VOA标准英语2010年-State of Indiana Looks to Close Ernie

Ernie Pyle was one of the most popular news reporters in the United States during World War II.  He wrote about common soldiers, making use of his own upbringing in the tiny town of Dana, Indiana, to better understand them. Pyle died in combat in 1945, but his memory lives on in his childhood home and museum.  But budget deficits¹ in Indiana are forcing cuts, and the Ernie Pyle State Historic site is in the process of closing. 

Dana, Indiana is off the beaten path.

The small farming town has a population of about 400.  There isn't much to see here, except for one landmark² that is the pride of this community.

"Ernie Pyle's significance to this small town - he's our famous son," said Tom Milligan.

Tom Milligan is a farmer from Dana, home of the Ernie Pyle State Historic Site. 

"He made not only a significant contribution to this area, but I mean he made a significant contribution to journalism³," he said.

Pyle left Dana around 1918 to join the Navy before pursuing a career in journalism that took him around the world.

Pyle's folksy style of writing focused on the average soldier, sailor, airman and Marine⁴ who fought in World War II.  His articles were extremely popular in the United States, and earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1944.

The site that honors him is situated⁵ in the center of Dana.  Pyle's home was moved here in the 1970s from a location outside of town.  The visitors center was added in 1998 through a grant from the Scripps Foundation.  Pyle was a reporter for the Scripps Howard News Service.

Several fires that raged in Dana over the years left few buildings standing⁶.  One fire almost destroyed Pyle's site..

But what the fires could not take from Dana, the latest economic recession might.

"Indiana, like most other states, is experiencing some real budget issues currently, and so the Ernie Pyle site, unfortunately, has been closed due to those budget issues," said Bruce Beesley.

Bruce Beesley is the regional manager of the State Historic Sites of Indiana.

"Unfortunately it comes down to one particular place, one particular occasion where we made our cuts," said Bruce Beesley.

The doors to the home and visitor center have been locked since the beginning of the year.  Beesley says there aren't enough visitors to justify⁷ its operating expenses.  The state of Indiana wants to move some of the historic artifacts to other museums around the state.

Phil Hess is the director of the Friends of Ernie Pyle, a group dedicated⁸ to preserving Pyle's legacy⁹ and his historic site.  He believes no other site represents Pyle better than his Dana home.

"We feel this is the best place to have an interpretation¹⁰ of Ernie Pyle's work because it's concentrated," said Phil Hess. "It's spaced out enough, it gives examples of his writing through the whole war period from start to end."

The state of Indiana would ultimately like to see the site funded and operated by town or county governments, or the Friends group.

"I'm not sure that if it comes to local ownership, that the existence would be guaranteed for very long," said Hess. "With the state, if it had assumed what I think is its responsibility, it would last forever, and that is our hope."

The Indiana Natural Resources Commission has ultimate authority over the fate of the site.  They have delayed until the fall a decision whether to permanently¹¹ close the site.

The Friends of Ernie Pyle group hopes that is enough time to win support from Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels to re-open the site, and keep Pyle's memory alive in the town of Dana.
 

1 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

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 journalism   

n.新闻工作，报业

参考例句：

• He's a teacher but he does some journalism on the side.他是教师，可还兼职做一些新闻工作。
• He had an aptitude for journalism.他有从事新闻工作的才能。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 situated   

adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的

参考例句：

• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。
• She is awkwardly situated.她的处境困难。

6 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

7 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

8 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

9 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

10 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

11 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。