VOA标准英语2009年-Mourning for Mudslide Victims in Sicily

By Sabina Castelfranco
Rome
10 October 2009

 
Coffins¹ draped with Italian flags are seen during the funeral service for the victims of massive mudslides in Sicily, in Messina's Cathedral, Italy, 10 Oct 2009
Thousands turned out in the cathedral of the Sicilian city of Messina to take part in the funeral service for the victims of the deadly mudslides. At least 28 people were killed earlier this month when rivers of mud tore down a mountainside flooding entire towns.

Family members and friends of the victims of the mudslides gathered in the cathedral in silence. Church and state leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, took part in the solemn service.

21 coffins draped in the Italian flag were lined up below the church's altar. The names and ages of the victims were read out one by one. Each name was followed by long applause.

A message from Pope Benedict was read out in church. The archbishop of Messina, Calogero la Piana, who celebrated² the service, said similar tragedies must never occur again.

He said that in this moment of sadness and mourning for the whole community of Messina and Italy, we feel deeply and intimately united with those affected³ by the recent tragedy.

Torrential rains October 1 caused the mudslides in the northeast of Sicily, near the coastal⁴ city of Messina. Not all the bodies have yet been recovered. Some are still missing and hundreds of people have been left homeless.

 
Firefighters remove debris⁵ in Giampilieri near Messina, southern Italy, 3 Oct 2009
Dozens of houses on the outskirts⁶ of the Sicilian city were swept away or flattened⁷ by heavy rain and mud. The disaster sparked a row over protection measures against flooding with local officials accusing the government of ignoring their appeals for funds.
 
But the head of the rescue services blamed shoddy building for the disaster, saying too many houses had been built too close to rivers and the seafront in an area hit by landslides⁸ two years ago.
 
In his homily the archbishop said the management of the unique heritage of this beautiful and fascinating territory, rich in colors, vegetation and art, is lacking. Too often, he added, it is violated by the sin of men, by neglect, by private and selfish interests and by perverse⁹ logic¹⁰ and all types of speculations¹¹.

Saturday was declared a national day of mourning. The Italian prime minister has promised to build new houses for the victims of the mudslides, just like the ones that were built for the victims of the earthquake in l'Aquila earlier this year. Coming out of the cathedral on Saturday, Mr. Berlusconi said everything would be done as quickly as possible.

1 coffins   

n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物

参考例句：

• The shop was close and hot, and the atmosphere seemed tainted with the smell of coffins. 店堂里相当闷热，空气仿佛被棺木的味儿污染了。 来自辞典例句
• Donate some coffins to the temple, equal to the number of deaths. 到寺庙里，捐赠棺材盒给这些死者吧。 来自电影对白

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

4 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

5 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

6 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

7 flattened   

[医]（水）平扁的，弄平的

参考例句：

• She flattened her nose and lips against the window. 她把鼻子和嘴唇紧贴着窗户。
• I flattened myself against the wall to let them pass. 我身体紧靠着墙让他们通过。

8 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

9 perverse   

adj.刚愎的；坚持错误的，行为反常的

参考例句：

• It would be perverse to stop this healthy trend.阻止这种健康发展的趋势是没有道理的。
• She gets a perverse satisfaction from making other people embarrassed.她有一种不正常的心态，以使别人难堪来取乐。

10 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

11 speculations   

n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断

参考例句：

• Your speculations were all quite close to the truth. 你的揣测都很接近于事实。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• This possibility gives rise to interesting speculations. 这种可能性引起了有趣的推测。 来自《用法词典》