VOA慢速英语 2007 0414

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

 
Jackie Robinson
Sunday will mark an important anniversary in American society. Sixty years ago, Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play in Major League Baseball.

His uniform number, forty-two, was retired¹ as an honor on the fiftieth anniversary. Since then, the only players who could wear that number were those already wearing it.

But a special honor is planned this Sunday for the sixtieth anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. At least one player from every major league team will wear the number forty-two. That includes every member of the Los Angeles Dodgers².

Jackie Robinson was called up by the Dodgers on April fifteenth, nineteen forty-seven. At that time the team played in Brooklyn, New York.

Blacks and whites had played together for short periods in the late eighteen hundreds in different baseball organizations. But no black players had been admitted to the Major League Baseball that exists today.

Jackie Robinson faced abuse and loneliness. There were death threats. Pitchers⁴ threw at his head.

He worked hard not to let the discrimination interfere⁵ with his game. He was named 
Jackie Robinson slides into home plate during the 1948 season
Rookie of the Year. He went on to play in six World Series in his ten seasons with the Dodgers. Later he became the first African-American in the baseball Hall of Fame.

Jackie Robinson wanted to see African-Americans not just playing baseball but also managing teams. Over the years, the numbers of black managers increased. But the share of black players has decreased.

Jackie Robinson died in nineteen seventy-two. At that time about twenty percent of players were black. But the Institute for Diversity and Ethics⁶ at the University of Central Florida says the number last year was only about eight percent. Still, its research shows that the percentage of minorities overall has increased.

Last year almost thirty percent of players were Latino. About two percent were Asian. In all, more than forty percent of professional baseball players were nonwhite.

Almost one-third of all players last season were from other countries. Many players come from the Dominican Republic.

The all-time high for minorities in the major leagues was forty-two percent ten years ago.

The idea to honor Jackie Robinson by wearing his number began with Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken⁷ Griffey Junior. He received permission from the Robinson family and major league commissioner⁸ Bud Selig to wear it for the day.

Major League Baseball has since invited players from all thirty teams to wear Jackie Robinson’s number on April fifteenth. But some feel they are not worthy⁹ of it. Others say too many people wearing the number takes away from the meaning.

New York Yankees relief pitcher³ Mariano Rivera says every player should wear it. He is the only active player who still has the right to wear the number forty-two to every game.

And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English, written by Brianna Blake. I’m Steve Ember.

1 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

2 dodgers   

n.躲闪者，欺瞒者( dodger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a crackdown on fare dodgers on trains 对火车逃票者的严厉打击
• But Twain, Howells, and James were jeeringly described by Mencken as "draft-dodgers". 不过吐温、豪威尔斯和詹姆斯都是被门肯讥诮地叫做“逃避兵役的人。” 来自辞典例句

3 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

4 pitchers   

大水罐( pitcher的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Over the next five years, he became one of the greatest pitchers in baseball. 在接下来的5年时间里，他成为了最了不起的棒球投手之一。
• Why he probably won't: Pitchers on also-rans can win the award. 为什麽不是他得奖：投手在失败的球队可以赢得赛扬奖。

5 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

6 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

7 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

8 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

9 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。