VOA标准英语2014--美国废除种族隔离统治标志60周年

 

Landmark¹ Desegregation Ruling Marks 60th Anniversary  美国废除种族隔离统治标志60周年

WASHINGTON — Sixty years ago, the highest court in the United States changed the face of education. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme³ Court unanimously ruled that racial segregation² in public schools was unconstitutional.

At the time of the ruling many school systems -- especially in the southern states -- had separate schools for white and black students. The decision overturned a previous ruling in 1896 which had allowed what it called "separate but equal' black and white public schools. This time, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated⁴ schools violated the US Constitution. 

The Court's decision, in a case called Brown vs the Board of Education, actually involved five separate lawsuits⁵ with different plaintiffs, but the proceedings⁶ centered on Linda Brown, an African-American from Kansas, who was forced to attend a black school across town, despite living a short distance from a white school.

“Brown essentially⁷ ended American apartheid... if by that we mean the process by which the government officially classifies people by race,” said Aderson Francois, a law professor at Howard University in Washington.

But Francois said the ruling was flawed since it did not set a deadline.  Some segregated schools in the south took advantage of the loophole by failing to comply until the 1960s.

And, even now, many schools are still effectively segregated.  A 2012 study by the Civil Rights Project at the University of California indicates that many schools are less diverse than in the past four decades -- because of socioeconomic factors, housing segregation and court cases that have rolled back enforcement efforts.

That does not surprise Jeanette Taylor, who came to Washington with education activists⁸ to call on officials to stop putting more money into predominantly white schools than those with large numbers of minority students.

“It’s a two-tier system where black and brown children are disinvested in, and so we’re here today to tell them to stop pushing bad policies,” said Taylor.

Jitu Brown, who works to improve schools, said there’s still separation along racial lines.

“High schools where they don’t have any advanced placement classes, in the same city where children from more affluent⁹ communities, often not communities of color, have curriculum comparable to college preparatory schools,” said Brown.

And it does not help, he added, that the Supreme Court recently upheld the state of Michigan’s ban on racial preferences in university admissions. Education officials say the number of blacks has declined at universities in states with similar bans.

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

3 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

4 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

5 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

6 proceedings   

n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• to initiate legal proceedings against sb 对某人提起诉讼

7 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

8 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》

9 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。