Who Was Martin Luther King Jr 马丁·路德·金 Chapter 2 School Days

Martin Luther King, Jr., was always a very good student. He loved to read and make speeches. He studied very hard and skipped two grades. At just fifteen years old, he graduated from high school.
That summer, Martin worked in Simsbury, Connecticut. It was Martin’s first time in the North. He had a job in the tobacco fields. He was surprised to see how different life was for blacks in the North. Black and white children went to the same schools. There were no separate restaurants. Martin dreamed that this could happen in the South, too. If only there was some way he could make this dream come true.
Martin returned to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College. This was the same college that his father had attended. All the students at the school were black. All the teachers were black, too.
At first, Martin wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. He knew that he wanted to spend his life helping¹ black people. But what was the best way to do that? Perhaps he would follow in his father’s footsteps² and become a minister. Or maybe he would become a lawyer.
In college, Martin Luther King, Jr., read an essay by a man named Henry David Thoreau. The essay was written in 1849. In this essay, Thoreau said that people have the right to disobey unjust³ laws. In Thoreau’s time, the United States still allowed slavery. Thoreau wanted to protest⁴ slavery. He felt the government was wrong to allow it. So he refused to pay his taxes. As a result, he was thrown in jail⁵. But Thoreau did not mind being in jail. He was making a point. Martin liked the way Thoreau thought. He also liked that Thoreau protested⁶ in a peaceful way.
Two of Martin’s favorite college teachers were ministers. Because of them, he decided⁷ to become a minister as well. As a minister, Martin could speak out against segregation⁸. He could show his people how much he cared.
When Martin Luther King, Jr., was only seventeen, he gave a sermon⁹ at his father’s church. He wasn’t a minister yet, but the sermon was heartfelt and inspiring. His words not only touched the members of the congregation, but his father as well. The very next year, Martin became a minister and also an assistant in his father’s church.
In 1948, Martin graduated from college. He was nineteen. Martin’s father wanted him to stay at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. But Martin wanted to continue his education. In September, he entered Crozer Theological Seminary, a school of religion, in Chester, Pennsylvania. Out of one hundred students at the school, only six were black.
At Crozer, Martin studied the teachings¹⁰ of people such as Mahatma Gandhi, the first leader of modern-day India. Like Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi believed change could come from peaceful protests¹¹.
In 1951, Martin graduated from Crozer. He was the top student in his class. But he still thought there was more to learn about helping people through protest. So he moved to Massachusetts, to study at the Boston University School of Theology.
In Boston, Martin met Coretta Scott. Coretta had grown up in Alabama, but she was in Boston studying to be a singer. On their first date, Martin drove his green Chevrolet to pick her up. Over lunch, they talked about how hard it was to be black in the United States. They also talked about how people could live together in peace. Martin was impressed by Coretta.
MAHATMA GANDHI
MAHATMA GANDHI WAS A POLITICAL AND SPIRITUAL LEADER OF INDIA. HE WAS BORN On OCTOBER 2, 1869, In THE CITY OF PORBANDAR.
AT THE AGE OF EIGHTEEN, GANDHI WENT TO LONDON TO STUDY TO BECOME A LAWYER. AFTER COLLEGE, GANDHI WENT TO WORK In SOUTH AFRICA WHERE BLACK AFRICANS WERE TREATED AS SECOND-CLASS CITIZENS. GANDHI SOON FOUND OUT THAT INDIANS WERE TREATED THE SAME WAY. HE WAS ASKED TO TAKE OFF HIS TURBAN In THE COURTROOM. HE HAD TO RIDE IN A SEPARATE CAR On TRAINS. THESE EXPERIENCES MADE GANDHI DECIDE TO LEAD PEACEFUL PROTESTS. HE BELIEVED THIS WAS THE BEST WAY TO SHOW THAT DISCRIMINATION WAS VERY WRONG.
LATER, BACK In INDIA, GANDHI PLAYED A GREAT PART In FREEING HIS HOMELAND FROM BRITISH RULE. EVEN THOUGH HE SPENT MANY YEARS In PRISON, GANDHI PRACTICED NONVIOLEnCE THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE.
SADLY, GANDHI DIED VIOLENTLY. HE WAS KILLED On JANUARY 30, 1948, BY NATHURAM GODSE, WHO WAS A HINDU RADICAL¹². HE THOUGHT THAT GANDHI WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR WEAKENING¹³ INDIA. TODAY, GANDHI’S BOOKS AND TEACHINGS LIVE On AND HAVE INSPIRED MANY PEOPLE, INCLUDING MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
After only an hour, Martin knew that they were going to get married one day. And he was right! On June 18, 1953, they were married at the Scotts’ home in Marion, Alabama.
The young couple lived in Boston. Martin had to finish his studies at Boston University, and Coretta had to complete her work to become a music teacher. When he was done with school, he became Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin was now ready to start his life’s work—but exactly how would he do that?

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 footsteps   

n.脚步（声），一步的距离，足迹；脚步（声）( footstep的名词复数 )；一步的距离；足迹

参考例句：

• the sound of footsteps on the stairs 楼梯上的脚步声
• Their footsteps echoed in the silence. 他们的脚步声在一片寂静中回荡着。

3 unjust   

adj.非正义的；不公正的，不公平的，不该受的

参考例句：

• The unjust peace agreement set the scene for another war.这项不公平的和约为另一场战争埋下了祸根。
• It was unjust of them not to hear my side.他们不听我这方面的意见，这不公正。

4 protest   

v.反对，抗议；宣称；n.抗议；宣称

参考例句：

• I can't pass the matter by without a protest.我不能对此事视而不见，我要提出抗议。
• We translated his silence as a protest.我们把他的沉默解释为抗议。

5 jail   

n.监狱，看守所；vt.监禁，拘留

参考例句：

• The castle had been used as a jail.这城堡曾用作监狱。
• If she carries on shoplifting,she'll end up in jail.她如果还在店铺里偷东西，最终会被抓进监狱的。

6 protested   

v.声明( protest的过去式和过去分词 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• He protested he was being cheated of his rightful share. 他提出抗议说他被人骗取了他依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Amy protested she was being cheated of her rightful share. 艾米提出抗议，说有人骗取了她依法应得的份额。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

9 sermon   

n.布道，讲道，说教，冗长的讲话

参考例句：

• The minister preaches a sermon now and then.牧师不时地讲道。
• Don't preach me a sermon,please.请不要对我讲大道理。

10 teachings   

n.教学( teaching的名词复数 )；教学工作；教诲；学说

参考例句：

• We must never be unworthy of our teachers' untiring and sincere teachings. 我们决不要辜负老师的谆谆教导。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The Party's teachings were ringing in her ears. 党的教导在她耳边回响。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 protests   

n.[体]抗议；抗议，反对( protest的名词复数 )v.声明( protest的第三人称单数 )；坚决地表示；申辩

参考例句：

• The protests have forced the government to back-pedal on the new tax. 抗议活动已迫使政府撤销新的税目。
• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。

12 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

13 weakening   

v.（使）削弱， （使）变弱( weaken的现在分词 )；消震

参考例句：

• The currency of that country is weakening on foreign exchanges. 那个国家的货币在外汇市场上疲软。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Bad and irregular eating was weakening every function of his body. 吃得又差又没有规律，使他身体的每一个官能都在衰退。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹