On September 11, 2001, nineteen militants

associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda

hijacked four airlines and carried out suicide attacks

against targets in the United States. Two of the planes

[5]  were flown into the towers of the World Trade Center in

New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside

Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field

in Pennsylvania. Often referred to as 9/11, the attacks

resulted in extensive death and destruction, activating

[10]  major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defining

the presidency of George W. Bush. Over three thousand

people were killed during the attacks in New York City

and Washington, D.C., including more than four hundred

police officers and firefighters.

[15]  At 8:45 a.m., on a clear Tuesday morning, an

American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with twenty

thousand gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower

of the World Trade Center in New York City. The impact

left a wide, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-

[20]  story skyscraper, instantly killing hundreds of people and

trapping hundreds more in higher floors. Eighteen

minutes after the first plane hit, a second Boeing 767–

United Airlines Flight 175–appeared out of the sky,

turned sharply toward the World Trade Center and

[25]  crashed into the south tower near the 60th floor. The

collision caused a massive explosion that showered

burning fragment over surrounding buildings and the

streets below. America was under attack.

The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Saudi

[30]  Arabia and several other Arab nations. Reportedly

financed by Saudi fugitive Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda

terrorist organization, they _____________(1) in

retaliation for America's support of Israel, its involvement

in the Persian Gulf War and its continued military

[35]  presence in the Middle East. Some of the terrorists had

lived in the United States for more than a year and

_____________(2) flying lessons at American

commercial flight schools.

As millions watched the events unfolding in New

[40]  York, American Airlines Flight 77 circled over downtown

Washington, D.C., and banged into the west side of the

Pentagon military headquarters at 9:45 a.m. Jet fuel from

the Boeing 757 caused a devastating inferno that led to

the structural collapse of a portion of the giant concrete

[45]  building. Less than fifteen minutes after the terrorists

struck the nerve center of the U.S. military, the horror in

New York took a catastrophic turn for the worse when

the south tower of the World Trade Center collapsed in a

massive cloud of dust and smoke. At 10:30 a.m., the

[50]  other Trade Center tower collapsed. Close to three

thousand people died in the World Trade Center and its

vicinity, including an impressive three hundred and forty

three firefighters and paramedics, twenty three New York

City police officers and thirty seven Port Authority police

[55]  officers who were struggling to complete an evacuation

of the buildings and save the office workers trapped* on

higher floors.

Meanwhile, a fourth California-bound plane–

United Flight 93–was hijacked about forty minutes after

[60]  leaving Newark International Airport in New Jersey.

Because the plane had been delayed in taking off,

passengers on board learned of events in New York and

Washington via cell phone calls to the ground. Knowing

that the aircraft was not returning to an airport as the

[65]  hijackers claimed, a group of passengers and flight

attendants planned a rebellion. One of the passengers,

Thomas Burnett Jr., told his wife over the phone that "I

know we're all going to die. There are three of us who

are going to do something about it. I love you, honey."

[70]  Another passenger–Todd Beamer–was heard saying

"Are you guys ready? Let's roll" over an open line.

The passengers fought the four hijackers and

are suspected to have attacked the cockpit with a fire

extinguisher. The plane then flipped over and sped

[75]  toward the ground, crashing in a rural field in western

Pennsylvania at 10:10 a.m. All forty-five people aboard

were killed. Within two months, U.S. forces had

effectively removed the Taliban from operational power,

but the war continued. Osama bin Laden, was finally

[80]  chased and killed by U.S. forces in Abbottabad,

Pakistan.

Adapted from http://www.history.com/topics/9-11-attacks Acessado em 04/04/2013