VOA标准英语2010年-Unusual Fate of Two American Fathers i

Francis Gary Powers Jr. (left) meets Karl Alperovich, who was a co-designer of the missile that shot down the US U2 spy plane Power's father flew over the Soviet¹ Union in 1960

The unusual fate of two American fathers and their sons recently intersected in Moscow, where cooperation and confrontation² between the United States and Russia are on display in two of the city's military museums.

Sergeant³ Joe Beyrle parachuted into Normandy during the allied⁴ D-Day invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944.  Separated from his unit, he was captured and later escaped from a German Prisoner of War camp.  Heading east, he met and joined a Soviet tank battalion⁵. He is the only American known to have fought against the Nazis⁶ with the U.S. and Red armies.

An exhibit entitled "Joseph Beyrle - Hero of Two Nations" opened Thursday at the World War II Museum in Moscow.  His son, John Beyrle, is the current U.S. Ambassador to Russia.  He says the exhibit is a symbol of partnership⁷ between the United States and Russia. "It should really serve, I think, as a stimulus⁸ to us to find ways to recapture the partnership so we can join forces and fight together against the threats and challenges of the 21st century that are no less dangerous than Hitler was in his time," he said.

But the end of World War II signaled the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and Russia in which CIA pilot Francis Gary Powers played a central role.  He too parachuted from his aircraft.  It was a U2 reconnaissance plane shot down by a Soviet missile 20,000 meters over the Russian city of Sverdlovsk on May 1, 1960.  The wreckage⁹ is on permanent display at Moscow's Russian Army Museum.

The pilot's son, Francis Gary Powers Jr., is director of the Cold War Museum in Arlington, Virginia.  He shared declassified¹⁰ U2 photos during the 50th anniversary commemoration of the U2 incident in Moscow.

"These photographs were taken on April 9, 1960; on the last mission before the May 1st mission.  This image here is a Soviet airfield¹¹ with the bombers¹² and MIGs on the ground that are blown up [enlarged].  You can see their strengths and weaknesses," he said.

Similar photos taken by Francis Gary Powers constituted espionage¹³ for which he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.  He was released in a U.S.-Soviet spy swap¹⁴ after serving 21 months. 

The U2 was brought down by an S-2 surface to air missile.  Its co-designer, Karl Alperovich, told VOA that Francis Gary Powers survived because he did not panic as his plane plummeted¹⁵ to the ground.

Alperovich refers to the pilot as an honorable man who had a mission to carry out just as Russian missile designers had their mission.

Alperovich greeted the younger Powers in Moscow with a long and firm handshake at the Almaz-Antey Air Defense¹⁶ Company, which designed the weapon.  Alperovich says he is glad the father was not killed.  And the son says he has no ill feeling toward Russians. "I do not feel that I am an enemy to the people of Russia now.  I think that Russia and America have very good working relations and can only continue to be improved," he said.

Ambassador Beyrle points to the recent Strategic Arms Reduction Agreement between Washington and Moscow as a sign of better relations.  He notes a rich agenda and momentum¹⁷ for further improvement. "Whether it's the fight against international terrorism, whether it's cooperation in space, exchanges in health and ecological¹⁸ sphere; there's a lot America and Russia can do and will do together over the next two years as this momentum in the relationship builds," he said.

Both sons look back with pride at their fathers.  Both are also working to overcome suspicions that stand in the way of renewed U.S.-Russian cooperation to meet challenges that could confront their children.
 

1 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。

2 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

3 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

4 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

5 battalion   

n.营；部队；大队(的人)

参考例句：

• The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
• At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后，队伍解散了。

6 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

8 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

9 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

10 declassified   

adj.解密的v.对（机密文件等）销密( declassify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Thousands of classified documents have now been declassified. 数以千计的保密文件现在被解密了。
• The software used for Siemens S7-300 encryption logic block declassified. 此软件用于对西门子S7-300加密逻辑块解密。

11 airfield   

n.飞机场

参考例句：

• The foreign guests were motored from the airfield to the hotel.用车把外宾从机场送到旅馆。
• The airfield was seized by enemy troops.机场被敌军占领。

12 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 espionage   

n.间谍行为，谍报活动

参考例句：

• The authorities have arrested several people suspected of espionage.官方已经逮捕了几个涉嫌从事间谍活动的人。
• Neither was there any hint of espionage in Hanley's early life.汉利的早期生活也毫无进行间谍活动的迹象。

14 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

15 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

17 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

18 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.