VOA标准英语2009年-Berlin Prepares for Celebrations 20 Years

By Sonja Pace
Berlin
06 November 2009

 
Work at the Brandenburg Gate
The German capital Berlin prepares for major commemorative celebrations on Monday, November 9 - to mark the 20th anniversary¹ of the fall of the Wall that divided the city and the entire country for nearly three decades during the Cold War.

The Brandenburg Gate may be Berlin's best known landmark², but it's been looking more like a construction site recently. Barriers are being set up, a seating area for visiting dignitaries, lights and banners³.

But, there's good reason - this will be the focal point for the celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

German Chancellor⁴ Angela Merkel plays host to current and former world leaders and senior officials, including former Soviet⁵ president Mikhail Gorbachev, current European heads of state and government and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The schedule of events includes open air concerts, special exhibits⁶ and a grand fireworks display to top it all off.

 
Dominoes being set up at Reichstag
A main event will be a long line of oversize dominoes - each 2.5 meters-high - running in part right across the front of the Brandenburg Gate to the nearby parliament⁷ building, the Reichstag.

Moritz Van Duelmen, is director of Kulturprojekte Berlin, the state company organizing the main events. He says the dominoes celebrate the power of people to bring change.

"Because it was the peaceful revolution of the people in the former GDR [East Germany], but before it was the Polish people and it was the Hungarian people, it was in the former east and middle east [central] European countries," said Moritz Van Duelmen. "And this is the reason we chose the idea with the dominoes because it's a kind of domino effect."

 
Moritz van Dulmen
Organizers say they expect some 100,000 visitors on the streets on Monday for the events.

And despite the presence⁸ of so many major world leaders in town, organizers say they want the events connect with ordinary people and to serve as a lesson to the next generation.

"The Berlin Wall was not the only wall in the world," he said. "We have many walls in some countries like Korea, or in Palestine or in Cyprus - also between the United States and Mexico. You have so many walls which divide people and what can we do to tear down these walls in the world."

For nearly three decades the Berlin Wall ran through the heart of the city, dividing it into East and West. Monday marks the end of that divide - 20 years ago.

1 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 banners   

横幅( banner的名词复数 )； 旗，旗帜； 虹采

参考例句：

• They were carrying placards and banners demanding that he resign. 人们手持标语牌和横幅，要求他下台。
• The city's main streets were decked with multi-coloured banners. 市区的主要街道装饰着各种颜色的彩旗。

4 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

5 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。

6 exhibits   

v.陈列，展览( exhibit的第三人称单数 )；表现；显示；[法律]当庭出示（证件、物证等）

参考例句：

• Many exhibits with characteristics of the Chinese art are on display. 许多具有中国艺术特色的展品陈列出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• One is dazzled by the endless array of beautiful exhibits. 展品琳琅满目，美不胜收。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

8 presence   

n.出席；到场；存在

参考例句：

• Her presence lent an air of respectability to the occasion.她的到场使那种场合增添了崇高的气氛。
• His presence is indicative of his willingness to help.他的出席表示他愿意帮忙。