VOA标准英语2009年-Hundreds Attend Hearing on US Prison T

Photo: VOA
Protesters converged¹ on a high school in Sterling², Illinois where a state commission was holding a public meeting on the possible sale of a prison

 The Illinois State Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability held a public hearing on the proposed sale of the Thompson Correctional Center to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.  President Obama has directed the agency to purchase the facility to house terror suspects -- reportedly up to 100 --now held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  The hearing was the only chance that those strongly opposed to the plans had a chance to have their voices heard.

In the bitter cold, hundreds of protestors from across the United States converged on a high school in Sterling, Illinois where a state commission was holding a public meeting on the possible sale of a prison, 30 kilometers away, to the federal government. The Thomson Correctional Center would be used to house Guantanamo detainees.

Citizens like Debbie Lee voiced concerns.  Her son Marc was a Navy Seal and was killed in Iraq in 2006.  She says she visited Guantanamo in 2008, and is against housing terror suspects on U.S. soil. "I'm here today to make sure that they hear my voice and hear what I personally saw down there," she explained. " My son gave up his life fighting terrorists so that we wouldn't ever have them back here in this country again."

The possible sale of Thomson intersects with two major issues:  the need to create jobs and state revenue while ensuring security.

At the meeting, Jack³ Lavin, a top Illinois state official, said housing terror suspects at Thomson prison would help ease high unemployment in the region. "The White House Counsel of Economic Advisors⁴ has estimated that up to 3800 jobs and more than one billion of economic activity in Illinois will be generated in just its first four years of operation," he said.

But prison guard Todd Pustelnik said he stands to lose if the federal government takes control of the Thomson facility.  "We don't have rights to slide over into the federal prison system.  We would have to go ahead and apply just like everyone else, and the requirements to work in a federal facility versus⁵ a state facility are a little difficult for me.  I'm too old, I'm 44.  The cut off age is 37, so that's going to eliminate a lot of the people that work there," Pustelnik said.

Tom Brackemeyer supports the sale. He said Illinois stands to gain more than just jobs as prison guards. "It's not only the jobs inside the prison.  It's the jobs it will create outside the prison," he said. "It will expand jobs outside."

Commission members will provide their findings to Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.  Even if they oppose the prison's sale, Governor  Quinn is not obligated to follow their recommendation.

Quinn has already indicated he favors the sale, which could be completed as early as May 2010.
 

1 converged   

v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的过去式 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Thousands of supporters converged on London for the rally. 成千上万的支持者从四面八方汇聚伦敦举行集会。
• People converged on the political meeting from all parts of the city. 人们从城市的四面八方涌向这次政治集会。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

3 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

4 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

5 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。