead of next year's elections. One right wing party, the Movement For A Better Hungary, or Jobbik, held a large rally in Budapest, Friday.

1 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

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 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

4 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

5 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

8 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。