VOA标准英语2010年-Hiroshima Holds 65th Atomic Bomb Memor

Dignitaries leave the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park after the 65th anniversary observance of the world's first atomic bombing in Hiroshima. US ambassador to Japan John Roos was among the officials attending along with diplomats¹ from Britain and France

Japan is commemorating² the victims of the atomic bomb that devastated³ Hiroshima 65 years ago. The attack by the United States in 1945 was instrumental in ending World War II. Since then on each on August 6, a somber⁴ echo of a temple bell reverberates⁵ through Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park.

Japan is the only nation ever to have been attacked with atomic bombs. More than 140,000 people were killed instantly in Hiroshima or died in the days and weeks after the U.S. attack. Three days later, a U.S. plane dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, killing⁶ more than 70,000 people. Japan surrendered on August 14.

Sadae Kasaoka is a 77-year-old survivor⁷ of the Hiroshima blast. "Their dreams, hopes and bodies were all killed by the bomb,” she said. When the remaining dead bodies were being burned, Kasaoka said “I felt like I could see their spirits. I want to live my life to make up for the part of theirs they couldn't. “ She added, “ I feel that my role has become to live and tell everyone what a tragic⁸ and miserable⁹ situation it actually was."

Japan sees itself as a victim of the U.S. decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The United States has never apologized for the bombings, and U.S. domestic public opinion holds that it was a necessary step to end the war.

Stephen Leeper is the chairperson of the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation. He says no future use of atomic weapons should ever occur. "By any definition, they were a war crime, so I am down on those bombings,” Leeper said. “However, I am not going to make an issue of that with any American or ambassador or government official or anybody else because that is not the point. The point is how do we keep it from happening again."

The ceremony this year stood out from past memorial events with the presence of the U.S. ambassador to Japan, John Roos. He is the first official U.S. representative ever to attend the peace ceremony in Hiroshima. The U.S. State Department simply said Mr. Roos was representing the United States "to express regret for all of the victims of World War II." Also at this year's ceremony was Ban Ki-moon, the first U.N. Secretary-General to attend.

Mr. Ban said he hoped his attendance would "send a strong message to the world and also give some opportunity of addressing the sufferings and concerns of many of hundreds of thousands of whose admiration¹⁰ and dream is to see the world free of nuclear weapons."

Mr. Leeper said he was thrilled the attention the 65th anniversary is receiving. "Having Ambassador Roos here, and Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon come here for the first time ever. This is the first Secretary-General ever to come to this ceremony,” he said. “This is a tremendous event for us, and we are very excited about it not because of the prestige it gives us, but because we think this is a change in how the world is thinking about nuclear weapons,” Mr. Leeper said.

Tokyo has often asked Washington to send an envoy¹¹ to the annual ceremony. The ambassador's attendance at Hiroshima has caused some controversy¹² in the United States. Japan had first attacked the United States with an aerial assault on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As the war progressed, many in the United States felt the decisive use of nuclear weapons actually saved lives by preventing a bloody¹³ invasion of Japan.

U.S. President Harry¹⁴ Truman gave the order to drop the bombs. Since then, U.S. presidents have not ruled out the use of nuclear weapons, but only as a last resort. Now, President Barack Obama has called for a world free of the weapons.

"The United States will take concrete steps towards a world without nuclear weapons,” the president said. “To put an end to Cold War thinking, we will reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our national security strategy, and urge others to do the same. Make no mistake, as long as these weapons exist, the United States will maintain a safe, secure and effective arsenal¹⁵ to deter¹⁶ any adversary,” Mr. Obama said.

The visit by Ambassador Roos Friday also provides a much-needed boost to U.S.-Japan relations in the wake of a tense period between the two allies that stemmed from the previous Japanese government's wavering over an agreement to relocate a controversial U.S. Marine¹⁷ airbase in Okinawa.
 

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 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

3 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

4 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

5 reverberates   

回响，回荡( reverberate的第三人称单数 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射

参考例句：

• His voice reverberates from the high ceiling. 他的声音自天花板顶处反射回来。
• No single phrase of his reverberates or penetrates as so many of La Bruyere's do. 他没有一个句子能象拉布吕耶尔的许多句子那样余音回荡，入木三分。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

8 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

9 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

10 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

11 envoy   

n.使节，使者，代表，公使

参考例句：

• Their envoy showed no sign of responding to our proposals.他们的代表对我方的提议毫无回应的迹象。
• The government has not yet appointed an envoy to the area.政府尚未向这一地区派过外交官。

12 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

13 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

14 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

15 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

16 deter   

vt.阻止，使不敢，吓住

参考例句：

• Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
• Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。

17 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。