VOA标准英语2010年-US Marks 9-11 Anniversary

The United States is marking nine years since the 9-11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. The anniversary comes amid controversy¹ over plans for an Islamic center near Ground Zero and a threat to burn the Quran.

 The biggest event in New York opened with the sound of bagpipes² and drums commemorating³ the attack when two planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke⁴ about the impact of the attack nine years later.

"We meet to commemorate⁵ the day we have come to call 9-11. We have returned to this sacred site to join our hearts together, the names of those we loved and lost. No other public tragedy has cut our city so deeply. No other place is as filled with our compassion⁶, our love and our solidarity," he said.

Mourners gather at a reflecting pool where the twin towers once stood during a memorial service commemorating the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, 11 Sep 2010

Relatives, joined by people working to build the Ground Zero memorial, read out loud the names of the victims of the terrorist attack. The reading of the list was punctuated⁷ by a moment of silence held at 8:46 am and again at 9:03 am, the times hijacked⁸ jetliners hit the North and South towers of the World Trade Center.

U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden and his wife were among the dignitaries who attended the New York ceremony.

"We come not to mourn but to remember and rebuild. In the words of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem 'The Builders': 'All our architects of fate working in these walls of time, some with massive deeds in great, some with ornaments⁹ of rhyme,'" he said.

Interspersed¹⁰ in the crowd of mourners were chants of thousands of sign-waving protesters both for and against the planned Islamic center near Ground Zero.

The debate over the Mosque¹¹ pits advocates of religious freedom against critics who say putting an Islamic center so close to Ground Zero disrespects the dead.

This woman, who was holding a sign that read, "No Mosque on Ground Zero," explains why she is opposed to the plans.

"The American children, they lost their parents," she said. "The American people, they lost their family. So we should  understand the feelings of America. It's not the political issue. It's the feelings of America. So our people give a lot of blood. I know that I worked as a volunteer for the second day that that happened and I saw how it is terrible, so we American people doesn't want the mosque at Ground Zero."

Also adding to the tension was the plan by a Florida clergyman to burn copies of the Islamic holy book.  Reverend Terry Jones has since backed off from his plans and arrived in New York late Friday in an attempt to meet with a leading imam to discuss the proposal for the Islamic center in hopes of having it moved farther away from the Ground Zero site.

In his Saturday radio address, President Obama alluded¹² to the contentious¹³ atmosphere marking this anniversary. "This is a time of difficulty for our country. And it is often in such moments that some try to stoke bitterness - to divide us based on our differences, to blind us to what we have in common," he said.

 President Barack Obama lays a wreath at the Pentagon Memorial, marking the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, 11 Sep 2010

Mr. Obama also joined  the nation's top defense¹⁴ officials in remembering victims of the September 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon.

The ceremony included family members of the 184 people who were killed in the 2001 attack on the sprawling¹⁵ Defense Department headquarters.

In western Pennsylvania, first lady Michelle Obama was joined by former first lady Laura Bush at a memorial service for the victims of Flight 93. The airliner¹⁶ was en route from Newark, New Jersey¹⁷, to San Francisco on Sept. 11, when hijackers seized control. But passengers fought back and the hijackers responded by crashing the plane. The area is to become a national memorial, and Mrs. Obama told those gathered that she believes it will become a site of inspiration, reflection and remembrance for generations to come.
 

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 bagpipes   

n.风笛；风笛( bagpipe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Yes, and I'm also learning to play the bagpipes. 是的，我也想学习吹风笛。 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Mr. Vinegar took the bagpipes and the piper led the cow away. 于是醋溜先生拿过了风笛，风笛手牵走了奶牛。 来自互联网

3 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

4 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。

5 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

6 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

7 punctuated   

v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的过去式和过去分词 )；不时打断某事物

参考例句：

• Her speech was punctuated by bursts of applause. 她的讲演不时被阵阵掌声打断。
• The audience punctuated his speech by outbursts of applause. 听众不时以阵阵掌声打断他的讲话。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

9 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 interspersed   

adj.[医]散开的；点缀的v.intersperse的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The grass was interspersed with beds of flowers. 草地上点缀着许多花坛。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 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。

12 alluded   

提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• In your remarks you alluded to a certain sinister design. 在你的谈话中，你提到了某个阴谋。
• She also alluded to her rival's past marital troubles. 她还影射了对手过去的婚姻问题。

13 contentious   

adj.好辩的，善争吵的

参考例句：

• She was really not of the contentious fighting sort.她委实不是好吵好闹的人。
• Since then they have tended to steer clear of contentious issues.从那时起，他们总想方设法避开有争议的问题。

14 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。

15 sprawling   

adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
• a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇

16 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

17 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。