原版英文小故事 11. Register to Vote

Because of alleged¹ widespread voting fraud, Arizona has become the first state in the union to require that voters show proof of US citizenship². To register—or reregister—to vote, Arizona residents must now show a birth certificate or passport. Reregistration is required whenever a resident changes addresses. This requirement will cause problems for citizens who have lost their birth certificate or who don’t have a passport.

“These problems will be settled in time,” said Barney Fife, an election official. “Our priority is to prevent noncitizens from voting. Over 3,000 immigrants voted—illegally—in the last governor’s election. Voting is a vital right that belongs to citizens exclusively, not to every Tom, Dick, and Harry³ that has just immigrated⁴ to this country.”

Critics of the new law say that it will disenfranchise thousands of legitimate⁵ voters. Mrs. Thelma May agrees. She just moved to Tucson from Phoenix⁶. She has to reregister now in order to vote, but has no birth certificate or passport.

“I've been voting all my life,” she says. “I voted for JFK in ’60. But I'm on my third marriage—I do hope it’s my last—which means that my last name has changed three times. The Biloxi hospital I was born in was destroyed by hurricane Camille in 1969. All its records—including my birth certificate—ended up in the Gulf⁷. My only copy of my birth certificate was lost when my drunken first husband fell asleep on the sofa smoking a cigarette. The entire house burnt down. I’ve lived in Arizona for the past 25 years. I’ve never even set foot outside America, and now I've got to prove that I'm a citizen of the United States? Damn bureaucrats⁸!”

 

1 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

2 citizenship   

n.市民权，公民权，国民的义务(身份)

参考例句：

• He was born in Sweden,but he doesn't have Swedish citizenship.他在瑞典出生，但没有瑞典公民身分。
• Ten years later,she chose to take Australian citizenship.十年后，她选择了澳大利亚国籍。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 immigrated   

v.移入( immigrate的过去式和过去分词 )；移民

参考例句：

• He immigrated from Ulster in 1848. 他1848年从阿尔斯特移民到这里。 来自辞典例句
• Many Pakistanis have immigrated to Britain. 许多巴基斯坦人移居到了英国。 来自辞典例句

5 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

6 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句