VOA标准英语2015--多架二战战机飞过华盛顿上空

WWII-era Warplanes Fly Over Washington 多架二战战机飞过华盛顿上空

Seventy years after the Second World War ended in Europe, warplanes of that era still attract a lot of attention and admiration¹, both for their designers and the crews that flew in them. Although manufactured in the tens of thousands, only a small number remain, kept in flying condition by devoted² enthusiasts³ who pass their love for vintage aircraft from generation to generation.

More than 50 World War II - era planes flew in formation over the World War II Memorial in Washington Friday, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of the conflict in Europe.

The roar of mighty⁴ piston⁵ engines overhead tranfixed midday strollers and crowds along the National Mall.

"It's just been an incredible day to come here, after all these years, and see these airplanes again," said Camille Thornton.

The flyby, called Arsenal⁶ of Democracy, was organized by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Its president and CEO, Peter Bunce, says restorating old airplanes is a slow and painstakingly⁷ hard process done mostly by enthusiasts.

“Recently, there was a very iconic aircraft that was fished out in Lake Michigan and that aircraft will go through a very long restoration processes, it’s years and years," said Bunce.

Many of the planes, such as this Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress⁸, called Texas Raiders.  The plane belongs to a Texas-based non-profit organization called Commemorative Air Force.

Civilian⁹ corporate¹⁰ pilot Buddy¹¹ Cooksey has been flying its vintage planes at air shows for more than 40 years. He says the group has over 11,000 members but is always looking for new fans ready to devote time and work to restoration and upkeep of old planes.

“We are looking for young ladies, young men, race, color, creed¹² does not matter to us. They got the enthusiasm – we want them," said Cooksey.

Cooksey says, despite their age, the planes are still in very good shape.

“Strangely enough the airplanes are quite durable¹³, they were meant to be that durable. And there’s lot of redundancy in the systems and so, the problem that we have [is] the parts are not easily to come by," he said.

Cooksey says every once in a while, a box of spare parts is discovered in some warehouse¹⁴, but many of them have to be manufactured new, which is not cheap. But he says it is important to keep these planes flying as a tribute to all who fought in them.

“I believe that they could be continually operated for probably… forever, as long as we can continue to do what we are doing," said Cooksey.

1 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。

2 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

3 enthusiasts   

n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A group of enthusiasts have undertaken the reconstruction of a steam locomotive. 一群火车迷已担负起重造蒸汽机车的任务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Now a group of enthusiasts are going to have the plane restored. 一群热心人计划修复这架飞机。 来自新概念英语第二册

4 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

5 piston   

n.活塞

参考例句：

• They use a piston engine instead.他们改用活塞发动机。
• The piston moves by steam pressure.活塞在蒸汽压力下运动。

6 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。

7 painstakingly   

adv. 费力地 苦心地

参考例句：

• Every aspect of the original has been closely studied and painstakingly reconstructed. 原作的每一细节都经过了仔细研究，费尽苦心才得以重现。
• The cause they contrived so painstakingly also ended in failure. 他们惨淡经营的事业也以失败而告终。

8 fortress   

n.堡垒，防御工事

参考例句：

• They made an attempt on a fortress.他们试图夺取这一要塞。
• The soldier scaled the wall of the fortress by turret.士兵通过塔车攀登上了要塞的城墙。

9 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

10 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

11 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

12 creed   

n.信条；信念，纲领

参考例句：

• They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
• Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。

13 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

14 warehouse   

n.仓库；vt.存入仓库

参考例句：

• We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
• The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。