VOA常速英语2014--美议员推动心理疾病与枪支暴力提案

 

Lawmakers Push Bills on Mental Illness, Guns 美议员推动心理疾病与枪支暴力提案

CAPITOL HILL — The mass killing¹ in Santa Barbara, California that left six people dead has reignited a debate in the U.S. Congress about how to keep guns out of the hands of the seriously mentally ill. Since efforts to regulate gun sales have faltered², some lawmakers are pushing to reform the mental health care system to focus more on those who are severely³ ill.

在加利福尼州亚圣巴巴拉市发生的枪击惨案造成了六人身亡。这次枪击事件也重新点燃了美国国会对枪支管控的讨论，尤其是针对那些有严重精神疾病的人。自从监管枪支销售的努力遇挫之后，一些议员力主改革心理健康医疗体系，把关注焦点集中在那些患有严重精神疾病的人。

Elliot Rodger is believed to have posted video of himself on YouTube before the campus killings⁴ in Santa Barbara. His parents warned police about the potential threat posed by his mental illness.

据信，艾略特·罗杰（Elliot Rodger）在圣巴巴拉的校园开枪行凶之前，将一段独白视频放到了YouTube网站上。他的父母也曾经因他精神疾病潜在的威胁而通知过警方。

At a forum⁵ on Capitol Hill, Representative Tim Murphy pointed⁶ out that before Santa Barbara, there were mass shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, a movie theater in Aurora⁷, Colorado, and in Tucson, Arizona. Murphy said all the alleged⁸ killers⁹ had one thing in common.

在国会山的一个研讨会上，众议员蒂姆·墨菲（Tim Murphy）指出，在圣巴巴拉事件之前，康涅狄克州纽敦市的一所小学、科罗拉多州奥罗拉市的一所电影院和亚利桑那州的图森市，都发生过大规模的枪击。墨菲说，所有这些被指控的凶手都有一个共同点。

"All had untreated or under-treated serious mental illness. All spiraled out of control within a system that lacked the basic mechanisms¹⁰ to help," said Murphy.

他说：“他们的精神疾病都没有得到治疗，或是治疗不足。他们都在同一个缺乏基本救助机制的体系里失去了控制。”

Murphy has introduced legislation that would make it easier for families to have seriously ill relatives hospitalized against their will, if they are determined¹¹ to be a threat to themselves or the community.

墨菲提出了一项立法，如果一个有严重精神疾病的人被认定会危害自己或者社区，那么他的家人就可以更容易地强制他住院。

Edward Kelley, the father of a severely mentally ill boy who refuses help and often has ended up living on the streets, said he supports the bill.

凯利说，他患有严重精神疾病的儿子拒绝治疗，并且经常露宿街头。

“I want to tell him that I love him, and I am doing this for him, said Kelley. "Our resume as a family covers 15 years of dealing¹² with our son descending¹³ into a madness that is just impossible to describe."

他说：“万一他能听到我在这里讲话，我想告诉他，我爱他，我这么做是为了他。在过去的15年里，他说，我们的家庭一直在面对一个逐渐陷入疯狂的儿子。这简直无法形容。”

Most experts agree there are too few beds in mental hospitals, and that the seriously ill often end up in crowded emergency rooms or homeless. D.J. Jaffe of the Mental Illness Policy Org said the U.S. also needs to change its spending priorities.

大部分专家认为，精神病院的病床数量远远不足，精神病患者经常会被送到拥挤不堪的急诊室或者露宿街头。“心理疾病政策组织”（Mental Illness Policy Org）的D.J.·杰夫说，美国应当调整开支重点，把钱用在刀刃上。

"My one message is we have to stop ignoring the most seriously ill. We can't go on pretending that they don't exist," said Jaffe.

他说：“我想传达的一条信息就是，我们必须停止忽视那些患有最严重精神疾病的人。我们不能假装他们不存在。”

Democratic lawmakers are proposing a separate bill that would ban people who have been involuntarily hospitalized from buying guns.

民主党议员正在提出另一项议案，禁止有过强制住院史的人购买枪支。

"It is a bill that is laser focused on gun violence and mental health," said Representative Mike Thompson.

民主党众议员麦克·汤普森（Mike Thompson）说：“这项议案的核心就是针对枪支暴力和心理健康。”

Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords survived a 2011 mass shooting in her Arizona district where she was shot in the head by a gunman with severe mental illness. She has become a powerful advocate.

前众议员加布里埃尔·吉福兹（Gabrielle Giffords）在2011年的一场枪击事件中头部中枪，所幸大难不死。那次枪击发生她的选区，枪手患有严重精神疾病。从此，吉福兹便成为了一名极具影响里的枪支管控改革的倡导者。

“We must do something.  It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act,” said Giffords.

她说：“我们必须行动起来。尽管会有很多阻力，但是刻不容缓。你们现在就要行动。”

Some lawmakers say they believe Republicans and Democrats¹⁴ can find common ground on the issue of guns and mental illness to try to prevent future tragedies.

 

一些议员说，他们相信，在枪支与心理疾病的问题上，民主党人与共和党人能够找到共同点，从而尽可能地避免今后类似的悲剧。

1 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

2 faltered   

（嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃

参考例句：

• He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
• "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着：“这孩子脑袋真长。”

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

5 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

6 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

7 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

10 mechanisms   

n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 )；机械装置；[生物学] 机制；机械作用

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

12 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

13 descending   

n. 下行 adj. 下降的

参考例句：

• The results are expressed in descending numerical order . 结果按数字降序列出。
• The climbers stopped to orient themselves before descending the mountain. 登山者先停下来确定所在的位置，然后再下山。

14 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》