VOA常速英语2018--2018年获盛赞为“女性年”（在线收听）

There will be plenty of new faces on Capitol Hill come January. And a record number of women, 126 will take the oath of office. This is in part because of a major push to get women to vote. From the beginning of US President Donald Trump’s Administration, his remarks about women and his administration’s policies prompted thousands to take to the streets in protest. Others knocked on doors during the midterm elections, demanding changes.

明年1月，美国国会里会有许多新面孔。女议员数量达到史上新高——126位女议员将宣誓就职。其中的部分原因是：有一股重大推力在鼓动女性投票。从特朗普政府执政开始，特朗普对于女性的言论以及其政府的多项政策都促使很多人走上街头进行抗议。还有一些人在中期选举期间，狂敲国会大门，要求变革。

We saw with the woman’s march in January of 2017. The beginning of this kind of energy has focused activism for many people, many women coming out of outrage over Trump’s comments from general approach, adding to woman’s anger, high-profile cases involving claims of sexual harassment in the workplace. The issue ignited a national debate and sparked the so-called "# Me Too" to movement. The movement also brought down dozens of men, including television icon Bill Cosby once hailed as America’s dad, now behind bars for drugging and assaulting a woman years ago. Former team USA Gymnastics Dr. Larry Nasser was convicted and sentenced for molesting more than a hundred girls including Olympic medalists. Even though I’m a victim, I do not and will not live my life as one.

从去年1月开始，我们就看到了女性的抗争。而女性的这种能量也为很多人积聚了能动性——很多女性纷纷就特朗普的言辞表达了愤怒之情。让女性们更为愤怒的是——还有人高调作案，包括但不限于在工作场合进行性骚扰。此事引发了全国范围内的讨论，所谓的“自我”运动应运而生。该运动让数十名男性成功下马，包括电视大咖比尔·考斯比，曾经有人称颂他为“美国之父”，而现在，他已因数年前吸毒和骚扰女性而锒铛入狱。前美国体操国家队队员拉里·纳赛尔也被定罪并判刑，因为他对100多名女孩进行了性骚扰，其中不乏奥运会得奖者。虽然我是受害者，但我不会卑微地活着。

President Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court Judge, Brett Kavanaugh was also accused of sexual misconduct. I believed he was going to rape me. I tried to yell for help. I have never done this to her or to anyone. That’s not who I am. Kavanaugh was confirmed to the highest court of the land but the allegations against him further fueled the debate over woman’s rights. Throughout American history, anger at inequity has driven women off their couches out the door to engage in politics. The results of that anger, analysts say, first of all a kind midterm elections. Voters had an opportunity to elect leaders who actually represent and look like Americans. There were more diverse candidates and candidates of color on the ballot. African American, Hispanic Native American, LGBT candidates. Voters elected a diverse group of specifically women, including the first Palestinian American and the first Somali American. Both are also the first Muslim women in Congress.

特朗普挑选的高级法院大法官人选，即布雷特·卡瓦诺，也被控性行为不当。我认为他当时是要强奸我的，所以我试图大喊求救。我从来没有对她或者任何人做过这样的事。我不是这样的人。卡瓦诺已确认成为最高法院大法官，但与他有关的指控进一步激发了人们对女权的讨论。美国历史上，不平等所引发的愤怒迫使女性揭竿而起，走出门外，去参与到政治之中。分析师表示，这种愤怒的结果首先是体现在中期选举上。选民有机会选举可以代表美国人、与美国草根更像的领导人。候选人越来越多元化，肤色也是各异。有非裔美国人、西班牙美国裔，也有美洲裔美国人候选人。选民选举出了群体里也有女性，包括第一位巴勒斯坦裔美国人和第一位索马里裔美国人。这两人也是国会历史上的头2位穆斯林女性。

Voters have been disgusted for many years about how Washington is run, and part of that is the idea that it seems like it’s always the same old people who are governing. Washington is still dominated by men. Women make up less than a quarter of Congress, but 51 percent of the nation’s population. Despite the long road ahead, woman’s rights advocates predict the year of the woman will extend beyond 2018.

选民多年来一直对美国政府的运营方式作呕，其部分原因是——似乎总是一批旧人在运营政府，而且美国政府基本上都是男性主导的。女性只占国会总人数的1/4，但女性总人口占全国总人口的51%。虽然前路漫漫，女权倡导者预计女性之年在2018年之后依然会继续。