VOA标准英语2011--Remains of Crashed US Helicopter Still L

Remains¹ of Crashed US Helicopter Still Lie in Mogadishu

Somalia, now in the grip of famine, is also remembered as the scene of the "Black Hawk² Down" incident, in which two U.S. helicopters were destroyed and 18 American soldiers killed in 1993. One of the crash sites is in a part of Mogadishu that until recently was controlled by the Islamic militant³ group al-Shabab.
The remains of one of the Black Hawks⁴ lies in a rundown and overgrown lane near Mogadishu’s now deserted⁵ Bakara Market.
A group of Somali soldiers escorting journalists on a tour of the largely destroyed neighborhood were able to locate the site, which is now overrun by huge cactus⁶ plants.
At first it was impossible to see any sign of the choppers amid the growth and rubble⁷. But soon the searchers - government soldiers and security personnel - were able to point out the rotor hub and one of the blades almost hidden among the cactus.
The “Black Hawk Down” incident came at a time when Somalia was gripped by famine. Eighteen years later, the international community is once again descending⁸ on Somalia to try to save the victims of the latest human tragedy.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

3 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

4 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

5 deserted   

adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的

参考例句：

• The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
• The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。

6 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

7 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

8 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。