背诵为王 第 四 册 第 41 课

Lesson41 Speech by President Bush on the Loss of Space Shuttle Columbia
My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness toour country. At 9:00 this morning, Mission Control in Houston has lostcontact with the Space Shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris¹ was seenfalling from the skies above Texas. The Columbia was lost: there are nosurvivors.
All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men andwomen who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Ourentire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have therespect and gratitude² of this country.
The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darknessbeyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing³ tounderstand. Our journey into space will go on. In the skies today we sawdestruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see is comfort and hope. Inthe words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens.
Who created all these? He， who brings out the starry⁴ hosts one by one andcalls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty⁵ strength, notone of them is missing."The same creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven soulswe mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely toEarth; yet we can pray that all are safely home. May God bless the grievingfamilies, and may God continue to bless America.

debris 碎片, 残骸

美国总统布什就“哥伦比亚”号航天飞机失事发表的讲话
我的美国同胞们，今天传来噩耗，巨大的悲痛降临我们的国家。今早九点钟，位于休斯敦的航天地面指挥中心同我们的“哥伦比亚”号航天飞机失去了联系。此后不久，便发现得克萨斯州的上空有残骸飘落。“哥伦比亚”号失事，无一人生还。
今天所有美国人都牵挂着经受了这种突如其来的打击和悲伤的男女宇航员的家人们。你们并不孤单，我们全体国民同你们一起哀悼他们。你们所爱的人将永远受到这个国家的尊重和感激。
他们为之献身的事业仍将继续。人类正是在探索精神和求知欲望的引导下，超越我们的世界，进入到黑暗的外层空间。我们的太空之旅仍将继续。
在今天的天空中，我们目睹了毁灭和悲剧。然而，在我们看不到的远方，有着慰藉与希望。用预言家以赛亚的话说：“抬起眼睛，仰望天空。是谁创造了这一切?是造物主创造了点点繁星，并将其逐个命名。由于他的伟大才智与神奇力量，才无一遗漏。”
给群星命名的造物主也知道我们今天缅怀的七位亡灵的名字。“哥伦比亚”号航天飞机的机组人员虽未平安地返回地球，但我们能祈祷他们均已安息。愿上帝保佑这些悲伤的家属，愿上帝继续保佑美国。

1 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

2 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

3 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

4 starry   

adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的

参考例句：

• He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。
• I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。

5 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。