VOA慢速英语2019 报告称美国校园枪击案大多"可避免"

A new study suggests that many of the deadly school shootings in the United States over the past 10 years could have been prevented.

一项新研究表明，过去十年内，美国很多致命的校园枪击案其实本可以避免。

Most students who carried out such an attack had shown threatening or suspicious¹ behavior, but were not reported to law enforcement, the study found.

该研究发现，多数实施这类袭击的学生都表现出威胁或可疑性举动，但是并未报告给执法部门。

The U.S. Secret Service reported the findings last week.

上周，美国特勤局报告了这一发现。

The study was based on an in-depth examination of 41 incidents of "targeted school violence." All of the attacks happened over a 10-year period from 2008 to 2017.

该研究是基于对41起“针对性校园暴力”案件的深入调查。这些案件都发生于2008年到2017年的十年间。

The Secret Service's National Threat Assessment² Center collected information from police reports, as well as public and non-public investigation³ records.

美国特勤局的国家威胁评估中心从警方报告、公共以及非公共调查记录中收集了信息。

The findings will be used to train school officials and law enforcement to better identify students who may be plotting an attack.

研究结果将用于培训学校官员以及执法部门，以便更准确得识别可能会策划袭击的学生。

Lina Alathari is head of the National Threat Assessment Center. She told The Associated Press that most school shootings "are not sudden, impulsive⁴ acts where a student suddenly gets disgruntled." She added that "the majority of these incidents are preventable."

莉娜（Lina Alathari）是国家威胁评估中心的负责人。她告诉美联社，大部分校园枪击案“并非学生感到不满时的突发、冲动行为”。她补充说，“大多数这类袭击案件本可以避免”。

In 80 percent of the shootings, the attacker's behavior was so worrisome to others that it made them express concern about "the safety of the attacker or those around them."

在80％的校园枪击案中，攻击者的行为令他人忧心，以至于他们表达了对攻击者及其周围人安全的担忧。

The study found that the shootings took place quickly and often ended within 60 seconds or less. Law enforcement rarely arrived while the attack was happening. Attacks generally started during school hours and happened in a single area, such as a dining hall, restroom or classroom.

研究发现，枪击案事发突然，往往在60秒或更短时间内结束。枪击发生时，执法人员很少能及时到场。袭击通常在上课时间进行且发生在单一场合，如餐厅、洗手间或教室。

Most of the attackers were male, but seven were female. Researchers reported that 63 percent of the attackers were white. Fifteen percent were black, 5 percent Hispanic and 2 percent American Indian or Alaska Native.

大多数袭击者为男性，但有7名女性。研究人员报告称，63%的袭击者为白人。15%为黑人，5%为西班牙裔，2%为印第安人或阿拉斯加原住民。

The attackers most often used guns, but knives were sometimes used. Investigators⁵ said most of the weapons came from the homes of the attacker.

袭击者最常使用枪支，有时也会使用刀具。调查人员表示，大部分武器来自袭击者的家中。

The report identified warning signs that school officials, families and other students could use to help them recognize a possible attacker. These include signs of increased anger, a clear interest in weapons and violence, depression or isolation⁶, self-harm or sudden behavioral changes.

报告指出了学校官员、家长和其他学生可用来帮助他们识别潜在攻击者的警告信号。这些迹象包括愤怒加剧、明显对武器和暴力感兴趣、抑郁或孤独、自残或突然的行为改变。

The study found most U.S. schools have security cameras as well as planned lockdown measures for shooting situations. However, only 17 percent of the schools had a system in place where students or families can directly contact officials about a student in crisis⁷.

研究发现，大多数美国学校都设有安全摄像头，以及针对枪击事件采取的防范措施。然而，只有17%的学校设有学生或亲属可直接联系官员，了解学生危机情况的系统。

The study was launched following the 2018 shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

这项研究是在佛罗里达州帕克兰的马乔里·斯通曼·道格拉斯高中2018年发生枪击案后开始的。

The fathers of three students killed in the attack attended a media event timed to the release of the study.

在袭击中遇难的三名学生的父亲出席了一场媒体活动，活动安排在研究报告发布之时。

Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina Rose died in the Florida shooting, said the research was invaluable⁸ and could have helped her school prevent the attack.

托尼·蒙塔尔托(Tony Montalto)的女儿吉娜·罗斯(Gina Rose)在佛罗里达州的枪击事件中遇难。他说，这项研究是十分珍贵，本可以帮助女儿所在的学校阻止这次袭击。

"My lovely daughter might still be here today," he said. "Our entire community would be whole instead of forever shaken."

“我那可爱的女儿也许今天能站在这里，”他说。“我们整个社区将团结起来，而不是一蹶不振。”

Montalto urged other schools to pay close attention to the findings. "Please, learn from our experience. It happened to us, and it could happen to your community, too," he said.

蒙塔尔托敦促其他学校密切关注这些调查结果。他说，“请吸取我们的经验教训。这类事情能发生在我们身上，也有可能会发生在你们所在的社区”。

Words in This Story

impulsive – adj. doing things suddenly and without careful thought

disgruntled – adj. angry

isolation – n. the condition or state of being separate from other people, places or things

lockdown – n. a condition in which people are temporarily barred from entering or leaving a restricted area.

1 suspicious   

adj.可疑的，容易引起怀疑的，猜疑的，疑心的

参考例句：

• A man was hanging about the house in a suspicious manner.一个男人在房子周围可疑地荡来荡去。
• He's so suspicious he would distrust his own mother.他这个人疑心太重，连自己的母亲也不相信。

2 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

3 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

4 impulsive   

adj.冲动的，刺激的；有推动力的

参考例句：

• She is impulsive in her actions.她的行为常出于冲动。
• He was neither an impulsive nor an emotional man,but a very honest and sincere one.他不是个一冲动就鲁莽行事的人，也不多愁善感.他为人十分正直、诚恳。

5 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

7 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

8 invaluable   

adj.无价的，非常宝贵的，极为贵重的

参考例句：

• A computer would have been invaluable for this job.一台计算机对这个工作的作用会是无法估计的。
• This information was invaluable to him.这个消息对他来说是非常宝贵的。