VOA标准英语2012--School Shootings Shock Connecticut Town
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十二月)
School Shootings Shock Connecticut Town
Residents of Newtown gathered Friday evening for religious services amid a prevailing 1 mood of shock and horror. Alex Ortner is the father of two toddlers and says his heart goes out to the victims.
“At think that at any time like this, people lean on spirituality; they lean on anything to try to understand why something like this happens. I think at this stage now, it’s more of a shocking time than anything else. I don’t think people are really processing it properly yet.”
The killings 2 shook the picturesque 3 and normally quiet town to its core. Alongside traditional holiday decorations, signs now call on people to be strong and to pray for victims of the tragedy.
Former school bus driver Marsha Moskowitz is in disbelief. She once drove at least two of the victims to school, and remembers driving the gunman when he was in middle school.
“I recall him to be quiet, reserved, and very shy. Pretty much stayed to himself on the bus.”
The killer 4, identified as 20-year old Adam Lanza, apparently 5 obtained his weapons from the home of his mother, whom he also shot dead before driving in her car to the school. Connecticut State Police spokesman Paul Vance says Lanza forced his way into the building.
"We have established the point of entry. It was -- I can tell you, he was not voluntarily let into the school at all, that he forced his way into the school. But that's as far as we can go on that."
As the nation struggles to understand how the tragedy could have occurred, Lawrence Palinkas, Professor of Social Work at the University of Southern California, notes the reason why so many young Americans have become targets in mass killings is unknown.
“Largely because we still don't have enough data - surprisingly, given the increasing number of events. But generally when helpless populations are victimized like that, it's usually to send a message, and it's unfortunately a message of intense anger.”
As of now, no one knows the reason why Adam Lanza did what he did, and many residents of Newtown fear they never will.
- She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
- This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。
- His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
- The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。
- You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
- That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。
- Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
- The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
- An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
- He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。