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VOA慢速英语2013 AS IT IS 2013-07-17 U.S. Murder Trial Leads to National Protests

时间:2013-07-29 09:31:56

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AS IT IS 2013-07-17 U.S. Murder Trial Leads to National Protests

Welcome to As It Is! I’m Christopher Cruise.

Today, we will visit a New York City neighborhood known for its amusement park. But for one family, the park has not been all fun and games.

“It was, it was like a death.”

We will also talk about an American court case that has led to protests across the country.

The George Zimmerman trial ended last Saturday in Florida. The jury found Mr. Zimmerman not guilty. He had been charged with murdering 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

George Zimmerman was driving in his neighborhood in February 2012 when he saw the teenager. Trayvon Martin was walking to a friend’s house.   Mr. Zimmerman told the police the young man was acting1 suspiciously.

George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, left his car and followed Trayvon Martin. The two fought. Mr. Zimmerman had a gun, and he shot and killed the teenager.

The death left many Americans saying Trayvon Martin was targeted because he was black. George Zimmerman is half-Hispanic and half-white.

His defense2 lawyer, Mark O’Mara, said his client shot Trayvon Martin because the teenager attacked him.   

“George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self-defense. I’m glad that the jury saw it that way. And I hope that everyone who thinks -- particularly those who doubted George's reasons, and doubted his background -- now understands that the jury knew everything that they knew, it was enough for them to find him not guilty. ”

The not-guilty verdict in the case has led to protests in several American cities. The protesters are calling for justice in what they say is a race-based ruling. Five members of the jury are white, and one is Hispanic. All are women.

The head of the Department of Justice, Attorney General Eric Holder3, is studying the case. Mr. Holder says he will decide whether federal charges should be brought against George Zimmerman. Government lawyers would have to prove that Mr. Zimmerman followed Trayvon Martin because he did not trust black people.

The attorney general says that Americans should use the case to discuss their beliefs about race and young people.

“We are resolved, as you are, to combat violence involving or directed at young people, to prevent future tragedies and to deal with the underlying4 attitudes, mistaken beliefs and stereotypes5 that serve as the basis for these too common incidents.”

President Obama commented on the case on Sunday. He called Trayvon Martin’s death a tragedy for the Martin family and for the country. But, Mr. Obama asked Americans to stay calm. He said, “We are a nation of laws, and a jury has spoken.”

When super-storm Sandy hit the east coast of the United States last October, it caused major damage in coastal6 areas like New York’s Coney Island. VOA’s Adam Phillips followed one family affected7 by the storm. He watched as they cleaned up, re-imagined and rebuilt their Coney Island business for opening day 2013. June Simms has the story.

For more than a century, Coney Island has been known for seaside fun and a place to escape from New York, the city that never sleeps. But that dreamland turned into a terrible experience for the Vourderis family on October 29th. Rising waters from Sandy flooded their Coney Island amusement rides and games.

“When we got here and saw the devastation8, it was like a death, figuratively like a death.”

Deno Vourderis is a third generation worker in this family-owned business.  

“I mean figuratively like a death because a lot of the stuff has history.”

Those things include the family’s 93 year old Wonder Wheel. The 45-meter high structure was named an official New York City landmark9 in 1989. It survived the strong winds of super-storm Sandy, but the storm’s sand and water nearly destroyed it.

The family’s over 50 year old Spook-A-Rama house also suffered damage.

The Vourderis family decided10 to rebuild. Deno worked with a five man crew he has known since he was a boy. His father Steve directed the clean-up and rebuilding effort.

“...We’re men and we do what we have to do. We get it done.”

Steve’s brother, Dennis Vourderis, supervised planning and finances. He says the family had to borrow a huge amount of money to pay for repairs and new equipment.

“But what hurts more is when you have an old piece of equipment that has been around for 70 or 80 years that was underwater and you know it can’t be restored. So that’s especially painful to throw away.” 

“We might be able to fix this. Louis! Don’t throw this guy out, okay?  We’re gonna bring him in the shop and see what we can do with him.”

 After months of hard work, the Wonder Wheel is rebuilt and the rides for children are ready. So is the Spook-A-Rama’s gimmicks11 for frightening people. The Vourderis family was excited with the results.

“We kept a couple of the old relics12, but a lot of it is new. All new mechanics, all new haunts. So, you know, the silver lining13 is if you come by this summer you’re gonna have a lot of new stuff to see. “

Coney Island's rebirth became a reality in late March when people gathered together for Opening Day.

The Vourderis family offered up fun at no cost for everyone in attendance.

“I couldn't be happier. Everything worked out the way we wanted it to work out . All the rides are up and running. Wonder Wheel is at 100 percent. So I couldn’t be happier.”   

Much of what Sandy destroyed has been rebuilt.

It is probably safe to say that nowhere have the results been more fun than here at Coney Island.

“We love you Coney!!”

Speaking of amusement parks, Disneyland opened on this date in 1955.

And, if you don’t know the history of “Wrong Way Corrigan,” you’re missing a great story.  Douglas Corrigan was an amateur airplane pilot. On July 17, 1938, he left Brooklyn, New York headed for Los Angeles, California.  Mr. Corrigan landed in Ireland 28 hours later.

I'm Christopher Cruise, and that's As it Is on the Voice of America.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
2 defense AxbxB     
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
参考例句:
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
3 holder wc4xq     
n.持有者,占有者;(台,架等)支持物
参考例句:
  • The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
  • That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。
4 underlying 5fyz8c     
adj.在下面的,含蓄的,潜在的
参考例句:
  • The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
  • This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。
5 stereotypes 1ff39410e7d7a101c62ac42c17e0df24     
n.老套,模式化的见解,有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化,使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
  • It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调,我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
6 coastal WWiyh     
adj.海岸的,沿海的,沿岸的
参考例句:
  • The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
  • This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
7 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
8 devastation ku9zlF     
n.毁坏;荒废;极度震惊或悲伤
参考例句:
  • The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
  • There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
10 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
11 gimmicks ebf13bd5f71fff192597aad2cac0592e     
n.花招,诡计,骗人的玩意儿( gimmick的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Financial institutions are also often expected yield of gimmicks. 金融机构也往往以预期收益率为噱头。 来自互联网
  • However these are just marketing gimmicks that propagate the myth. 然而这些只是噱头的营销传播的神话。 来自互联网
12 relics UkMzSr     
[pl.]n.遗物,遗迹,遗产;遗体,尸骸
参考例句:
  • The area is a treasure house of archaeological relics. 这个地区是古文物遗迹的宝库。
  • Xi'an is an ancient city full of treasures and saintly relics. 西安是一个有很多宝藏和神圣的遗物的古老城市。
13 lining kpgzTO     
n.衬里,衬料
参考例句:
  • The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
  • Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

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