亚洲—亚洲纪念二战胜利

Asia Commemorates¹ End of World War II

亚洲纪念二战胜利

 

Asia has been commemorating² the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

 

From solemn ceremonies like this in a temple in Seoul to demonstrations³ and festivities elsewhere in Asia, the region has been commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Japanese occupation and honored those who fought and died.

 

In Hong Kong Sunday, activists⁴ demonstrated against what they call Japan's lack of atonement and compensation for those who suffered during the period. Among them, this 84 year-old woman from Wuhan, China, who says she was used as a sex slave by Japanese soldiers.

 

She says the Japanese destroyed her whole life. She says after she became a comfort woman, she could no longer bear children.

 

In South Korea, a North Korean delegation⁵ joined Liberation Day celebrations in Seoul, commemorating a time when the Korean Peninsula was united against the Japanese.

 

Korea was split into the capitalist South and communist North shortly after liberation, and the two sides are technically⁶ still at war. But they used this occasion to exchange emotional video messages and hold a friendly soccer match in Seoul between their national teams.

 

Also, on Sunday, the North Korean delegation for the first time offered prayers at South Korea's National Cemetery⁷, where war dead, including those who fought during the Korean War, are buried.

 

Japan colonized⁸ the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. It occupied much of Asia, from parts of China to the Pacific islands, from 1941 until its surrender on August 14, 1945.

 

Millions of people died during the occupation through fighting, execution, disease and hunger, and millions more suffered under what many survivors⁹ call the "cruelty" of the Japanese.

 

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Monday issued what he called a "sincere apology" for Japan's colonial occupation and military aggression¹⁰ and vowed¹¹ to forge better relations with neighbors.

 

But Monday's editorials in Chinese state media dismissed Japan's repeated apologies and questioned their sincerity¹². The Chinese and other Asians are particularly angered by the visits of Japanese officials to the Yasukuni Shrine¹³, which honors Japanese war dead, including convicted war criminals.

 

In the Australian capital of Canberra, thousands of people gathered at the War Memorial to pay tribute to the 40,000 Australians who died during the war. Prime Minister John Howard praised his country's role in the Allied¹⁴ victory over Japan.

 

John Howard: This was a good and just war fought not for conquest but for liberty. Freedom's torch was preserved not just here in Australia but in the Pacific and in Europe. This was a war of liberation, which in a real sense liberated¹⁵ the people of our once bitter enemies.

 

Japan surrendered shortly after U.S. atomic bombs destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the first and only time nuclear weapons were used during war.

 

Heda Bayron, VOA news, Hong Kong.

 

注释：

solemn [5sClEm] adj. 庄严的，隆重的

Seoul [sEul] n. 汉城

atonement [E5tEunmEnt] n. 赎罪

compensation [kCmpen5seiFEn] n. 补偿，赔偿

Korean Peninsula 朝鲜半岛

Yasukuni Shrine 靖国神社

conquest [5kCNkwest] n. 征服

1 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 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

3 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

6 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

7 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

8 colonized   

开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The area was colonized by the Vikings. 这一地区曾沦为维京人的殖民地。
• The British and French colonized the Americas. 英国人和法国人共同在美洲建立殖民地。

9 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

10 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

11 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

12 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

13 shrine   

n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣

参考例句：

• The shrine was an object of pilgrimage.这处圣地是人们朝圣的目的地。
• They bowed down before the shrine.他们在神龛前鞠躬示敬。

14 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

15 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。