枪击事件后，帕克兰学生陆续返回学校

Parkland Students Return to School After Mass Shooting

Students in Parkland, Florida returned to their high school on Wednesday, two weeks after a gunman killed 17 people there. A former Stoneman Douglas student, Nikolas Cruz, carried out the attack.

About 50 heavily armed police officers from several states surrounded Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school. The officers were there to make the community feel safe.

However, some students said they felt less secure seeing officers carrying AR-15s, the same rifle used in the attack February 14.

Student David Hogg said “This is a picture of education in fear in this country. The NRA wants more people just like this, with that exact firearm to scare more people and sell more guns.”

Hogg has become an activist¹ in a nationwide student movement for gun law reform, including a ban on semi-automatic guns.

Preparing for the return

Grief counselors³ also are deployed⁴ at the school. Broward County school official Robert Runcie said the workers were called in to help students “ease back” into their school life.

Volunteers passed out cookies and other treats to students. Comfort animals including dogs, a donkey, and two horses are also available at the school.

Officials have barred the use of backpacks for now.

The school day schedule was changed for the first day. Students returned to the classes they were in when the attack began.

The building where most of the shooting happened remains⁵ closed.

Student Casey Sherman thinks the schedule change was a good idea to help kids, in her words, “get it over with.” The 17-year-old said she is not afraid to be returning, just worried.

“We did go through a tragedy,” she said. “It was terrible but if you let it stop you ... it’s not how you go down, it’s how you get back up.”

Sherman is among the student activists⁶ preparing to protest March 14 in a national school walkout to stop gun violence.

Some students remain severely⁷ injured from the shooting, both physically⁸ and psychologically.

Alexis Grogan is a 15-year-old in the 10th grade. She said it might be too soon to continue normal school life without her friends who were killed. But she said the activism of the Parkland students is helpful.

She added, “I am so proud of how the kids at my school have been fighting because we all want change to happen and, as we see the progression, it really shows us that people do care and they do hear what we have to say.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in This Story

grief counselor² - n. a health professional that aims to help people cope with saddnes and mourning following the death of loved ones, or with major life changes that trigger feelings of saddness.

backpack - n. a bag for carrying things that has two shoulder straps⁹ and is carried on the back

comfort - n. a state or situation in which you are relaxed and do not have any physically unpleasant feelings caused by pain, heat, cold, etc.

cookie - n. a sweet baked food that is usually small, flat, and round and is made from flour and sugar

NRA - n. The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is an organization that is active in supporting the rights of U.S. citizens to own guns.

semi-automatic - adj. able to fire bullets one after the other quickly but not automatically

1 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。

2 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

3 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

4 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

8 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

9 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。