今日のテキスト THE BERLIN WALL 25 YEARS ON

ermany is commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago with events across the country. The country has achieved economic growth since unification, but people in the former East and West Germany live under different economic conditions.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders are scheduled to attend a ceremony in Berlin. There will also be a memorial service for former East Germans who were killed while trying to cross the wall.
A 160-kilometer concrete wall enclosed the former West Berlin. The wall divided the city for nearly three decades and became an iconic symbol of the Cold War. On November 9th, 1989, the leaders of the former East Germany opened the border to the West in response to moves toward democratization. People were finally able to pass through without visas.
The fall of the wall reunited Germany and paved the way for a new era of economic growth. But an economic gap between the former East and West still remains. Those in the East must contend with unemployment of over 10 percent, and the per capita income is just two-thirds that of residents in the former West.