美国国家公共电台 NPR--Illinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to ban book bans

Illinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to ban book bans

Transcript¹

In Illinois, there's now a ban on banning books. Schools or libraries that do so could end up losing state funds.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

The battle over what books should be in public schools and libraries may be over, at least in the state of Illinois because the state is the first to ban banning books. From member station WBEZ in Chicago, Alex Degman reports.

ALEX DEGMAN, BYLINE²: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the state's new law in Chicago's Harold Washington Library before a display of targeted books and said only regimes like Nazi³ Germany, fascist⁴ Italy and the Taliban demand banning books.

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JB PRITZKER: We refuse to let a vitriolic⁵ strain of white nationalism coursing through our country determine whose histories are told, not in Illinois.

DEGMAN: Pritzker said there were nearly 70 attempts to take books off library shelves last year. Proponents⁶ of book bans say they're protecting children from ideas they don't consider age appropriate or are otherwise objectionable. Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias was the force behind the state's new law.

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ALEXI GIANNOULIAS: The simple act of reading a book is a restricted write.

DEGMAN: Giannoulias oversees⁷ school and public library grants and calls librarians heroes. He says many of the attempted bans involve authors who are either LGBTQ or queer or people of color. And he says many librarians are leaving the profession because of harassment⁸.

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GIANNOULIAS: It's honestly hard and deeply disheartening to figure out how we got to this point.

DEGMAN: Under the Illinois law, libraries have to adopt the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights or similar language. It says, among other things, that materials should not be proscribed⁹ or removed because of partisan¹⁰ or doctrinal disapproval¹¹. If the public or school library chooses not to follow these guidelines, they'll lose access to grant funding. No Illinois Republican supported the bill. During the legislative¹² debate, State Senator Jason Plummer said residents elect local library boards and pay local taxes. And they, not the ALA, should have the final say.

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JASON PLUMMER: None of your constituents¹³ voted for this random¹⁴ organization. And you're taking their powers away from them simply because you may not agree with their beliefs.

DEGMAN: According to the American Library Association, there were efforts to ban more than 2,500 books nationwide last year, a nearly 40% increase over 2021. At the bill signing, ALA executive director Tracie Hall talked about freedoms that Americans have and said everyone should be proud of the state's new library law.

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TRACIE HALL: History will surely note that we, librarians and legislators, civic¹⁵ leaders and community stewards¹⁶ did not stand idly by and let the right to read and to freely access libraries be taken from us.

DEGMAN: The state's new law that aims to prevent any further book bans takes effect January 1.

For NPR News, I'm Alex Degman in Springfield, Ill.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

4 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

5 vitriolic   

adj.硫酸的，尖刻的

参考例句：

• The newspaper launched a vitriolic attack on the president.这家报纸对总统发起了一场恶意的攻击。
• Vitriolic impurity is contained normally in the sewage that vitriolic factory discharges.硫酸厂排放的污水中通常含有硫酸杂质。

6 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

7 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

8 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

9 proscribed   

v.正式宣布（某事物）有危险或被禁止( proscribe的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They are proscribed by federal law from owning guns. 根据联邦法律的规定，他们不准拥有枪支。 来自辞典例句
• In earlier days, the church proscribed dancing and cardplaying. 从前，教会禁止跳舞和玩牌。 来自辞典例句

10 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

11 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

12 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

13 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

15 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

16 stewards   

（轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家

参考例句：

• The stewards all wore armbands. 乘务员都戴了臂章。
• The stewards will inspect the course to see if racing is possible. 那些干事将检视赛马场看是否适宜比赛。