Today in history The second plane hit the south tower of the World Trade Center 2001: US rocked by day of terror England have The United States is in a state of shock after a day of attacks which have left thousands dead and New York's World Trade Center destroyed. The Pentagon was also severely damaged by one of the three civilian airliners which hijackers turned into flying bombs. A fourth plane crashed in a field near Pittsburgh. A state of emergency has been declared in Washington D.C. and the US has closed its airspace and its borders with Mexico and Canada. American forces are on one of their highest states of alert and the Pentagon has deployed a naval battle group off the country's east coast to bolster air defences. American Airlines Flight 11 was hijacked at 0825 Eastern Daylight Time (1225 GMT) and 18 minutes later crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. United Airlines Flight 175 - which had been hijacked within minutes of the first plane - was flown into the south tower at 0903 EDT (1303 GMT) causing another devastating explosion. The second crash was captured live on news cameras trained on the burning north tower. At 0940 EDT (1340 GMT) a third hijacked airliner - American Airlines Flight 77 - was flown into the side of the Pentagon in Washington. An hour after the Boeing 767 slammed into the south tower of the World Trade Center the 110-storey building collapsed. The north tower followed minutes later, compounding the destruction and loss of life. Witnesses reported seeing people jumping from the towers just before they collapsed. President Bush was reading to pupils at a Florida school when his chief of staff whispered news of the attacks to him. He was flown to the US Strategic Command Centre at Nebraska - where the country's nuclear weapons are controlled - but is now on his way back to Washington. He is expected to address the nation later this evening. New York mayor Rudy Giuliani said the final number of dead may be "more than any of us can bear".

Anna Lindh was a popular and able politician 2003: Anna Lindh dies of stab injuries Artificially 1969: FilmTheTheAA  The Swedish Foreign Minister, Anna Lindh, has died in hospital from stab wounds inflicted in an attack while she was shopping in a Stockholm department store. She had been undergoing surgery for most of the night for injuries to her chest, stomach and arms, but doctors were unable to save her. Her death has shocked the nation, and raised questions about Sweden's long tradition of accessibility for politicians. Like many officials, Anna Lindh did not use a bodyguard. The attack took place yesterday at about 1600 local time (1400 GMT) when Mrs Lindh was shopping with a friend in the Nordiska Kompaniet shop in Stockholm. A man described as tall, wearing a peaked cap and camouflage jacket, stabbed her several times before running off. Mourners have been arriving all day to lay flowers on the pavement outside the shop. National flags have been flying at half-mast, and a special service was held in Uppsala cathedral this evening. The motive for her killing remains unknown. However, there is speculation that it could be linked to her vigorous campaigning for a "yes" vote in a referendum on whether Sweden should join the euro. The vote is due to take place in three days' time. Anna Lindh, who was married with two children, had been an active politician since her early twenties. She had a meteoric rise through the ruling Social Democratic Party, and became foreign minister in 1998, at the age of 41. Her solid reputation and her widespread popularity led her to be widely tipped as a possible successor to Prime Minister Goran Persson. Mr Persson described her death as "beyond belief" and said it had hurt Sweden's open and democratic society. "Sweden has lost one of its most important representatives," he said. "It feels unreal, it is difficult to truly understand." Security has been tightened around government buildings, but police said there was as yet no evidence of a political motive. Her death has also stirred memories of the murder of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was shot in the back, coincidentally on the same street as the attack on Mrs Lindh, as he walked home from the cinema with his son and his wife in 1986.

Thousands are believed to have died in New York 2001: US declares war on terror England have The President of the United States has described the destruction caused in New York and Washington as an act of war against all freedom-loving people. In a statement broadcast at 1053 local time (1553 BST), George Bush vowed the US would use all its resources to avenge the worst-ever attacks on American soil. But he warned an angry and wounded nation they would have to be patient and said any action could be a monumental struggle. The president has also been seeking the backing of world leaders for an international campaign against terrorism. As the estimated number of dead rose into the thousands the day after the tragedy, members of the US government began talking openly of war. US Secretary of State Colin Powell said: "It isn't going to be solved with a single counter-attack against one individual, it's going to be a long term conflict." Expressions of support have come quickly from American allies, and also from countries not known for their sympathy with the US - the leaders of Libya and Palestine both condemned the attacks in the strongest terms. Only Iraq has endorsed the atrocity , saying the attacks were a "lesson for all tyrants and oppressors" and the fruit of American crimes. Tony Blair offered the unequivocal backing of the UK, echoing President Bush's words in his press conference announcing the recall of Parliament. "I don't think there is any doubt at all that this threat is aimed at the whole democratic world," the prime minister told reporters. "The US has been singled out... But these terrorists will regard us all as targets."

View of the moon - Lunik II is supposed to hit close to the Sea of Tranquillity 1959: Soviets launch rocket at the moon Artificially 1969: FilmTheTheAA  A massive Russian rocket, carrying 860lb (391kg) of scientific instruments, has been successfully launched at the moon. Latest reports say the rocket, Lunik II, is on course to reach its destination at 2201BST tomorrow. This is the second rocket launched by Russia towards the moon. The first was on 2 January. It missed its target and continued out into space. A multistage rocket was used for the launch, which had to achieve a speed of seven miles per second (11.3km) to escape the earth's gravitational pull. Lunik II is carrying equipment to measure, among other things, the magnetic fields of the earth and the moon and the belts of radiation surrounding the earth. The craft's journey was briefly visible from earth at 1940 BST this evening when it emitted a bright yellow sodium cloud intended to look like an artificial comet. Although skies were overcast in Moscow, at least two Russian observatories in the Caucasus and in Uzbekistan in Central Asia were able to photograph the cloud. The flare was also visible at Leiston in Suffolk. The Soviet leader, Nikita Khruschev is due in Washington on Tuesday. There is speculation this latest lunar expedition has been deliberately timed to coincide with the trip. The scientific instruments have been contained in a gas-filled sphere on the front of the craft. It has been hermetically sealed to prevent any of the contents contaminating the moon's atmosphere.  Moscow scientists say the actual landing 236,875 miles (381,131km) away cannot possibly be seen from earth but the break-off in radio transmission will indicate the craft has arrived at its destination. The landing is meant to take place among the three large depressions on the moon's surface, known as the seas of Serenity, Tranquillity and Vapours.

Vocabulary:

atrocity: the quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane（暴行） unequivocal : admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding（不含糊的） hermetically : in an airtight manner（密封地）

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