2007年VOA标准英语-Mourners Remember Ford

By Jeff Swicord
Washington, D.C.
03 January 2007
 
watch Mourners report

Current and past presidents, dignitaries, and foreign leaders gathered at Washington National Cathedral Tuesday to pay tribute to former President Gerald Ford¹.  Mourners lined the streets to pay their respects as the funeral precession passed by and Jeff Swicord spoke² with some of them.

 
President Bush delivers a eulogy³ during funeral services for former President Gerald R. Ford at the National Cathedral in Washington, 2 Jan 2007
The crowd began to gather early in the morning at Washington National Cathedral to honor the 38th president of the United States, Gerald R. Ford.  Americans from all walks of life were in attendance.  Dignitaries, such as Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, and ordinary people, like Mildred Marie Hall, who did not know the ceremony was “invitation only.” "I didn't have the ticket,” she said. “I thought it was open to the public and I didn't realize that we need a ticket to enter." 

As the funeral precession made its way from the U.S. Capitol, the crowd outside the cathedral waited patiently in anticipation⁵ of Mr. Ford's arrival.  A few anti-war protestors could be heard chanting down the street.  But most of the people were gathered to pay tribute to the former president. 

Emily Elsner Twesme lives in the neighborhood. "It's a patriotic⁶ thing to do,” she says. “It is such an important thing to honor our presidents and it is important to be a part of, I mean this is a historical moment and we wouldn't have missed it for the world."

 
Gerald Ford is sworn in as president on 9 August 1974
Mr. Ford served as a U.S. congressman⁷ from Michigan for 26 years.  He was appointed vice⁴ president by former President Richard Nixon in 1973 after Spiro T. Agnew resigned in scandal.  He became president in 1974 after Mr. Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate crisis.  He served as president for two years and helped to heal the nation in a difficult time.  But most Americans, such as Nino Kader, say he will be remembered more for the kind of person he was and the office he held, rather than any specific accomplishments⁸.

"You don't get to see the pomp and circumstance of one of the most powerful countries in the world -- "the" most powerful countries in the world -- and this is one of those rare times when you actually get to see it."

This was the last official ceremony for Mr. Ford in Washington.  There will be a public visitation and funeral in his hometown, Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he will be buried on Wednesday.

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 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。

3 eulogy   

n.颂词；颂扬

参考例句：

• He needs no eulogy from me or from any other man. 他不需要我或者任何一个人来称颂。
• Mr.Garth gave a long eulogy about their achievements in the research.加思先生对他们的研究成果大大地颂扬了一番。

4 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

5 anticipation   

n.预期，预料，期望

参考例句：

• We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着，期待她的到来。
• The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安，像是感到了地震即将发生。

6 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

7 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

8 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》