2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Pays Tribute to Victims of Communism

By Paula Wolfson
White House
12 June 2007

President Bush has dedicated¹ a new memorial in Washington to the victims of communism. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House.

The statue was dedicated on this sun-drenched June morning - 20 years to the day after former President Ronald Reagan stood before the Berlin Wall and issued a challenge to the leader of the Soviet² Union.

"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate," he said. "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

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President Bush speaks at the dedication of the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, 12 Jun 2007

In his remarks Tuesday, President Bush made clear he shared Mr. Reagan's emphasis on the importance of freedom.

"It is appropriate that on the anniversary of that speech that we dedicate a monument that reflects our confidence in freedom's power," he said.

The monument is a statue placed just a few blocks from the U.S. Capitol - a replica⁴ in bronze of the figure erected⁵ by Chinese students during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.

"The men and women who designed this memorial could have chosen an image of repression⁶ for this space, a replica of the wall that once divided Berlin, or the frozen barracks of the Gulag, or a killing⁷ field littered with skulls," he said. "Instead, they chose an image of hope - a woman holding a lamp of liberty. She reminds us of the victims of communism, and also of the power that overcame communism."

The president said some of the victims of communism were well-known, but most died in anonymity⁸ in places like the Soviet gulags [secret prisons] and the killing fields of Cambodia.

"Communist regimes did more than take their victims' lives; they sought to steal their humanity and erase⁹ their memory," he said. "With this memorial, we restore their humanity and we reclaim¹⁰ their memory. With this memorial, we say of communism's innocent and anonymous¹¹ victims, these men and women lived and they shall not be forgotten."

President Bush said nobody knows for sure how many people died at the hands of communist governments, but he said some estimates put the number as high as 100 million. And he warned that while communism may be on the wane¹², evil and hatred¹³ still remain. He said the events of September 11, 2001 prove that.

"Like the communists, our new enemies believe the innocent can be murdered to serve a radical¹⁴ vision," he said. "Like the communists, our new enemies are dismissive of free peoples, claiming that those of us who live in liberty are weak and lack the resolve to defend our free way of life. And like the communists, the followers¹⁵ of violent Islamic radicalism¹⁶ are doomed¹⁷ to fail. "

The Victims of Communism Memorial was erected by a private foundation that began its work 17 years ago, just after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Foundation says it is the only memorial of its kind in the world.

1 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

4 replica   

n.复制品

参考例句：

• The original conservatory has been rebuilt in replica.温室已按原样重建。
• The young artist made a replica of the famous painting.这位年轻的画家临摹了这幅著名的作品。

5 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

6 repression   

n.镇压，抑制，抑压

参考例句：

• The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
• This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

9 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

10 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

11 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

12 wane   

n.衰微，亏缺，变弱；v.变小，亏缺，呈下弦

参考例句：

• The moon is on the wane.月亮渐亏。
• Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to wane.她对他的热情在开始减退。

13 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

14 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

15 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

16 radicalism   

n. 急进主义, 根本的改革主义

参考例句：

• His radicalism and refusal to compromise isolated him. 他的激进主义与拒绝妥协使他受到孤立。
• Education produced intellectual ferment and the temptations of radicalism. 教育带来知识界的骚动，促使激进主义具有了吸引力。

17 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。