VOA标准英语2010-Soldiers Who Liberated Nazi Death Camps M

More than 100 former U.S. soldiers who liberated¹ Nazi² death camps during World War II were honored this week in Washington, D.C. The veterans recalled the horrors they witnessed 65 years ago when they encountered the victims of the Holocaust³.

The flags of their wartime divisions lined the U.S. Capitol rotunda⁴ for the ceremony to honor the old soldiers. And Army General David Petraeus paid them a tribute. "Just as the horrors of the death camps will never be forgotten, neither will your courage, selflessness, or compassion," he said.

These men, known as "The Liberators", were among the first witnesses of one of the greatest horrors of the 20th century, the concentration camps where six million Jews were systematically⁵ slaughtered⁶.

 

Much of what they did is commemorated⁷ at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. They toured the museum before the ceremony.

One of the liberators, George Sherman, 84, was a young Jewish soldier at the time of the war, fighting in the U.S. Army's 11th Armored Division. In early May 1945, his squadron left Linz in Austria on its way east to join forces with the Russians.

But as Sherman's reconnaissance unit left the city, they caught wind of something terrible. "Within a kilometer or two of leaving we started to smell an odor which we couldn't identify which was really strong." So he and his buddies⁸ followed the stench and found stockades⁹ with barbed wire and prisoners wandering all over the place.

"Inside the gates there were just piles of bodies stacked up and mainly people coming out of what turned out to be their barracks, in the worst physical conditions, skeletons, a lot of the things they were wearing were just rags," Sherman said.

The soldiers of his division were welcomed as heroes at the Mauthausen concentration camp.

Sherman's wife Marcia accompanied him on the museum tour. She says it brought back memories he's never talked about before.

"The ovens were still hot, because the Germans, they're methodical," Sherman said. "Right up to the last minute. You'd think they would try to get away and whatnot. No, right up to the last minute they were trying to kill as many as they could kill."

What angers Sherman now is when people try to deny the Holocaust.

"How they can in the face of all the evidence, that has been carefully documented and authenticated¹⁰, how they can deny this? It's unbelievable," he said.

The Holocaust museum documents the genocide and the testimony¹¹ of the aging survivors¹².

One of them is Steve Barry, now 85 years old. He was on a train crammed¹³ with prisoners and still remembers the day he saw his American liberators.

"I don't think the word has been invented yet, of how I felt," Barry said.

He said he owes those liberators his life. But one he met disagreed.

"And he said, 'You know, you don't owe me or us anything. This whole world owes you everything, because what they took away from you, no one can give back to you anymore.'"

But the liberators did get something here in Washington. Gen. Petreaus honored each with a medal.

When Petraeus saw Sherman and his wartime buddies, he walked up to them and said, "Did you get a coin? Ok, you're good to go!"

The aging vets¹⁴ posed for a photo with general at the Holocaust museum, where the flags of their old divisions hang permanently¹⁵ above the entrance hall. The men stood proud, once more, for what they fought for 65 years ago.

 

1 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

2 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

3 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

4 rotunda   

n.圆形建筑物；圆厅

参考例句：

• The Capitol at Washington has a large rotunda.华盛顿的国会大厦有一圆形大厅。
• The rotunda was almost deserted today,dotted with just a few tourists.圆形大厅今天几乎没有多少人，只零星散布着几个游客。

5 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

6 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 commemorated   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Lincoln commemorated the soldiers killed in the battle in his address. 林肯在演说中表扬阵亡将士。 来自辞典例句
• You'll be commemorated for killing a spy, and be specially discharged. 你们每杀一个间谍将会被记录到特殊档案。 来自电影对白

8 buddies   

n.密友( buddy的名词复数 )；同伴；弟兄；（用于称呼男子，常带怒气）家伙v.（如密友、战友、伙伴、弟兄般）交往( buddy的第三人称单数 )；做朋友；亲近（…）；伴护艾滋病人

参考例句：

• We became great buddies. 我们成了非常好的朋友。 来自辞典例句
• The two of them have become great buddies. 他们俩成了要好的朋友。 来自辞典例句

9 stockades   

n.（防御用的）栅栏，围桩( stockade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

10 authenticated   

v.证明是真实的、可靠的或有效的( authenticate的过去式和过去分词 )；鉴定，使生效

参考例句：

• The letter has been authenticated by handwriting experts. 这封信已由笔迹专家证明是真的。
• The date of manufacture of the jewellery has not been authenticated. 这些珠宝的制造日期尚未经证实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

12 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

13 crammed   

adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式)

参考例句：

• He crammed eight people into his car. 他往他的车里硬塞进八个人。
• All the shelves were crammed with books. 所有的架子上都堆满了书。

14 vets   

abbr.veterans （复数）老手，退伍军人；veterinaries （复数）兽医n.兽医( vet的名词复数 )；老兵；退伍军人；兽医诊所v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的第三人称单数 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• I helped train many young vets and veterinary nurses too. 我还帮助培训了许多年青的兽医和护士。 来自互联网
• In fact, we've expanded mental health counseling and services for our vets. 实际上，我们已经扩大了退伍军人的心理健康咨询和服务。 来自互联网

15 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。