VOA标准英语2010-Chicago's Polish Community Mourns Victims

A woman prays during a memorial service for Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife at Holy Trinity Polish Church in Chicago on Sunday, 11 Apr 11 2010.

Chicago is home to the largest Polish community outside of Warsaw.  Poles in that Midwestern city are mourning the loss of Poland's President and other national leaders who died in a plane crash near the Russian city of Smolensk over the weekend. 

For several months, the Polish American community here had been planning for President Lech Kaczynski's visit to the Windy City at the end of April.

But excitement for his visit has turned to sorrow in the wake of Saturday's plane crash.  Ninety-seven people, including the Polish president and first lady, and many senior members of the Warsaw government died when the presidential plane crashed in thick fog outside Smolensk.

An over capacity crowd gathered at St. Hyacinth's Basilica in Chicago for a Roman Catholic mass to mourn those who perished in the crash.

"Almost everyone in Chicago does have family in Poland, so the news spread immediately, mostly from Poland.  We got many calls," Zigmunt Matynia said. Matynia is Poland's Consul¹ General in Chicago.

He says a wave of patriotism² has descended³ on Chicago's Polish community in the wake of the tragedy. "As you can see right now, Chicago looks like a Polish city.  Every car has a flag.  Many Poles come -- not only Poles, but people who feel that it was a great tragedy comes to the Polish consulate⁴."

Sebastian Rotiarski was one of the hundreds of mourners to visit the Polish consulate on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive.

"It's a sad an ironic⁵ day in the sense that we've lost so many great people, so many influential⁶ people, so many good people, that it's in every Polish person's heart today and yesterday, and for years to come, it's going to be a very painful and very memorable⁷ day.  So I just wanted to share the experience with others," he said.

Some mourners came to the consulate to lay flowers or wreaths at the base of a flagpole in the consulate's front yard.  The Polish flag above them flew at half-staff.

An activist⁸ and artist in Chicago's Polish community was among those who died in the crash.  Wojciech Seweryn created a monument in the Chicago suburbs to the victims of the 1940 Katyn massacre⁹.

The plane carrying Seweryn and 96 others, including President Kaczynski, was en route to a ceremony in Russia to mark the 70th anniversary of the massacre, in which Soviet¹⁰ forces killed some 22,000 Polish military officers and civilians¹¹ leaders.

"Poland survived many difficult moments in history.  So this is another tragic¹² moment.  But we will be stronger.  But this is the message I would like to spread through the community," Matynia said.

Matynia says she hopes the Polish Constitution Day Parade, scheduled for May 3 in Chicago's Grant Park, will be held as a sign of healing in a community that coming to terms with the loss of its home country's beloved leader.

 

1 consul   

n.领事；执政官

参考例句：

• A consul's duty is to help his own nationals.领事的职责是帮助自己的同胞。
• He'll hold the post of consul general for the United States at Shanghai.他将就任美国驻上海总领事(的职务)。

2 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

3 descended   

a.为...后裔的，出身于...的

参考例句：

• A mood of melancholy descended on us. 一种悲伤的情绪袭上我们的心头。
• The path descended the hill in a series of zigzags. 小路呈连续的之字形顺着山坡蜿蜒而下。

4 consulate   

n.领事馆

参考例句：

• The Spanish consulate is the large white building opposite the bank.西班牙领事馆是银行对面的那栋高大的白色建筑物。
• The American consulate was a magnificent edifice in the centre of Bordeaux.美国领事馆是位于波尔多市中心的一座宏伟的大厦。

5 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

6 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

7 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

10 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。

11 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

12 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。