VOA标准英语2015--巴尔的摩骚乱揭示城市混乱的过去

Baltimore Riots Shed Light on City’s Troubled Past 巴尔的摩骚乱揭示城市混乱的过去

National Guard troops took up positions Tuesday in Baltimore, Maryland, as authorities tried to restore order after rioting and looting broke out a day earlier.

Violence swept across parts of the U.S. eastern city following Monday’s funeral for Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose suspicious death while in police custody¹ outraged² many in the city’s African-American communities and beyond.

Gray, arrested April 12, sustained a spinal³ cord injury while in police custody and died a week later.

Tuesday also brought peaceful street gatherings⁴ in West Baltimore, with racially mixed crowds rallying to prevent further violence and demonstrate a softer side of the city. Some stood, arms linked, to separate potential troublemakers⁵ from a line of law enforcement troops holding up shields. Others danced and distributed water bottles in a show of harmony on the sunny day.    

Local leaders condemned⁶ the violence, but some were not surprised given the long-standing frustration⁷ among blacks in the city.

U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings cited “the pain and frustration of young people.”

The Maryland Democrat⁸ said he knows many youths “who are crying out, saying, 'Look we want to be better educated.' They say, 'We want jobs.’ They want recreation centers.  But they are saying, 'What about us?'"

Gray’s is the latest in a recent string of fatal run-ins between black men and police officers in several cities scattered⁹ across America. Among them, the August shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by white officer Darren Smith in Ferguson, Missouri, touched off fiery¹⁰ protests for which the governor called in the National Guard. Public anger was rekindled¹¹ with the news that Eric Garner¹², 43, died in July after being put in a police chokehold in Staten Island, New York.   

Dividing lines

Baltimore is a tale of two cites. There is economic development downtown, but not far away poverty and crime plague many black neighborhoods. 

The predominantly black city of almost 625,000 is home to the NAACP, formerly¹³ known as the National Association for the Advancement¹⁴ of Colored People, the largest civil rights organization in the country.  

Its president, Cornell William Brooks¹⁵, said: "The anger that we feel in Baltimore is very much related to the anger that has been felt in Ferguson, the anger that has been felt in Staten Island, New York. The anger that has been felt across the length and breadth of this country. But we have to go beyond anger to action." 

Many African-Americans in Baltimore have long complained about aggressive policing tactics and are demanding more accountability from police. The city has paid millions of dollars to settle lawsuits¹⁶ against police for inappropriate behavior. 

One teenage gang member is among those calling for solutions.

"If we can stick together doing something negative, then we can stick together doing something positive,” said the young man identified only as Steve. “If we start giving ear and listening to the youth more than just neglecting them, then it would probably be a change."

Now community leaders are focused on keeping the peace as tensions between young blacks and police remain high.  

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake ordered a mandatory¹⁷ curfew to take effect Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and continue nightly into Monday.  

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 outraged   

a.震惊的，义愤填膺的

参考例句：

• Members of Parliament were outraged by the news of the assassination. 议会议员们被这暗杀的消息激怒了。
• He was outraged by their behavior. 他们的行为使他感到愤慨。

3 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

4 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

5 troublemakers   

n.惹是生非者，捣乱者( troublemaker的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was employed to chuck out any troublemakers. 他受雇把捣乱者赶走。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She had automatically labelled the boys as troublemakers. 她不假思索地认定这些男孩子是捣蛋鬼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

7 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

8 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

9 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

10 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

11 rekindled   

v.使再燃( rekindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• As soon as they met again his dormant love for her was rekindled. 他们一见面，他对她的旧情如乾柴烈火般又重新燃起。 来自辞典例句
• Ive found rekindled my interest in re-reading the books. 我发觉这提起了我再次阅读这些书的兴趣。 来自互联网

12 garner   

v.收藏；取得

参考例句：

• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals.他的提议得到了广泛的支持。
• Squirrels garner nuts for the winter.松鼠为过冬储存松果。

13 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

14 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

15 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 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

17 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。