美国国家公共电台 NPR--Residents in Selma, Ala., commemorate MLK day while recovering from tornadoes

Residents in Selma, Ala., commemorate¹ MLK day while recovering from tornadoes³

Transcript⁴

People in Selma, Alabama, are celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's legacy⁵ — even as they clean up after a series of large tornadoes roared across the state last week killing⁶ six people.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

Selma, Ala., is hosting its annual march to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today. This year's parade comes as the city recovers from a strong tornado² that struck it last week. Here's Troy Public Radio's Kyle Gassiott.

KYLE GASSIOTT, BYLINE⁷: Utility crews are still working to restore power to the parts of Selma devastated⁸ by Thursday's tornado. Large trees, hundreds of years old, brought lines down when they fell. Selma has experienced hurricane damage in the past. But Mary Margaret Mims says it's nothing like this storm, which launched debris⁹ 15,000 feet in the air.

MARY MARGARET MIMS: We saw it coming, and it was just amazing, you know, how quickly it came upon you and stayed on the ground.

GASSIOTT: Mims is the director of Sturdivant Hall, one of the oldest buildings in Selma that took a direct hit. Sturdivant Hall's structure held. Other homes in this older neighborhood we're not as lucky. The families that have been displaced are on the minds of Sadie Moss¹⁰ and coach Ivory Williams, who are buying supplies at a grocery store. Both are in groups that have volunteered to help those in need.

IVORY WILLIAMS: We'll be serving food. Got water. We got tents. And we got different things to help. And we got brothers that are coming from all parts of the state to help with debris, stuff like that.

GASSIOTT: Moss, who runs a local learning center for children, says this storm has changed things, as Selma is usually racially divided.

SADIE MOSS: And we still are, to a certain extent. But I do think that this is one thing that has come together to bring us together.

GASSIOTT: One of those dividing moments came in 1965, when protesters in Selma attempted to march to the state capitol across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. They were marching for voting rights and were beaten badly by Alabama State Troopers. That day became known as Bloody¹¹ Sunday. Eventually, they made it to Montgomery, led by Martin Luther King Jr.

GEORGE SALLIE: In the beginning with me, he had a problem.

GASSIOTT: Ninety-three-year-old George Sallie points to a scar on his forehead where he was beaten by one of those troopers. Sallie says he had just returned from serving in the Korean War when he met King. At that time, Sallie was full of hate and trained to kill, and King, through nonviolence, was able to rid him of the anger he felt.

SALLIE: And it’s the problem he had with me, getting it out of me.

GASSIOTT: Now Sallie comes daily to sit at the foot of the Pettus Bridge to tell his story. He shows me one of his prized possessions, a local ballot¹² in a frame with his name on it.

SALLIE: I’m one of the first after the voting rights act had passed to run in a general election in Dallas County.

GASSIOTT: This week's storm briefly¹³ kept Sallie from his post, but now he's back again. He says it's important to keep coming no matter what happens. For NPR News, I'm Kyle Gassiott in Selma, Ala.

(SOUNDBITE OF DUSTY DECKS' "INLAY")

1 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

2 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

3 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

4 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

9 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

10 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

11 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

12 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

13 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。