VOA标准英语2010年-NY Islamic Center Site Becomes Magnet

In a controversy¹ that is sweeping² the country, many Americans oppose a plan to build an Islamic Center just two blocks from the site where al Qaeda terrorists toppled the twin towers of New York's World Trade Center, on September 11, 2001.  Supporters, however, say Muslims have a constitutional right to build the structure, which would replace a building that previously³ housed a clothing store.

Park Place in New York is two blocks north of where the World Trade Center once marked the city skyline -- a spot now sometimes referred to as "Ground Zero."   A group of American Sufi Muslims has purchased property on that street to build an Islamic Center, complete with an auditorium⁴, swimming pool and mosque⁵. 

"Hey, hey, ho, ho, the mosque's gotta go," shouted one critic, who declined an on camera interview. But he warned passersby⁶ their loved ones could be killed in another Muslim terrorist attack on America.  Some opponents disparage⁷ the proposed Center as the "Ground Zero Mosque."

Artist Rita Balmina, an immigrant from Odessa, Ukraine, says she was on Park Place on 9/11 and believes the attacks that day were carried out under the banner of Islam.  Balmina recognizes that Muslims have a right to build mosques⁸ anywhere in the United States … but she says, not so close to what many Americans consider to be hallowed ground.

"I fear that a mosque built on this site will become a symbol of the people who carried out the attacks, though I hesitate to call them people.  And those who would come to worship here could be sympathizers of their extremist views," she said.

One New Yorker booms out verses from the Koran in a show of support for the mosque.  He also defends the constitutional right of Americans to pray in peace wherever they wish. 

The critic is quick to respond: "I'd like to read them their last rites⁹!"

Supporter Matt Sky, a free-lance web developer, says the emotions of 9/11 and the Islamic Center's proximity¹⁰ to Ground Zero represent a challenge to American principles. "I sympathize as everyone with those who died, but it doesn't mean we should be destroying the values of our country.  When we send soldiers off to die, they're supposed to be fighting for our freedoms:  freedom of religion, freedom of the press and speech.  People who want to take this [center] down are basically going against freedom of religion," he said.

A majority of the people who live in the neighborhood around  Ground Zero support the Islamic Center, though most Americans are against it.  But a recent public opinion poll in the state of New York indicates most opponents recognize the Islamic Center project is protected by the Constitution, even if they oppose the plan itself.

 

1 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。

2 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

5 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

6 passersby   

n. 过路人(行人,经过者)

参考例句：

• He had terrorized Oxford Street,where passersby had seen only his footprints. 他曾使牛津街笼罩了一片恐怖气氛，因为那儿的行人只能看到他的脚印，看不到他的人。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• A person is marceling on a street, watching passersby passing. 街边烫发者打量着匆匆行人。

7 disparage   

v.贬抑，轻蔑

参考例句：

• Your behaviour will disparage the whole family.你的行为将使全家丢脸。
• Never disparage yourself or minimize your strength or power.不要贬低你自己或降低你的力量或能力。

8 mosques   

清真寺； 伊斯兰教寺院，清真寺； 清真寺，伊斯兰教寺院( mosque的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why make us believe that this tunnel runs underneath the mosques? 为什么要让我们相信这条隧洞是在清真寺下？
• The city's three biggest mosques, long fallen into disrepair, have been renovated. 城里最大的三座清真寺，过去年久失修，现在已经修复。

9 rites   

仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事
• He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

10 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。