零距离美语会话[社会问题]Lesson 1:Breaking the law

Unit 7      Social Issues
   One    Breaking the law.
  违法

 1    Introduction
      Most Americans never have any contact with the police except for traffic violations¹.  However，when other Americans break the law, they are supposed to be guaranteed a fair trial.   If it is a serious crime, a jury² will conclude the defendant’s guilt³ or innocence⁴. 
多数美国人除了违反交通规章制度外从未和警察打过交道。然而，一旦有美国人违法，他们就被保证有一个公正的审判。如果是重大的罪行，陪审团就会宣判被告有罪，或者无罪。

 2    Sample Sentences
1.  He committed a serious crime.
    他犯了重罪。
2.  STOP THIEF!
    捉贼！
3.  He was found guilty after so many years.
    经过这么多年后，他被判有罪。
4.  Do you think I would break the law?  Absolutely not!  I’m very lawful⁵.
    你认为我会犯法吗？当然不会！我是非常守法的。
5. Call the police!
叫警察！
6. How much crime is there in Baltimore?
巴尔的摩的犯罪率有多高？
7.  It’s against the law to let the dog run around the street.
    让狗在街上到处跑是违法的。
8.  I live on the ninth floor.  I’m not afraid of burglars⁶ breaking into my window. 
我住在九楼。我不担心盗窃者从我的窗户口闯入。
9.  He is not a legal resident yet. 
他还不是合法的居民。
10.  Maybe we need consult an immigration lawyer.
     也许我们需要找一个移民律师咨询一下。

 3   Conversations
1.    Injustice⁷.
Gina:  Can you believe the headlines? 
Harold:  What are you reading?
Gina:  I'm reading about Michael Milliken, the Bond1 King.
Harold:  Didn't he sell worthless stocks2 to people or something?  He got arrested3 for that, didn't he?
Gina:  He got arrested all right.
Harold:  If I remember, he got off with a light sentence4.  Something like three years in a minimum-security prison.
Gina:  Yup, that's him.  He made millions of dollars selling bonds to people and ended up with a pile of cash when they became useless.
Harold:  I think the government fined him a small amount, and he kept the rest in his foreign bank accounts.  He's still a millionaire.
Gina:  That's the kind of thing in America that gets me mad.  Some guy pulls off a stock scheme5 and makes millions while spending the bare minimum sentence in jail.
Harold:  I know.  And some poor guy that robs a liquor store makes $500 at most and ends up in jail for five to ten years.
Gina:  Yup, you got it.  Criminals in America do a lot better if they're white-collar thieves.
Harold:  So what's Michael Milliken up to these days?
Gina:  He's giving lectures on business at colleges.
【译文】
——你相信新闻报道吗？
——你在看什么？
——我在看关于保债券大王麦克•米昂肯。
——难道不是他卖给人们一些无价值的股票或什么的吗？他因此事被捕了，是不是？
——他罪有应得。
——如果我没有记错，他判刑很轻。好像只在一个安全保障最低的监狱里呆三年。
——是，那就是他。他卖保债券给别人，赚了数百万美元，当这些债券变得毫无价值时，他却得到了一堆现金。
——我认为政府罚得很少，他把剩余的钱存在他国外的账户里。他还是百万富翁。
－—在美国那是我狂怒的一件事。一个家伙搞证券阴谋，赚取了数百万，而只判了明显最轻的罪入狱。
——我知道。而一个穷人抢劫一个小酒店最多得到500美元而同时判刑入狱5至10年。
——是，你说得对。在美国，如果罪犯是白领阶层的，判罚就会轻得多。
——那么，麦克•米昂肯现在在忙什么？
——他在大学做商业演讲。

2.   A pyramid scheme.
Val:  Hey, look at the offer I got in my e-mail.  It says that I can get rich quickly while working at home!
Peter:  Do you also believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy?
Val:  What do you mean?
Peter:  I mean that you're gullible6.  You shouldn't believe everything you read, especially on the Internet. 
Val:  But it seems like a good idea.  All I have to do is first send some money to the person who sent me the letter.  After that he'll tell me how to earn much more money. 
Peter:  Sounds like a pyramid scheme.  Have you heard of those before? 
Val:  Pyramid scheme?  What is that?
Peter:  It's a scam7 that's based on a hierarchy8, like a pyramid.  The person at the top asks the people below him for money, and then tells them to go and ask other people for money while sending some of it back to him.
Val:  Sounds good to me.  The guy at the top gets money and so do the people below him. 
Peter:  Not exactly.  The scam keeps on going, with the people at the bottom paying more and more money until they reach the very bottom.
Val:  What happens then?
Peter:  Nothing.  The people at the bottom give their money to the people above them, and they get nothing. They end up losing.  That's why it's a scam. 
Val:  I see.  I guess I should be more careful about what I read, especially on the Internet where you have no idea who anybody is.
【译文】
——嘿，看我电子信箱里别人寄过来的邮件。上面说我在家工作也能快速致富。
——你也相信圣诞老人和牙齿仙女？
——你什么意思？
——我是说你很容易受骗。你不应该相信所有你看到的，尤其是在互联网上看到的。
——但是看起来好像是个好主意。 我所要做的就是先给发给我这封信的人寄一些钱。 然后他就告诉我怎样去挣更多的钱。
——听起来像是传销。你以前听过那些东西吗？
——传销？是什么？
——它是一个以等级为基础的诡计，像一个金字塔。上层的人向他下面的人要钱，然后告诉他们去向别人要钱并同时把一部分返回给他。
——听起来不错。上面的人得到钱，而且他下面的人也得到钱。
——并不如此。诡计一直玩下去时，底部的人付的钱越来越多，直到他们成为最底部的人。
——那会怎么样？
——不怎么样。底部的人把他们的钱给他们上面的人，他们自己什么也得不到。他们最终遭受损失。这就是为什么它是个诡计的原因。
——我明白了。我想我应该对我看到的要多加小心，尤其是在互联网上的，你都不知道谁是谁。

 

3.    Clever thieves.
Harry:  So Kim, have you ever had anything stolen?
Kim:  Stolen?  No, why?
Harry:  My uncle just had his motorcycle stolen a few nights ago.  I was just thinking about how clever criminals9 are these days.
Kim:  Criminals are clever?  They're only successful when people are careless.
Harry:  I don't know.  The ones who stole my uncle's motorcycle were pretty good.
Kim:  If your uncle had an alarm system10, then it wouldn't have happened.
Harry:  He did.  It was one of the best ones available.  But that didn't stop them from disabling11 it.  And on a crowded street too.
Kim:  Didn't anyone stop them? 
Harry:  You would think that people would be smart enough to stop something like that.  No one knew his motorcycle was being stolen.  The thieves came in a truck and convinced everybody that my uncle was parked illegally and they were there to tow12 it away.
Kim:  Wow, they were good.  I guess criminals aren't that dumb13 after all.
Harry:  That's not the end.  They were so good that they convinced a bystander14 to help them lift the motorcycle and put it in the truck.
【译文】
——那么，金，你有没有被偷过东西？
——被偷过？没有，问这干什么？
——几天前我叔叔的车被偷了。我在想现在的小偷真是太聪明了。
——小偷聪明？只有当人们粗心时，他们才得手。
——我不清楚。偷我叔叔摩托车的那些小偷很聪明。
——如果你叔叔装了报警系统，那就不会发生这样的事了。
——他有报警器。是能买得到的最好的一种。但它没有阻止小偷偷车，而且还是在人群拥挤的大街上。
——难道没有人阻止他们？
——你认为有人会那么聪明去阻止那种事情。没人知道有人在偷摩托车。小偷坐卡车来的，告诉每个人我叔叔是非法停车，他们去那就是把车拖走。
——喔，他们太绝了。我想罪犯毕竟不是那么哑巴。
——那还没有完。他们伪装得如此好以致于一位旁观者还帮助他们把摩托车抬进卡车。

4.  Getting a ticket.
Policeman:  Sir, may I please see your license⁹ and registration15?  Do you know how fast you were going?
Bob:  No, I'm not sure.  I think about 65 mph, right? 
Policeman:  You're not sure?  You were going at 90 miles per hour!  That's 25 mph over the legal speed limit16!  Have you been drinking?
Bob:  No, Officer, not at all.
Policeman:  Then how can you explain your behavior?
Bob:  Well, I guess I just wasn't paying attention to the speedometer17.
Policeman:  Not paying attention to the speedometer?  Why not?
Bob:  Um, because I was busy talking to my friend.
Policeman:  On a cell phone?
Bob:  Yes, I was using a cell phone.  I just bought it, so I decided¹⁰ to give my friend a phone call to tell him about it.  While I did that I also turned on the radio and was listening to one of my favorite songs, and eating some food I had bought at a fast food restaurant, and, um…… guess I had too many distractions18.
Policeman:  That's definitely true.  I'm going to have to give you a ticket.  Please remember to drive more carefully next time.
【译文】
——先生，我可以看看你的驾照和登记证吗？你知道你开得有多快吗？
——不，我不知道。我想时速大约是65英里，对吗？
——你不知道？你正以90英里的时速行驶！超过法定时速25英里！你在喝酒吗？
——没有，警官，我根本没有喝酒。
——那你怎么解释你的所作所为？
——唔，我想我只是没有注意速度计表。
——没有注意速度计表？为什么没有注意？
——嗯，因为我忙着和朋友谈话。
——用手提电话？
——是的，我在用手提电话。我刚买的，所以我决定给我的朋友打个电话，告诉他这件事。与此同时，我还打开了收音机，正在听一首我特别喜欢听的歌，吃一些我在速食店买的食物，还有，嗯……我想我分心的事太多了。
——肯定是这样了。我要给你一张罚款单。请记住下次开车时要多加小心。

 4    Words and Expressions
1. bond  债券;公债
2. stock  股票,股份
3. arrest   逮捕;拘留
4. light sentence  轻的判刑 
5. scheme  诡计,阴谋;计划
6. gullible 易受骗的
7. scam   骗钱;阴谋
8. hierarchy⁸ 等级制度
9. criminal 罪犯
10. alarm system  报警系统
11. disable   使失去能力,使伤残
12. tow  拖,拉;牵引
13. dumb   哑的,不能说话的
14. bystander   旁观者
15. registration  登记,注册,挂号
16. legal speed limit  法定时速
17. speedometer速度计;里程计
18. distraction 分心, 消遣;散心

1 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

2 jury   

n.陪审团，评委会；adj.临时用的；vt.挑选

参考例句：

• These twelve men are believed to compose the jury.据信，陪审团是由这12人组成的。
• The members of the jury were discharged from their duties.陪审员们被解除了职务。

3 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

4 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

5 lawful   

adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的

参考例句：

• It is not lawful to park in front of a hydrant.在消火栓前停车是不合法的。
• We don't recognised him to be the lawful heir.我们不承认他为合法继承人。

6 burglars   

窃贼( burglar的名词复数 )； 破门盗窃者； 破门盗贼； 小偷

参考例句：

• The house had been ransacked by burglars. 这房子遭到了盗贼的洗劫。
• The burglars took to their heels when they heard the police arrive. 窃贼听见警察来了，拔腿就跑。

7 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

8 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

9 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

10 decided   

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。