VOA标准英语2010年-Obama Honors Martin Luther King, Jr.

U.S. President Barack Obama is leading the nation in honoring the life and legacy¹ of the slain² civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.  

In a church where Martin Luther King preached more than 50 years ago, President Obama talked about the past, the present and the future.

He spoke³ about the struggles of the civil rights movement, and King's hard-won victories. "We enjoy the fruits of prejudice and bigotry⁴ being lifted - slowly, sometimes, in fits and starts, but irrevocably - from human hearts.  It's that progress that made it possible for me to be here today, for the good people of this country to elect an African-American the 44th President of the United States of America," he said.

The president used the opportunity to reflect on the challenges that he has faced in his first year in office.  He said the troubled economy is testing the nation. "Unemployment is at its highest level in more than a quarter of a century.  Nowhere is it higher than in the African-American community," he said.

He said many people are feeling doubt, even despair, about the future.  He urged them to have faith. "Yes, we are passing through a harsh winter.  It's the hardest in some time.  But let's always remember that, as a people, the American people, we've weathered some hard winters before," he said.

President Obama looked out at the congregation at Vermont Avenue Baptist Church, founded in 1866 by former slaves, and remarked on the lessons of history.   He said Americans now facing grave problems need to work together, tap their inner resolve, and seek progress one step at a time.

 

1 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。

2 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

3 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。

4 bigotry   

n.偏见，偏执，持偏见的行为[态度]等

参考例句：

• She tried to dissociate herself from the bigotry in her past.她力图使自己摆脱她以前的偏见。
• At least we can proceed in this matter without bigotry.目前这件事咱们至少可以毫无偏见地进行下去。