VOA常速英语2021--2021年的国际大屠杀纪念日

Next, an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government. In January, we remember one of the darkest events in the history of humanity—the Holocaust¹, the systematic² elimination³ of the Jewish people by Nazi⁴ Germany and its collaborators. Although there is understanding that the Holocaust coincided with the years of the Second World War, its origins began earlier. In truth, the beginnings of the Holocaust go back to the 1930s, when the Nazi Party came to power and the German government began to target those they deemed to be inherently inferior. Such people, mostly civilians⁶, were rounded up, shut into ghettos, and deported⁷ to dozens of concentration or slave labor⁵ camps. Many people were shot and dumped into mass graves. By late 1941, a number of camps began the process of murder on a massive scale. Then, on January 20, 1942, at the so-called Wannsee Conference, Nazi leadership decided⁸ to formalize the implementation⁹ of the “Final Solution”: the systematic annihilation of a specific segment of the population as government policy: an atrocity¹⁰ perpetrated against the Jewish population.

以下是一篇反映美国政府政策立场的社论。我们在1月份纪念人类历史上的其中一个最黑暗的事件：大屠杀。这是纳粹德国及其帮凶对犹太人进行的系统性的灭绝。尽管在很多人的了解中，大屠杀发生的时间与第二次世界大战重叠，但大屠杀的起源在大战之前就开始了。真实情况是，大屠杀可以追溯到20世纪30年代，当时纳粹党刚刚执政，德国政府开始攻击那些他们认为天生就低人一等的人。这些人大多数是平民，他们遭到围捕，被关进犹太人区，并被赶进集中营或苦役营。很多人遭到枪杀，被丢进乱葬坑。到1941年年底，有些集中营开始了大规模的屠杀行动。随后在1942年1月20日，纳粹领导人在所谓的“万湖会议”上决定正式实施“最终解决方案”：执行政府政策，对人口中一个特定群体进行系统性的灭绝，即对犹太人口实施暴行。

It was a part of the Second World War, yet it was separate from the German war effort. Indeed, the Final Solution often took precedence over the war effort: despite a desperate need for personnel and material on the front lines, no assets or supplies were diverted from death camp assignments. In the end, the “Final Solution” resulted in the deaths of six million Jews. Never before on such a scale in human history had genocide—the annihilation of an entire people--been implemented¹¹ as government policy. International Holocaust Remembrance is a time to remember the people murdered in the Holocaust, not only to honor the dead but also to remind ourselves what unspeakable horrors humans are capable of perpetrating. “Never again,” humanity said as the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Yet in January, we also remember the victims of the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. As the Spanish philosopher George Santayana once wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned¹² to repeat it.” That was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States government.

大屠杀是第二次世界大战的一部分，但却与德国的战争努力相分隔。实际上，“最终解决方案”的优先程度经常超过战争努力：尽管前线迫切需要人员与物资，但拨给死亡营的资产或物资没有被调往前线。“最终解决方案”最终导致600万犹太人死亡。这也是人类历史上第一次将种族灭绝作为一项政府政策来执行，对整个民族进行如此规模的灭绝。“国际大屠杀纪念日”是纪念大屠杀死难者的日子。它不但纪念死者，还提醒我们注意人类能够犯下什么样的无以言状的可怕行径。联合国1948年通过《防止及惩治灭绝种族罪公约》时，人类发出了“永不再发生”的呼声。然而，我们却要在1月份同样纪念之后在柬埔寨、卢旺达、波斯尼亚和达尔富尔发生的种族灭绝的受难者。西班牙哲学家桑塔亚纳曾在文章中写道，“那些不能铭记过去的人注定要重蹈覆辙。”这是一篇反映美国政府政策立场的社论。

1 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。

2 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

3 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

4 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。

5 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

6 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。

7 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

10 atrocity   

n.残暴，暴行

参考例句：

• These people are guilty of acts of great atrocity.这些人犯有令人发指的暴行。
• I am shocked by the atrocity of this man's crimes.这个人行凶手段残忍狠毒使我震惊。

11 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

12 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。