Obama campaigns against gun violence

 　　WASHINGTON, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday went all out against gun violence, using two public appearances to stress the issue, hammering home his message of tougher gun control.

　　Obama tackled the issue directly with a campaign-style speech at Hyde Park Academy High School in his hometown Chicago. He highlighted gun violence that plagued the city, saying "Americans are asking for common sense proposals to make it harder for Americans to get their hands on a gun."

　　Pointing out that the government's gun control measures won't stop every crime, Obama said the community has to be involved.

　　"A child opens fire on another child, there is a hole in that child's heart that government can't fill, only community, parents, teachers and clergy¹ can fill that," Obama said.

　　Before the speech, Obama participated in a roundtable discussion with 16 students enrolled² in a youth anti-violence program, a school-based counseling, mentoring³, violence prevention and educational program for at-risk young men, according to the White House.

　　The visit follows the weekend funeral of Chicago teenager Hadiya Pendleton, who was killed days after performing during Obama's inauguration⁴ in Washington. She was shot last month about a mile from Obama's Chicago home. Police said she was the innocent victim of a gang-related shooting. Michelle Obama attended her funeral in Chicago.

　　Obama headed to his hometown after a White House ceremony to award the Presidential Citizens Medals. Recipients⁵ included six educators killed in last year's Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre⁶.

　　At the emotional ceremony, Obama hugged family members of the slain⁷ teachers in presenting the medals, saying "they had no idea that evil was about to strike. And when it did, they could have taken shelter by themselves. They could have focused on their own safety, on their own well-being⁸. But they didn't. They gave their lives to protect the precious children in their care."

　　Obama has made gun control a priority in his second term agenda. He made a dramatic call in his State of the Union address on Tuesday for Congress to vote on his package of gun measures, amid fierce opposition⁹ from the National Rifle Association.

1 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

2 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 mentoring   

n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识，并用心支持mentee的职业（发展）。v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• One of the most effective instruments for coaching and mentoring is the "role rehearsal" . 辅导和教学的最有效的手段之一是“角色排练。” 来自辞典例句
• Bell Canada called their mentoring system a buddy-buddy system. 加拿大贝尔公司称他们的训导系统是伙伴—伙伴系统。 来自互联网

4 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

5 recipients   

adj.接受的；受领的；容纳的；愿意接受的n.收件人；接受者；受领者；接受器

参考例句：

• The recipients of the prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者的姓名登在报上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The recipients of prizes had their names printed in the paper. 获奖者名单登在报上。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

7 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

8 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。