VOA慢速英语2017 民权领袖故居可能会重回美国

Civil Rights Leader’s Home May Be Returned to US

Rosa Parks became famous in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama.

罗莎·帕克斯(Rosa Parks)在1955年一夜成名。当时她在阿拉巴马州蒙哥马利市的公汽上拒绝向白人乘客让出座位。

She was important in the movement for civil rights in the American South during the 1950s and 60s.

她在上世纪五六十年代美国南部的民权运动中非常重要。

At the time, blacks in the South were forced to sit in the back of public buses and to give up their seats to white people.

当时，美国南部的黑人被迫坐在公汽后部，并且要向白人让出座位。

Parks moved to Detroit, Michigan, in 1957 to escape death threats. She continued living in Detroit until her death in 2005, at age 92.

为了逃离死亡威胁，帕克斯于1957年搬到了密西根州的底特律市。她一直住在底特律，直到2005年去世，享年92岁。

But the house in Detroit where Parks lived for many years was abandoned and scheduled to be torn down. Her niece, Rhea McCauley, bought it for $500 to stop it from being destroyed. She then gave it to American artist, Ryan Mendoza.

但是帕克斯在底特律居住多年的房屋被废弃并计划拆除。为了阻止房屋被毁，她的侄女蕾亚·麦考利(Rhea McCauley)以500美元买了下来。然后她将房屋送给了美国艺术家瑞恩·门多萨（Ryan Mendoza）。

Mendoza and others took it apart and then sent it across the Atlantic Ocean to the German capital of Berlin. There, he led efforts to rebuild the house.

门多萨等人将房屋拆分后运到了大西洋对岸的德国首都柏林。在那里，他主导了房屋的重建。

It now is behind his own house in Berlin. It gets daily visitors, although it is difficult to find, Mendoza said.

目前它座落在门多萨自家房屋的背后。门多萨表示，尽管地方不好找，但是每天都有人来参观。

Artist wants to return Park’s home to U.S.

艺术家希望将帕克斯的房屋带回美国

But less than a year after the house was rebuilt in Berlin, Mendoza decided¹ it should be returned to the United States.

但是距离该房屋在柏林重建不到一年时间，门多萨决定将它送回美国。

He made the decision after deadly violence took place at a recent white nationalist event in Charlottesville, Virginia. That incident increased calls for removing statues of Confederate leaders from the Civil War in the U.S.

在弗吉尼亚州夏洛茨维尔市最近的白人民族主义运动上发生致命暴力事件之后，他做出了这项决定。这一事件加大了人们对拆除美国内战中的邦联领导人的雕像的呼吁。

Mendoza said there are not enough civil rights monuments “to balance things out” with the Confederate statues.

门多萨表示，没有足够多的公民权利遗迹来平衡邦联雕像的影响。

He said the Rosa Parks house belongs back in America.

他说，帕克斯的房屋应在美国恢复原状。

“Imagine if the house were on a public setting² in a prominent³ city in the U.S.,” Mendoza said. “That’s an education tool that shouldn’t be denied the American people. They have to know their past.”

门多萨表示：“想象一下，如果这栋房屋在美国一个著名城市的公共场合。它是美国人民不应该被剥夺的教育工具。他们必须了解他们的过去。”

Peter Hammer is a law professor and director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights at Wayne State University in Detroit. He believes the house would be welcomed back in Detroit.

皮特·哈默（Peter Hammer）是一名法律教授，也是底特律市韦恩州立大学Damon J. Keith民权中心的负责人。他认为这栋房屋在底特律将会受到欢迎。

“My sense is that the Germans have adequately⁴ shamed us for not protecting our own history,” Hammer told VOA.

他对美国之音表示：“我的意思是，我们未能保护自己的历史，德国人已经为此羞辱过我们了。”

He noted⁵ that Detroit has failed to protect historical homes in the past. Such houses include the former home of Ralph Bunche, the first African-American to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

他指出，底特律过去未能保护好历史住宅。这类房屋包括首位赢得诺贝尔和平奖的非裔美国人拉尔夫·布奇（Ralph Bunche）的故居。

He received the award in 1950 for helping⁶ negotiate⁷ peace between Israelis and Arabs that led to the creation⁸ of the country of Israel in 1948. Bunche’s home in Detroit became a parking lot.

布奇1950年获得了诺贝尔和平奖，获奖原因是他帮助了以色列人和阿拉伯人之间和平谈判，这次谈判直接导致了1948年以色列建国。布奇在底特律的住房成了一个停车场。

Detroit’s failure to protect history also is shown by the loss of the Rosa Parks house, Hammer said.

哈默表示，失去帕斯克的房屋，也表明了底特律未能保护好历史。

He said that Parks was an important civil rights activist⁹ “long before" she refused to give up her seat on a bus in Alabama.

他说，帕斯克是“很久以前”一位非常重要的民权活动家。她在阿拉巴马州的公汽上拒绝让出自己的座位。

In Detroit, Hammer said Parks served as a mentor¹⁰ to people fighting for equal rights. A mentor is someone who gives help and advice to people who are less experienced¹¹.

哈默表示，在底特律，帕斯克成为了人们争取平等权利的导师。导师是指给缺乏经验者提供帮助和建议的人。

I’m Bruce Alpert.

Words in This Story

abandon - v. left without people living there

schedule - v. a plan of things that will be done and the times when they will be done

monument - n. a building or statue that honors¹² a person or event

prominent - adj. put in a place that is important and where it will receive attention

adequately - adv. enough to meet some need

shamed - v. to cause someone to feel embarrassed or ashamed

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

3 prominent   

adj.突出的；显著的；杰出的；重要的

参考例句：

• He is prominent in science.他是科学界杰出的人物。
• That school is prominent in baseball.那个学校以棒球著称。

4 adequately   

adv.足够地；适当地

参考例句：

• He had failed to prepare adequately for the task before him. 他没有为面临的任务做充分的准备。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Any room where gas is used must be adequately supplied with air. 任何使用煤气的房间都必须有充足的空气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

7 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

8 creation   

n.创造，创造的作品，产物，宇宙，天地万物

参考例句：

• Language is the most important mental creation of man.语言是人类头脑最重要的产物。
• The creation of new playgrounds will benefit the local children.新游戏场的建立将有益于当地的儿童。

9 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

10 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

11 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

12 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》