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2007年VOA标准英语-The Real Jesse James: Bandit or Hero?

时间:2007-09-30 03:18:13

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(单词翻译)

By Rebecca Ward1
Washington
25 September 2007
 

He was a bank robber, a train robber and cold-blooded killer2.  But to the poor in the south after the U.S. Civil War, Jesse James was nothing less than a hero.  VOA's Rebecca Ward explores the myth behind the man - who comes to life in a new movie starring Brad Pitt.

Think of it as an early form of gangsta rap.  There are 30 recordings3 at the Library of Congress in Washington that immortalize the outlaw4 as a folk hero.  Kind of like Robin5 Hood6 -- who he clearly was not.

Stephen Winick, a folk historian with the Library Of Congress, explains. "By and large, when he robs trains, he didn't go through the train and steal from individual people as some train robbers did.  He just stole what was in the safe.  But, of course, when you rob a bank, especially in those days before federal insurance, you're robbing the money of the people who put it in the bank." 

For nearly 20 years, Jesse James stayed one step ahead of the law.  But he was not just a gunslinger, he was a ruthless gang member - and a former Confederate [a supporter of the Confederate states that seceded7 during the U.S. Civil War] guerilla. 

Winick says it was the latter affiliation8 that really helped his reputation.  "He was a confederate - a sort of guerilla fighter on the Confederate side.  And there was a concerted effort in Missouri during his lifetime to get the Confederates, the former confederates, back into power politically, who were the Democratic Party at that time.  And that was one of the things behind Jesse James becoming a folk hero."

Based on the novel by Ron Hansen, "The Assassination9 of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford10" explores the months and days leading up to Jesse James' death.  Brad Pitt is the notorious outlaw whose trust was obviously misplaced in a relatively11 new gang member -- Bob Ford. 

Winick says, "One of the reasons people reviled12 Bob Ford so much is that it was pretty clear that he was in cahoots with the governor at the time that he committed the assassination, or killing13, of Jesse James.  He was arrested for that, he and his brother, and they went to jail.  And they were immediately pardoned by the governor and they also got part of the award money."

Jesse James' status as folk hero or merciless bandit notwithstanding, many believe that with Brad Pitt in the leading role it makes the movie a surefire hit.


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1 ward LhbwY     
n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开
参考例句:
  • The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
  • During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时,我要点根火把,抵挡蚊虫。
2 killer rpLziK     
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者
参考例句:
  • Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
  • The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
3 recordings 22f9946cd05973582e73e4e3c0239bb7     
n.记录( recording的名词复数 );录音;录像;唱片
参考例句:
  • a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
  • old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐
4 outlaw 1J0xG     
n.歹徒,亡命之徒;vt.宣布…为不合法
参考例句:
  • The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
  • The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。
5 robin Oj7zme     
n.知更鸟,红襟鸟
参考例句:
  • The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
  • We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟,知道春天要到了。
6 hood ddwzJ     
n.头巾,兜帽,覆盖;v.罩上,以头巾覆盖
参考例句:
  • She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
  • The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。
7 seceded 1624ae4cad0ece80c313df9c7f11bfc6     
v.脱离,退出( secede的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The Republic of Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903. 巴拿马共和国于1903年脱离哥伦比亚。
  • One of the states has seceded from the federation. 有一个州已从联邦中退出。 来自辞典例句
8 affiliation MKnya     
n.联系,联合
参考例句:
  • There is no affiliation between our organization and theirs,even though our names are similar.尽管两个组织的名称相似,但我们之间并没有关系。
  • The kidnappers had no affiliation with any militant group.这些绑架者与任何军事组织都没有紧密联系。
9 assassination BObyy     
n.暗杀;暗杀事件
参考例句:
  • The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
  • Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年,林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。
10 Ford KiIxx     
n.浅滩,水浅可涉处;v.涉水,涉过
参考例句:
  • They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上,所以我们只能涉水过河。
  • If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪,必须极度小心。
11 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
12 reviled b65337c26ca96545bc83e2c51be568cb     
v.辱骂,痛斥( revile的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The tramp reviled the man who drove him off. 流浪汉辱骂那位赶他走开的人。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
  • The old man reviled against corruption. 那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。 来自《简明英汉词典》
13 killing kpBziQ     
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。

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