Ground zero: 世贸大厦遗址
值此9·11五周年纪念之际,“Ground zero”再度成为新闻媒体的热门词汇。看外电的相关报道,为什么“悼念罹难者的地方”常用ground zero来指代?
Mourners pay their respects beside a reflecting pool at Ground Zero on the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2006. [Reuters] Ground zero原指“常规导弹瞄准的目标、核设备的爆炸点”,当然,一旦这个“点”被击中,“点”则就延伸为“废墟”了。由此,美国9·11事件后,ground zero常用来指代被恐怖分子袭击后的“世贸大厦遗址”。 看下面一个例句:As at the commemorations at Ground Zero, family members read the names of the dead in a solemn ceremony against a sound track of somber and patriotic music. (在世贸大厦遗址举行的纪念活动上,罹难者家属在低沉的爱国主义乐曲中念着遇难亲友的名字。) |