VOA常速英语2008年-US Marks 40th Anniversary of King Assassination

By Jim Malone
Washington
04 April 2008

Friday, April 4, marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination¹ of the American civil rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. In the years since his death, Reverend King has often been cited as one of the most admired Americans in history. But for many, his quest for racial equality remains³ unfinished. VOA National Correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

On the evening of April 4, 1968, reporter Joe Louw was in his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee, watching a news report about Martin Luther King, Jr.

"When the program ended I reached over to turn the set down," he said. "That was when I heard the shot ring out and I rushed out on the balcony. I saw Dr. King lying about 40 feet away. Police poured down the street running with rifles. The scene was confused and frantic⁴. An ambulance arrived, but there was not much anyone could do. I knew they had killed him."

Later that night, Democratic Party presidential candidate Robert Kennedy broke the news to a stunned⁵ crowd in Indiana.

"Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee," he said. "What we need in the United States is not hatred⁶. What we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love and wisdom and compassion⁷ toward one another and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black."

Two months later, Kennedy also became the victim of an assassin's bullet.

King's assassination set off riots in more than 100 U.S. cities and ushered⁸ in a divisive and bitter chapter in race relations in the United States.

King had gone to Memphis to support striking sanitation⁹ workers. The night before he died, King spoke¹⁰ to a church audience in a way that now seems eerily¹¹ prophetic.

"Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity¹² has its place," he said. "But I am not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And he has allowed me to go up to the mountain, and I have looked over and I have seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land."

Forty years after his death, King's legacy¹³ of fighting for racial and economic justice remains strong.

Ron Walters is an expert on race and politics at the University of Maryland. Walters recently spoke to a group of young African-Americans at the very spot where Reverend King gave his last speech the night before he died.

"It was a moment that I will never forget because my thoughts, of course, were certainly on what he was thinking that night when he talked about the fact that he may not get to the mountaintop with us, but he has seen the possibilities of America," he said. "You know that is very much where we are trying to go in this country in race relations, to the mountaintop, and I think the impediments that keep us from getting there are the ones that we continually have to remove."

Many analysts¹⁴ give the United States a grade of incomplete when they assess racial progress since King's assassination.

African-Americans have made advances in education, business, entertainment and politics. In many ways, the rise of Democratic Party presidential contender Barack Obama is a powerful symbol of racial progress. At the same time, many black Americans remain mired² in poverty and hopelessness in cities around the country.

Dedrick Muhammad has written a study called "The Unrealized American Dream" for the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington.

"It is true that Barack Obama is running for president and has a good chance to be the Democratic nominee," he said. "But it is also true that a third of black children are living in poverty today in the wealthiest nation in the world. That really should also be a major headline in the newspapers, and the sad thing is, I do not even hear that being discussed."

Martin Luther King is best remembered for his 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech that rallied millions in the United States and around the world to the cause of racial equality.

"I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream," he said. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed¹⁵. We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal."

Dedrick Muhammad and others hope that the 40th anniversary of Reverend King's death will bring renewed commitment and dedication¹⁶ to the idea of turning Martin Luther King's dream into reality.

"Coming toward greater racial equality is not an easy process, but something that requires great work, great effort and controversial measures," he said. "America really could bridge this racial divide, but for 40 years we have been wandering around and have not come to that point and I am hoping America will, maybe during this 40th anniversary, recognize it is time to fulfill¹⁷ King's dream, and not just remember the dreamer."

King's status as a national hero has grown in the years since his death.

The Gallup polling organization ranked Martin Luther King the second-most admired person of the 20th century, right behind Mother Teresa and just ahead of John F. Kennedy.

1 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

2 mired   

abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
• The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 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。

4 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

5 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

6 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

7 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

8 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

10 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 eerily   

adv.引起神秘感或害怕地

参考例句：

• It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了，到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句

12 longevity   

n.长命；长寿

参考例句：

• Good habits promote longevity.良好的习惯能增长寿命。
• Human longevity runs in families.人类的长寿具有家族遗传性。

13 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

14 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

15 creed   

n.信条；信念，纲领

参考例句：

• They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
• Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。

16 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

17 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。