2007年VOA标准英语-Worst Shooting Rampage in US History Raises Que

By Jim Malone
Washington
17 April 2007

Tuesday was a day of mourning for the 32 students killed and 15 others wounded at Virginia Tech University in the worst shooting rampage in U.S. history.  But with the sorrow come questions, questions about the shooter, his motives¹ and whether much can be done to prevent similar massacres² in the future.  VOA National correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington. 

Students, faculty³, relatives and others gathered at a memorial service on the university campus in southwestern Virginia to pay their respects to those who died in Monday's shooting.

President Bush was among the mourners.

"In times like this, we can find comfort in the grace and guidance of a loving God,” said Mr. Bush.  “As the scriptures⁵ tell us, do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Many Virginia Tech students remained in a state of shock.  Some watched as their classmates were gunned down one-by-one, and wondered if they will ever make sense of what happened.

STUDENT:  "A threat is one thing, but this is real and it makes me a little scared to go back on campus for my classes for the rest of the semester."

New details emerged about the alleged⁶ gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, a student from South Korea described by one university spokesman as a loner.

A fellow student, who calls himself Justin, did not know Cho well, but would occasionally see him walking on campus.

"I saw him a couple of times around campus, and he was usually really quiet, and I do not recall any memories that I saw him with anybody around him," he said.

Another student who shared classes with Cho told VOA's Korean service that Cho was very quiet, avoided eye contact, and resisted efforts by the class instructor⁷ to engage in conversation.

The mass shooting prompted colleges and universities around the country to take a fresh look at their security measures.

Edward Davis is police commissioner⁸ in Boston, Massachusetts, home to several prominent universities and colleges.

"I think it is important we have a conversation about this and review best practices, and see if there are any things that we should be doing differently," said Mr. Davis.

Roanoke Firearms owner John Markell holds a Glock 9 mm pistol similar to the one sold in his gun shop 36 days ago to the Virginia Tech shooting suspect Cho Seung-Hui

The shooting rampage at Virginia Tech also has reignited the divisive national debate over gun control.

Some of the calls to restart that debate came from overseas, especially Britain and Australia.

British Home Office Minister Tony McNulty studied at Virginia Tech University.

"If this does prompt a serious, reflective debate on gun ownership and gun law in the states, then some good may come from this woeful tragedy," he said.

U.S. gun control advocates said gun laws should be tightened¹⁰ to help prevent mass shootings in the future.

Dennis Hennigan is with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

"We have gone in the opposite direction,” he said.  “Not only do we have inaction, we actually have retrenchment¹¹ on this issue, and it is high time that our national leaders heed¹² the call of the American people that strongly support reasonable measures to curb¹³ this kind of random¹⁴ gun violence."

A leading gun rights group, the National Rifle Association, issued a statement on its Web site expressing condolences to those victimized by the shootings at Virginia Tech, and adding that it will have no further comment on the incident until all the facts are known.

The NRA Web site also contains interviews with gun owners worried that gun control groups are always pushing for new limits on firearms.

NRA WEBSITE:  "Gun owners, we are paranoid for a reason.  It is because we have been burned over and over and over again."

Another pro-gun group said that gun bans were the problem, and that Americans should have the right to arm and defend themselves.

Gun control advocates like New York Congressman¹⁵ Charles Rangel acknowledged they face an uphill climb in trying to tighten⁹ regulations.

"It is a regional thing, it is a cultural thing and it is a sad thing,” he said.  “But it is some type of a cult⁴, 'do not touch, do not take the gun from my dead, cold hands,' and I do not understand it."

Most lawmakers appeared to be holding off on the topic for now, as the nation mourned those who perished in Monday's attack.

1 motives   

n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• to impeach sb's motives 怀疑某人的动机
• His motives are unclear. 他的用意不明。

2 massacres   

大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败

参考例句：

• The time is past for guns and killings and massacres. 动不动就用枪、动不动就杀、大规模屠杀的时代已经过去了。 来自教父部分
• Numberless recent massacres were still vivid in their recollection. 近来那些不可胜数的屠杀，在他们的头脑中记忆犹新。

3 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。

4 cult   

n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜

参考例句：

• Her books aren't bestsellers,but they have a certain cult following.她的书算不上畅销书，但有一定的崇拜者。
• The cult of sun worship is probably the most primitive one.太阳崇拜仪式或许是最为原始的一种。

5 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

6 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

7 instructor   

n.指导者，教员，教练

参考例句：

• The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
• The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。

8 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

9 tighten   

v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧

参考例句：

• Turn the screw to the right to tighten it.向右转动螺钉把它拧紧。
• Some countries tighten monetary policy to avoid inflation.一些国家实行紧缩银根的货币政策，以避免通货膨胀。

10 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。

11 retrenchment   

n.节省，删除

参考例句：

• Retrenchment will be necessary. 有必要进行紧缩。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Defense planners predict an extended period of retrenchment. 国防规划人员预计开支紧缩期会延长。 来自辞典例句

12 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

13 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

14 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

15 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。