2010/09/11

This Day in History September 11

This date is one that doesn’t need an introduction. The events that took place in the US in 2001 on 9/11 shook the world. Hijackers crashed two passenger planes into the World Trade Center in New York City. Within two hours, both towers collapsed and damaged several other buildings around them. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon, which is just outside Washington DC, while a fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. There were no survivors on any of the flights. In all, the terrorist attacks killed nearly 3,000 people from 70 different countries. The effects of 9/11 are still being felt today.

歷史上的今天 9月11日…

這 一天所發生的事毋需多作引言。2001年的今日發生於美國的九一一事件震驚全球。劫機者駕駛兩架客機撞上紐約市世貿中心。短短兩小時內,兩棟大樓便倒塌, 還連帶毀壞了周圍的幾棟建築物。另一架飛機也撞上華盛頓特區外圍的五角大廈,而第4架飛機則於賓州的田野墜毀。這幾架航班都沒有生還者。此次恐怖攻擊總計 奪走來自70個不同國家近3000條人命。九一一事件所帶來的影響至今仍餘波盪漾。

知識大補帖

九一一事件是自第二次世界大戰(World War II)時,日本以「氣球炸彈」(balloon bomb)空襲美國之後,美國本土再次遭受來自空中的襲擊(圖為劫機者駕駛兩架客機撞紐約世貿中心,資料照片);另外,這也是繼珍珠港事件(the attack on Pearl Harbor)後,歷史上第二次外國勢力對美國本土造成重大傷亡的襲擊。九一一事件中死亡的總人數超過珍珠港事件中的死亡人數。

單字片語

◎hijacker n.劫機者
hijackvt.劫持(飛機、公車等)
例:All of the passengers on the plane had no idea that they were being hijacked.(機上的所有乘客都不知道他們遭到劫持。)
◎collapse vi.倒塌
例:The chair collapsed under Gary’s weight.(椅子因承受不住蓋瑞的重量而垮了下來。)
◎the Pentagon 五角大廈(即美國國防部)
pentagon n. 五邊形,五角形
◎survivor n.生還者,倖存者
例:Rose was the only survivor of the car accident.(蘿絲是這起車禍的唯一生還者。)
◎in all總計,總共(與數字並用)= in total
例:In all, this movie was filmed in 20 different locations.(這部電影總共在20個不同的地方拍攝。)
◎terrorist n. 恐怖份子
◎effect n.影響(其後常與介詞 on 並用)
have an effect on... 對……有影響/作用

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