世界节假日博览 第143期: 奴隶贸易日

 　　August the 23rd is International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition¹.The aim of this day is for people to remember the horrors of the slave trade. It was perhaps the biggest tragedy ever as millions of lives were destroyed.It is on this day because the 23rd of August 1791 was the beginning of the uprising that started events that ended the transatlantic slave trade. This took place in Haiti and Dominican Republic. This date also allows us to honour the people who worked to abolish² the slave trade and slavery throughout the world. It is also a time for us to remember that modern-day slavery exists today. People in countries still treat people as slaves. Human trafficking in women and children is a huge problem. People observe this day in many different ways. Every year the United Nations invites people to organize events based on the theme of this day. There are many educational workshops in schools and cultural organizations. These tell the story of the slave trade. Other events involve musicians, actors and artists using music, dance, art and drama to highlight the history of the slave trade. Slavery can be traced back to our earliest historical records. It has existed at some time in almost all cultures and continents. Today it is outlawed³ in nearly all countries. The Universal Declaration⁴ of Human Rights states: “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.”

　　8月23号是纪念奴隶贸易的国际节日。这一节日设立的目的是让人们记住奴隶贸易的惨状。奴隶贸易可能是最大的惨剧，数百万人的生命被夺去。1791年8月23这天是起义的开始，最终结束了横跨大西洋的奴隶贸易。起义发生在海地和多米尼加共和国。这一节日也值得让我们纪念世界上那些致力于废除奴隶贸易和奴隶制度的人们。它也提醒我们现代式奴隶的存在。仍然有人把其他人当奴隶。贩卖妇女儿童仍是个难题。人们用许多方式庆祝这一节日。每年联合国都会鼓励人们组织主题为纪念奴隶贸易废除的活动。音乐家、演员、和画家会用音乐、舞蹈、艺术和戏剧等形式展现奴隶贸易的历史。奴隶制可追溯到我们最早期的历史。奴隶制几乎在所有的文化和大陆中都存在过一段时间。今天几乎被所有的国家废除了。世界人权宣言称：“没有人应当是奴隶或被奴役；各种形式的奴隶制和奴隶贸易都应被禁止。”

1 abolition   

n.废除，取消

参考例句：

• They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
• The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。

2 abolish   

vt.废除（法律、习惯等），取消

参考例句：

• Do abolish this kind of bad evil.一定要废除这种恶劣习俗。
• The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.在作战武器消灭我们以前，我们应先把它消灭。

3 outlawed   

宣布…为不合法（outlaw的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Most states have outlawed the use of marijuana. 大多数州都宣布使用大麻为非法行为。
• I hope the sale of tobacco will be outlawed someday. 我希望有朝一日烟草制品会禁止销售。

4 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。