2007年VOA标准英语-Mandela Statue Unveiled in London-英语课

时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：2007年VOA标准英语（八月）

英语课

By Tendai Maphosa
London
29 August 2007

A statue of Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, is seen after it was unveiled in Parliament Square, London, 29 Aug 2007

A three-meter bronze statue of former South African President Nelson Mandela was unveiled in London Wednesday to commemorate 1 his struggle against apartheid. Tendai Maphosa has more in this report for VOA.

The unveiling ceremony was held on Parliament Square where Nelson Mandela's statue will join other notable leaders as Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln who also resisted oppression.

Mr. Mandela, 89, made his way to the platform, leaning on the arm of his wife, Graca Machel. Despite his frail 2 appearance, he spoke 3 very clearly.

"Though this statue is of one man is of one man it should in actual fact symbolize 4 all those who have resisted oppression especially in my country," said Mr. Mandela. "The history of the struggle in South Africa is rich with the stories of heroes and heroines some of them leaders, some of them followers 5 all of them deserve to be remembered."

London Mayor Ken 6 Livingstone, anti-apartheid campaigners and community leaders also attended the ceremony outside Britain's Parliament, close to Westminster Abbey, along with a gospel choir 7 and 40 dancers in carnival 8 costume.

Before unveiling the statue British Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid a moving tribute to Mr. Mandela.

"He is a man whose belief in the future was so powerful not even twenty-seven years behind bars and barbed wire could destroy his dream and his demand that by fighting apartheid from his prison cell millions today could be and are free," said Mr. Brown.

Film director Richard Attenborough, a trustee of the Mandela Statue Fund, introduced Mr. Mandela at the unveiling. He spoke of the the bravery of the late Donald Woods, a South African journalist who was a friend of the late anti-apartheid activist 9 Steve Biko whose idea it was for the Mandela statue.

"Donald was a very courageous 10 man, He fled his country with his wife Wendy and there five children and came here as a refugee, thrown out by the apartheid system. He would have given anything to be here today because it was his concept," he said.

Mandela described how on a visit to Westminster in 1962 with his late comrade in the struggle Oliver Tambo they had half jokingly hoped that one day a statue of a black person would be erected 11 there alongside that of Jan Smuts, a former South African prime minister. That dream became reality today.

1 commemorate

vt.纪念，庆祝

This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

2 frail

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

3 spoke

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说