USA under Attack

jihad: 圣戰(伊斯蘭教徒對異教徒的戰爭) Technically, this means the struggle to do good, referring to a battle with the conscience over the right course of action at any point in life, menial or significant. It only came to be associated with the idea of a "holy war" after the crusades.
Example: Afghanistan's ruling Taliban has mobilized 300,000 Afghans for jihad, or holy war, against the United States, the Islamic militia's defense minister said Monday.

Ground zero: The point of impact of a conventional missile or the point of detonation of an atomic device. Ground zero in this case is used to mean the rubble at the bases of where the twin towers stood. （ 常規導彈瞄準的目標或核設備爆炸點，Ground zero 在這次美國9·11恐怖襲擊事件中指當初世貿中心姊妹樓矗立的地方已變成了一堆廢墟。）

want somebody dead or alive 無論(罪犯等)是生是死, 都要將其緝拿
President George W Bush said on Monday the United States wants terrorism suspect Osama bin Laden "dead or alive".
美國總統布什9月17日稱，不管沙特流亡大亨本·拉登"是死是活"，美國都要將其繩之以法。

hijack (劫持): Hijacked planes destroyed twin towers.

slam into (猛烈撞擊): Three planes commandeered by unknown hijackers slammed into the Pentagon and New York's landmark World Trade Center on Tuesday.

take responsibility for (負責): No group took immediate responsibility for the attack.

death toll (死亡人數): New York Mayor said the death toll could ultimately be ``horrific''.

casualties (傷亡人員): The city's hospitals were swamped with casualties.

rescue (營救): Hundreds of firefighters and police are missing and feared dead after trying to rescue others.

twin towers (姊妹樓, 又稱雙子座, 美國世貿中心的主要建筑): The planes demolished the twin 110-story towers that were once the tallest buildings in the world.

Kamikaze attack (神風式飛機的攻擊--二戰時期日本的與對手同歸于盡的自殺性飛行攻擊): Minutes later came the report of a third kamikaze attack on the Pentagon.

evacuate (疏散): Not knowing if more attacks were on the way, authorities evacuated key landmarks like the White House, the fire-damaged Pentagon, the Sears Tower in Chicago, the CIAbuilding and the Walt Disney theme parks.

disastrous attacks(災難性的襲擊), express condolence to somebody(向某人表示哀悼): Chinese President Jiang Zemin expressed deep sympathy to Bush and to the US Government and people for the disastrous attacks against the US. He also expressed condolences to the family members of the victims.

deliberate and deadly terrorist acts (有預謀的、致命的恐怖主義行動): Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts.

emergency teams（緊急救援隊）: Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C., to help with local rescue efforts.

every walk of life (各行各業):This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace.

victim (受害者): Rescue workers used commuter ferries to carry victims across the Hudson River to safety in Hoboken.

retaliation (報復): Army Gen. Henry Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, declined to discuss possible U.S. retaliation for the attacks.

mass rescue (大規模援救): New York begins massive rescue effort.

rescue crews (救援人員): Air Force F-16s circled in the sky as rescue crews worked the scene this afternoon.

collapse (倒塌): At the Pentagon, the symbol and command center for the nation's military force, one side of the building collapsed as smoke billowed over the Potomac River.

highest alert (一級戒備): The U.S. military went on highest alert today after the worst terrorist attacks in the nation's history crippled New York's financial center and struck at the heart of the federal government in Washington.

fly a flag at half-mast (降半旗)

a nightmarish day (噩夢般的一天); shoot down civilian airliners(擊落民航飛機) : It was the toughest decision on a nightmarish day -- to shoot down civilian airliners if they threatened the US Capitol or White House after attacks on New York and Washington, vice-president Dick Cheney said on Sunday.

hand over (交出，移交):A delegation of senior Pakistani officials will go to Afghanistan on Monday to demand that the ruling Taliban militia hand over Osama bin Laden to the United States, a top government official said.

hard-line Islamists (強硬派伊斯蘭教徒); take up arms for (拿起武器支持……): Pakistan's decision to give "full support" to the United States drew widespread protest Sunday from hard-line Islamists. Demonstrators burned U.S. flags, shouted their support of bin Laden, and warned the government they would take up arms for Afghanistan's ruling Taliban militia.