VOA慢速英语2015 比尔·考斯比被控性侵犯

AS IT IS 2015-12-31 Bill Cosby Charged With Sexual Assault 比尔·考斯比被控性侵犯

Prosecutors¹ in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania have brought criminal charges against celebrity² Bill Cosby.

Cosby, an American comedian³, is charged with sexually assaulting a woman in 2004.

The case deals with a former Temple University employee who told police that Cosby drugged and violated her at his home near Philadelphia.   

It marks the first criminal case involving Cosby, after many years of accusations⁴. If he is found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.

An arrest warrant for the 78-year-old Cosby has been issued.

More than 50 women have accused Cosby of drugging them, and in most cases, sexually assaulting them. Cosby has long denied the accusations.

Many of the incidents happened several decades ago, and the statute⁶ of limitations has already passed. A statute of limitations is a law that prevents a suspect from being tried after a certain amount of time has passed.

The statute of limitations in the Pennsylvania case was to expire in January 2016.

Bill Cosby is best known for playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable, the father in the long-running American television program, “The Cosby Show.”

The charges have shocked Cosby's fans and damaged his reputation as an entertainer.

Words in This Story

violate - v. (formal) to sexually assault or rape⁷

accusation⁵ - n. a claim that someone has done something wrong or illegal

warrant - n. a document issued by a court that gives the police the power to do something

statute of limitations - n. a law that states the amount of time that must pass before a crime can no longer be punished or a right can no longer be given

1 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

2 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

3 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

4 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

5 accusation   

n.控告，指责，谴责

参考例句：

• I was furious at his making such an accusation.我对他的这种责备非常气愤。
• She knew that no one would believe her accusation.她知道没人会相信她的指控。

6 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

7 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。