VOA慢速英语2016--纪念911

AS IT IS 2016-09-10 Remembering Sept. 11, 2001 纪念911

This is What’s Trending Today.

Sunday is September 11. It is the 15th anniversary of the day thousands of people were killed in a terrorist¹ attack in the United States.

Early that morning, two airplanes crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. All the people on the planes were killed, along with thousands of people in the buildings.

Another airplane crashed into the Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. The Pentagon is the office of the U.S. Department of Defense².

A fourth airplane crashed in a rural part of Pennsylvania, when passengers fought back against terrorists³ who were planning to crash it into a Washington, D.C. landmark⁴.

On social media, people are posting messages about their memories of that day, using the hashtags #NeverForget and #September11.

Ben Sturner lives in New York City. On Thursday, he posted a photo to Twitter showing the reflection of light off one of the new towers at the old site of the World Trade Center. It was shared and liked thousands of times.

States and cities around the U.S. are remembering people who died.

Staten Island is a small part of New York City. It is an island in New York harbor, close to the Statue of Liberty and the location of the World Trade Center. Many people in that small community died.

The local newspaper is remembering their lives by tweeting their photos one at a time.

On Friday morning, many U.S. lawmakers gathered outside the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. to remember those who were killed. They participated in a moment of silence and also sang “God Bless America.”

Some people will run almost 400 kilometers from the Pentagon to New York City to honor the firefighters, policemen and rescue workers who saved many lives that day. They started on Friday in Virginia and will finish on Sunday in New York City.

But the anniversary of September 11, 2001, would not be complete without some businesses promoting sales. In the U.S., that is a big mistake.

Many people used Twitter and Facebook to complain about a small mattress⁵ store in Texas that made a commercial related to September 11.

The video featured a woman standing⁶ in front of two stacks of twin-sized mattresses⁷. The World Trade Center buildings were also called the Twin Towers.

Words in This Story

tower – n. a tall, narrow building or structure that may stand apart from or be attached to another building or structure

rural – adj. of or relating to the country and the people who live there instead of the city

reflection – n. an image that is seen in a mirror or on a shiny surface

harbor – n. a part of the ocean, a lake, etc., that is next to land and that is protected and deep enough to provide safety for ships

moment of silence – n. a public way of remembering a sad event by staying quiet for a short period of time

bless – v. to ask God to care for and protect (someone or something)

complain – v. to say or write that you are unhappy, sick, uncomfortable, etc., or that you do not like something

twin – n. either one of two similar things that form a pair; also used to describe a mattress for one person to sleep on

stack – n. a usually neat pile : a group of things that are put one on top of the other

1 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

2 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。

3 terrorists   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子( terrorist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The terrorists have halted their bloody campaign of violence. 恐怖分子已经停止了他们凶残的暴力活动。
• They were finally forced to capitulate to the terrorists' demands. 他们最后被迫屈从恐怖分子的要求。

4 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

5 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 mattresses   

褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The straw mattresses are airing there. 草垫子正在那里晾着。
• The researchers tested more than 20 mattresses of various materials. 研究人员试验了二十多个不同材料的床垫。