Man will continue his conquest of space.To reach out for new goals and ever greater achievements - that is the way we shall commemorate our seven Challenger heroes .
Dick, Mike, Judy, El, Ron, Greg and Christa - your families and your country mourn your passing.We bid you goodbye.We will never forget you .
For those who knew you well and loved you, the pain will be deep and enduring.A nation , too, will long feel the loss of her seven sons and daughters,her seven good friends.We can find consolation only in faith, for we know in our hearts that you who flew so high and so proud now make your home beyond the stars, safe in God s promise of eternal life .
May God bless you all and give you comfort in this difficult time .
Ⅰ.About the Author
The American president from 1981 to 1989, Ronald Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curbinflation, increase employment , and strengthen national defense.He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit.A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped Reagan and Bush win a second term with an unprecedented number of electoral votes.Their victory turned away Democratic challengers Walter F.Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code, which eliminated many deductions and exempted millions of people with low incomes.At the end of his administration, the Nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression .
Ⅱ.Words and Expressions
eulogy n.a speech, usually at a funeral, in which a person who has just died is praised 悼词。
space shuttle n.航天飞机。
profound a.You use profound to emphasize that something is very great or intense.严重的。
sacrifice v .& n.If you sacrifice something that is valuable or important , you give it up, usually to obtain something else for yourself or for other people .
testimony the proof of their good deeds unquenchable a.如饥似渴般的。
gallantry n.bravery.
off-hours n.spare time.
Eagle Scout n .曾经获得二十一个记功章的男童子军。
grove n.a group of trees that are close together.
saxophone n.萨克斯管。
pluck n.courage and determination.
vigil n.(an act of ) remaining watchful for some purpose,especially while staying awake during the night 守夜.
exhilaration n.a strong feeling of excitement and happiness.
sturdy a.unwilling to be defeated; determined; strong.
the Oregon Trail n .the passage from the Mississippi River to the Columbia.
River in Oregon, which many pioneers took from the east to the northwest part of the United States fortitude n.firm and lasting courage in bearing trouble, pain ,etc ., without complaining 坚韧,刚毅。
forge ahead make progress commemorate v.纪念。
Ⅲ.Notes to the Text
1.The opening paragraph indicates the purpose of the speech.The speaker does not simply express his sorrow for the dead, but encourages his listeners to get out of their sadness by mentioning the courage to look for the seeds of hope for the success in the future.In other words, they will not be discouraged by the tragedy (attention to the parallel structure here) .
2.All Americans are ready to help those children whose parents died in the search of the universe .
3.At the sad moment , whatever is said is pale and can t comfort the victims families .
4.The speaker uses a present participle phrase instead of a relative clause to simplify the structure of the sentence .
5.Ellison achieved a lot when he was a boy scout , and such experiences during his childhood were vital to his quick and great success in his career (attention to the word“soar” ) .
6.We will miss you immensely and we are determined to carry on what you have not accomplished yet.The speech here sounds like a dialogue between the dead and the living audience .
7.He carried a flag of his university, a way to show his respect to those who helped him develop his potentials .
8.We remember McAuliff who filled us with the joy of this exploration which would make a difference to our future .
9.People all over the country waited quietly with their eyes fixed on TV screens for the news of your success (attention to the word“vigil” ) .
10.Although it seems impossible, our struggle against the nature is bound to succeed sooner or later .
11.Our seven star voyagers have made great contributions to our nation ; they contributed much more than they are required to and not merely for money or fame, but for the future of our nation .
12.The speaker refers to the American pioneer spirit, which enables them to achieve one breakthrough after another (attention to the word“steel” ) .
13.The speaker compares the space exploration and the further expansion of human knowledge to the frontier in the American Pioneer Days .
14.We must continue to the end although sometimes we are faced with temporary obstacles .
15.Fortunately, as a nation of pioneer spirit, America possesses numerous such heroes as Challenger Seven (attention to the expressions“are still blessed with”and“reservoir” ) .
16.We believe that the heroes have fulfilled their dreams to go to other stars and, with the protection of God, they will live forever in heaven .
Ⅳ.Text-Related Practice
A.Questions for discussion:
1.What does“the pioneers of an earlier century”refer to ?
2.Why does Reagan say“the frontier is space and the boundaries of human knowledge”?
3.Do you think this is a good speech?Why ?
B.Word matching:
Match the words in Column A with those in Colum n B .
Text B
How to Grow Old Bertrand Russell
In spite of the title, this article will really be on how not to grow old,which, at my time of life, is a much more important subject .
My first advice would be to choose your ancestors carefully.Although both my parents died young, I have done well in this respect as regards my other ancestors.My maternal grandfather, it is true, was cut off in the flower of his youth at the age of sixty-seven, but my other three grandparents all lived to be over eighty .
Of remoter ancestors I can only discover one who did not live to a great age,and he died of a disease which is now rare, namely, having his head cut off .