VOA慢速英語:Tragedy at One School, Renewal at Another

[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.43]this is the Education Report in Special English. [00:06.87]Funerals began this week for the school shooting victims [00:11.64]in Newtown, Connecticut. [00:13.39]Last Friday a 20-year-old local man killed 20 children, [00:18.95]six educators and himself at Sandy Hook Elementary School. [00:24.14]Officials say Adam Lanza used guns owned by his mother [00:29.19]after shooting her to death at their home. [00:32.57]The shooting was the second deadliest ever at an American school. [00:38.64]In 2007 a student at Virginia Tech killed 32 people and then himself. [00:46.77]What happened in Newtown has once again reopened debate [00:52.43]about gun control and issues like mental health services. [00:57.16]President Obama spoke Sunday at a memorial service in the town. [01:02.60]He said he will use whatever power he has as president [01:07.80]"in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this." [01:12.64]On Wednesday, he named Vice President Joe Biden [01:17.24]to lead an administration team in developing proposals [01:21.79]to reduce gun violence. [01:24.37]Students at Sandy Hook Elementary are expected to return to school [01:30.22]in a neighboring town in January after winter break. [01:35.09]Sandy Hook will remain closed until further notice. [01:39.48]In the gunfire last week, a community lost a school [01:44.56]for the most tragic of reasons. [01:46.94]Days earlier, another community not very far away [01:52.15]regained a school in a story of hope, [01:55.79]renewal and the strength of the human spirit. [01:59.53]Flooding from Hurricane Sandy nearly destroyed Saint Camillus School [02:05.35]in the Rockaway area of Queens, in New York City. [02:09.47]The Catholic school stands just a short distance from the Atlantic Ocean. [02:15.44]The more than 200 students and teachers went to another school [02:20.95]while Saint Camillus was closed for six weeks. [02:25.09]Many people remain displaced in the area. [02:33.75]But the reopening of the school on December 10 [02:37.34]was a victory for the community. [02:40.11]"So good morning boys and girls.("Good morning, Sister Agnes!") [02:41.47]Sister Agnes White is principal of Saint Camillus. [02:47.39]"We're all together. We're back home, and we are ready to start anew." [02:52.00]Earlier, Sister Agnes gave cut-out paper stars [02:56.26]to students to tape anywhere they wanted on the school walls. [03:01.67]"Between now and Christmas, this building [03:03.92]should be filled with stars, a symbol of light. [03:07.31]We all lost light. We know what it's like to be without light. [03:12.07]But now we have light in this building and we need the light [03:16.15]that you're going to put up with the stars, [03:18.49]a symbol of the light of Jesus Christ." [03:21.21]Parts of the school remain damaged beyond repair. [03:24.90]Some students lost their homes as a result of the storm. [03:29.49]School secretary Kerry Montero says the message from Hurricane Sandy [03:34.98]is clearest in the many recent acts of kindness. [03:38.74]"It's touching, you know, the outpouring of help [03:42.13]that we've received from everyone. [03:43.70]I mean, we've had people from Connecticut, California, Brooklyn, [03:47.38]all over the place, coming and helping us."

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