Supplementary Reading

Text B  Reflections on 9/11[1]

Jesse Jackson, the American preacher and civil rights leader, looks back on the attacks of September 11 and reflects on the mistakes that were made in responding to them.

            Reverend Jesse L. Jackson

1     September 11, seven years later. It is an anniversary that we should mark with prayer, with lowered voices and sober reflection. September 11 was the most serious attack on A merica since Pearl Harbor. We must not forget.

2     (1) But bluster is not remembrance. We must take clear stock of where we are and what we must do, for much has been lost over these last seven years.

3     Seven years ago, the world rallied to our side. “Nous sommes tous Americans”— we are all Americans— read the headlines in French newspapers. Our allies joined the attack on al Qaeda and its Taliban allies in Afghanistan. We enlisted local allies to help lead the successful attack. Al Qaeda’s leaders fled to the mountainous territories on the Pakistan border. (2) The UN nations joined in collective effort to identify and track down those committed to terror.

4     (3) But rather than staying focused on that threat, America chose instead to invade Iraq, driven by the hubris, fears and grudges of the Bush administration. That war of choice has been one of the worst debacles in our history. Every assumption, every argument justifying it turned out to be wrong. There were no weapons of mass destruction. Saddham Hussein was an opponent of, not an ally of the religious extremists of al Qaeda. The war and consequent occupation was not financed by Iraqi oil money.

5     And the costs have been staggering. We squandered the support of our allies. We suffered over 30,000 casualties and still counting. We wasted over $1 trillion dollars, with the direct costs rising at more than $10 billion a month. We stained our reputation in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo1. We strained our own military. Our invasion strengthened Iran’s hand in the region. And it weakened our support for the fledging government in Afghanistan, allowing al Qaeda, according to US intelligence reports, to reconstitute itself and pose once more a serious threat of attack on the US and its allies. Now, al Qaeda and its Taliban allies threaten not just Afghanistan, but Pakistan itself, a country that, unlike Iraq, really does possess nuclear weapons.

6     The whole notion of the war on terror, a report by the conservative Rand Corporation concludes, has been counter-productive. It inflates our enemies, providing them with global credibility, and it distorts our task. The real job of fighting al Qaeda —now a metastasized network of extremist cells whose greatest strength is the willingness of some to commit suicide — is overwhelmingly a matter of intelligence gathering and cooperation, of police investigation and tracking, of disrupting financial and travel arrangements, and of course, of winning a global conflict of ideas, painting them not as a global behemoth which they are not but as the extremists that they are.

7     And we ignored Dr. King’s realization that a society focused on war abroad would be less able to deal with its own problems at home; that the bombs dropped on foreign battlefields would explode also in the neglect of America’s cities. If we had invested that $1 trillion in conservation and new energy, we would have generated jobs and growth here at home, made ourselves less indebted abroad and less dependent on foreign oil. We surely would have been better able to deal with the economic downturn we now face.

8     The current bluster about “winning the war” ignores all this. It’s hard to proclaim victory in a war that should never have been fought. (4) And in fact we’re a long way from a “victory” in Iraq, if that is defined as President Bush and John McCain say, as leaving behind a stable, democratic government that is a secure American ally. Even this week, General Patraeus has suggested delaying further troop drawdowns. The Shiite dominated government is aggravating, not solving the political divide with the Sunni tribes that have helped to create the current decline in violence. The economy is still a shambles. The Kurds are still seeking independence. If we stay until these tensions are settled, we will stay for years, if not decades.

9     Will we get some straight talk on Iraq? Will we fundamentally revise our wrong-headed strategy on the threat posed by al Qaeda? At their convention, Republicans, as in 2004, sought to make the war a partisan club, and reduce the debates to taunts. Americans deserve better. But it will be up to citizens to demand this of their leaders and of the media.

Culture Notes

About the author

     Reverend Jesse L. Jackson (1941- ): a Baptist minister, founder and President of the Rainbow / PUSH Coalition. He has played an important role in movements for peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice. In an Associated Press-AOL "Black Voices" poll in February 2006, Jackson was voted "the most important black leader" with 15% of the vote.

Saddam Hussein (1937-2006) 

   Saddam Hussein was the brutal dictator of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. During his dictatorship, he launched expensive but unsuccessful wars against neighboring countries, for instance, wars against Iran (1980 ~1988) and Kuwait (1990~1991). He also launched intensive campaigns against minorities within Iraq, particularly the Kurds, an ethnic-Iranian ethnolinguistic group. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, although the US administration refrained from linking Saddam directly to the attacks, it made him a central target of the United States’ War on Terrorism. In 2003, Saddam’s regime was overthrown by a United States-led invasion. In 2006 the Iraqi High Tribunal sentenced him to death for crimes against humanity. Hussein was executed by hanging in Baghdad on the morning of 30 December 2006.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

A Brief Introduction of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. ( 1929~1968) was one of the main leaders of the American civil rights movement. A Baptist minister by training, King became a civil rights activist early in his career, leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott, an action inspired by the arrest of Rosa Parks. His efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, raising public consciousness of the civil rights movement and establishing King as one of the greatest orators in American history. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter in 1977. Martin Luther King Day was established as a national holiday in the United States in 1986. In 2004, King was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal.

Key Words:

A civil rights activist

The Bus Boycott

Rosa Parks

March on Washington

Notable prizes

His Famous Speech — I Have a Dream

Questions and Answers:

1. When and where did Martin Luther King deliver his famous speech “I Have a Dream”?

  (=On August 28, 1963, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.)

2. Who signed the Emancipation Proclamation in American history?

  (=The sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln.)

3. What are the three dreams mentioned in the video clip?

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation.  

This nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. ”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

Let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. When we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

Free at last! Free at last!

Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Shia Islam and Sunni Islam

     Shia Islam and Sunni Islam are the two major denominations of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'as, Shiites or Shi'ites. There are many differences between the two denominations, in terms of religious practice, religious belief, traditions and customs. Over the years the relations between the Sunni and Shiite have been complex and hostile.

Reading

take (clear) stock of: make an estimate or appraisal of

* The meeting took stock of the progress made in the first part of the current financial year.

* 需进行详细的调查以正确评估现在的形势。

(=Detailed investigations will be carried out to take clear stock of the situation. )

collective: adj.  shared or made by every member of a group or society

* The book provides an economic approach to the study of collective decision making.

* 这项医学成果是集体智慧的结晶。

(=This medical achievement is a result of collective effort. )

track down: find by searching or looking for information in several different places

* In order to track down the information you need effectively, you will need to develop a search strategy.

* 毒贩最终被查出并送入监牢。

(=The drug dealer was finally tracked down and jailed. )

4. (para.4) justify: vt.  demonstrate or prove to be just, right, or valid

* The end doesn’t always justify the means.

* I just wonder why you are spending so much time justifying yourself.

 * 你能对花掉这么多钱做出令人满意的解释吗?

 (=How can you justify spending so much money?)

destruction: n.  the act of destroying or being destroyed

* Industrial pollution like acid rain can cause widespread destruction over a large area.

* 对森林的破坏造成气候的变化。

(=The destruction of forests is contributing to climate change.)

consequent: adj. following as a natural effect, result, or conclusion

* My father’s retirement and consequent spare time enabled him to travel more.

* 噪音使人无法集中精力，从而降低工作效率。

 (=Noise can cause lack of attention and the consequent loss in working efficiency. )

stain: vt.  make dirty marks on (sth.)

* The marker ink stained the table cloth.

* The coffee spilled on me and stained my T-shirt.

 * 他的罪行玷污了家庭的名誉。

 (=His crimes stained the family honour.)

pose: vt.  create (a threat, problem, etc); ask (a question, especially one that needs serious thought)

1) create (a threat, problem, etc);

* Some household cleansers contain ingredients that can pose problems for your health and the environment.

 * 长期以来，飞鸟会对飞机造成威胁。

 (=Birds have long posed a threat to airplanes.)

2) ask (a question, especially one that needs serious thought)

* This article poses interesting questions about the current market economy.

* Teachers should pose questions that promote students’ reasoning ability.

conservative: adj.  opposed to great or sudden social change

* My mother has a rather conservative view on marriage.

* Bob seemed more conservative than his peers.

distort: vt.  twist or change (facts, ideas, etc.) so that they are no longer correct or true

* The media has distorted the truth about the singer’s marriage.

 * 该书所描绘的情景是对真相的根本歪曲。

 (=The book presents a fundamentally distorted picture.)

disrupt: vt.  throw into confusion or disorder

* When I was talking to my friend, my cell phone started ringing and disrupted our conversation.

* Heavy snowfall has disrupted the transport system, cut power supplies and damaged homes.

 * 一场事故使得进出该城市的铁路交通陷入混乱。

 (=An accident has disrupted railway services into and out of the city.)

arrangement: n.   a plan made in preparation for an undertaking

 * A growing concern facing working parents is how to select the child-care arrangement that meets their needs and the needs of the child.

 * 我们为这次国际会议做好了一切准备。

 (=We have made all the arrangements for the international conference.)

conservation: n.  the controlled use and systematic protection of natural resources

* This program aims to educate people about global warming and wildlife conservation.

* Red Rock Canyon was Nevada's first National Conservation Area.

indebted: adj.  owing money or gratitude to sb.

* Some of the lowest-income countries are heavily indebted.

 * 我们对老师的奉献深表感谢。

 (=We are deeply indebted to the dedication of our teachers.)

dependent: adj. needing (sb. / sth.) in order to survive or be successful

 * The world will remain heavily dependent on oil, gas and coal for the rest of this century.

 * 罗宾完全依赖药物来抗抑郁症。

(=Robin has become dependent on the medication he takes to help himself cope with depression.)

proclaim:vt.   bring to public notice or make known publicly

* I think it is still too early for the team to proclaim victory.

 * 他的口音表明他是南方人。

 (=His accent proclaimed that he was a southerner.)

a long way from: far from

* The hotel is cheap but it is a long way from the beautiful beach.

 * 我们离胜利还很远。

 (=We are a long way from victory.)

leave behind: produce sth. or a situation that remains after you have gone 

* Words cannot describe the void my best friend has left behind.

* Helen Keller, a deaf blind writer and lecturer, has left behind a legacy of true courage.

 * 那位年轻运动员很快就把其他选手抛在后面。

 (=The young athlete soon left the others far behind.)

aggravate: vt.   make worse

* The increasing mismatch between home and workplace has aggravated the problems of urban transportation.

 * 使我惊讶的是，这种药只是加剧了疼痛。

 (=To my surprise, this medicine only aggravated my pain.)

revise: vt.  re-examine (sth.), esp in order to correct or improve it

* Susan is revising her paper according to the comments made by her research supervisor.

* I will not revise my opinion of the movie.

 * 你必须为准备期中测验复习英语。

 (=You must revise your English for the mid-term examination.)

Comprehension Task

Spot Dictation  

(Directions:) Fill in the blanks with the words you hear.

     The planned memorial for victims of the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York has been ______ (1) to include a park, an underground museum, and a chamber for unidentified ______ (2).

     Last week, officials announced that they had chosen a final proposal for the World Trade Center memorial, designed by Michael Arad, a young ______ (3) who works for New York City.

     The design, called "Reflecting ______ (4)" features the square outlines of the ______ (5) Towers and includes pools and cascading water.

Mr. Arad said the sense of unity and ______ (6) that he experienced in New York in the result of the disaster influenced his vision. "I understand just how important this memorial is to so many people. What happened on September 11 ______ (7) me greatly and my personal sense of grief and loss led me to ______ (8) this memorial design. But my own sense of loss is ______ (9) compared to what family members feel. I have met these family members in the last few days and these meetings have been very ______ (10). I know their hopes for this design of this memorial are very high and I will do my very best not to disappoint them.

(Keys:1. revised   2. remains    3. architect   4. Absence    5. Twin   6.  grief    7. influenced    8. submit    9. insignificant    10. emotional )

####2. Pair Work

Discuss with your partner the following questions:

[1] This text is retrieved from https:// www.truthout.org/article/reflections-911; the article was distributed by Tribune Media Services on 09 September, 2008.

1 Abu Ghraib and Guantanam: （伊拉克）阿布格莱布监狱和（美国在古巴的）关塔那摩海军基地；两地先后暴出美军虐俘丑闻