9?11恐怖襲擊事件7周年紀念前夕，來自美國各地的民眾來到紐約曼哈頓下城的炮臺公園，簽名悼念罹難者。他們簽名的一根鋼柱，未來將成為世貿遺址紀念館整體建筑的一部分，永久地保留民眾簽名和留言。盡管世貿遺址紀念館早已宣布開工，但因設計圖紙及資金投入等問題，致使工程進度頗為緩慢。紐約市長邁克爾?布隆伯格表示要加快遺址紀念館工程進度，世貿遺址將在2011年，9?11恐怖襲擊事件十周年之際竣工。

As New York City prepares for the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Mayor Michael Bloomberg is doing what he can to speed up the process of the replacement projects. He's doing this while people flock to lower Manhattan to sign a piece of history.

Two 37-foot steel beams, each weighing some four tons, are on display for people to sign before the beams become part of the 9-11 Memorial and Museum. Kim Clark lost her brother, Michael Clark of Ladder 2.

"We're gonna put a message to him, from all the family so people can carry on," Kim Clark said.

Not only did victims' families show up, but so did average New Yorkers and the mayor of the city.

"If we don't learn from our past mistakes, we will live to repeat them in the future," Bloomberg said.

Since the attack, cost overruns, construction delays and bureaucratic wrangling have marred progress at the site. In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, the mayor called upon the Port Authority to share the urgency, and Gov. David Paterson has applauded the mayor's call to dismantle the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, turning over its functions to the city. The mayor wants the deadline for the memorial to be the 10th anniversary.

"Do I think a deadline is critical? Yes, I think for this country this date is critical, and for the state and city to have the memorial done," Bloomberg said.

The museum is set to open in 2012, a year after the memorial plaza is scheduled to be ready for visitors.

But for now, the mayor wants a hard deadline of 2011 for the memorial and wants all parties involved to get aboard.

New data from a public health registry that tracks health effects of 9/11 suggest that up to 70,000 people developed post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the terror attacks.

(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

Lower Manhattan Development Corporation: 曼哈頓下城開發公司

post-traumatic stress disorder: 創傷后應激障礙（PTSD）

(英語點津 Helen 編輯)