[E224]Show of military might in North Korea’s lavish 70th ……
Show of military might in North Korea’s lavish 70th anniversary parade
A lavish[盛大奢华的] parade[阅兵] marking the 70th anniversary of the creation of North Korea’s ruling party is under way[进行中；航行中；在行进]. Goose-stepping[以正步走] soldiers marched through Kim Il Sung Square[金日成广场] in the capital, Pyongyang[平壤], on Saturday afternoon to kick off[开始] a parade showcasing[阅兵展示] the impoverished[穷困的；用尽了的，无创造性的] country’s military might[军事实力]. The carefully choreographed[精心设计的；刻意安排的] spectacle[景象；场面；奇观；壮观；公开展示], held up for several hours by heavy rain, is being watched by foreign delegates[外国代表] and journalists, who predict it will be a chance for North Korean dictator[独裁者；命令者] Kim Jong-un[金正恩] to show off the country’s growing fleet of drone aircraft[遥控无人驾驶飞机;靶机], long-range missiles[远程导弹；洲际弹道导弹] and other weaponry[兵器，武器（总称）]. Kim, clad[穿衣] all in black, told the crowds his country’s army was ready to respond to “any kind of war” against the U.S.
We’re ready for him, and we’re ready 24 hours a day if he should be dumb[蠢] enough to shoot something at us. I’m pretty confident that we’re going to knock down the numbers that are going to be shot at us.
Bill Gortney, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, on the threat from Kim Jong-un
Crowds of people carrying bouquets of[一束束] plastic flowers were seen streaming to Kim Il Sung Square. Military vehicles or possibly floats shrouded[遮蔽;覆盖的] in blue plastic tarps[油布；防水布] to protect them against the weather were parked in a long row on a bridge leading to the parade route. Kim - grandson of North Korea’s first leader, Kim Il-sung - arrived at the event dressed in black. He struck a note[表示某种感情或观点] of defiance[蔑视；挑战；反抗] in his speech but mostly stressed what he said was his government’s commitment to improving the lives of his people. The North Korean leader began the day by paying respects to[朝拜] his late father[先父，已故的父亲] and grandfather at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun[锦绣山太阳宫].