VOA慢速英语2015 警察与孩子们在夏令营交流

Police and Children Connect at Summer Camp 警察与孩子们在夏令营交流

For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语教育报道。

Recent killings 1 by police officers have raised tensions in some American communities. The Washington Post newspaper reported that police officers have killed 24 unarmed black men in the past year. These deaths have led to anti-police demonstrations 2 in several U.S. cities.

最近警察的杀人事件引发美国一些社区的紧张局面，华盛顿邮报报道称去年警察杀死了24名手无寸铁的黑人，这些死亡事件导致美国几个城市发生反警察游行。

The Maryland–National Capital Park Police is reaching out to young people with a program called Cops Camp for Kids. The program started in 1998 as a way to bring the police and the community together in a positive environment.

马里兰州国家首都公园警察局正通过一个名叫儿童警察夏令营的项目与青少年进行接触，该项目成立于1998年，其目的是通过积极的环境让警察和社区相和谐。

Lakeisha Robinson helps run Cops Camp for Kids. She has been a police officer for nine years.

蕾珂莎·罗宾逊帮助运营这个夏令营，她做警察已经9年了。

“A lot of children grow up in neighborhoods where they only see [the] negative…I want them to see that we’re not all out here to lock everyone up. We’re here to mentor 3; we’re here to be a listening ear, because, believe it or not, some of the kids don’t have that.”

“很多孩子在只能看到负面东西的社区长大，我希望他们看到，我们不是要把大家都关起来。我们是来这里做指导，来倾听的，因为不管你信不信，有些孩子缺少这个。”

About 40 children from nine to 12 years old joined the program this year. They are learning about what it’s like to be a police officer — or “cop.”

今年有大约40名年龄在9岁到12岁的儿童参加了这个节目，他们在学习警察是什么样子。

Police officer Randy Green showed his shiny black motorcycle to the children. They formed a circle around him. They asked questions about his job. The children watched in amazement 4 as the police officer drove his motorcycle through an obstacle course.

警察兰迪·格林向孩子们展示了他那乌黑发亮的摩托车，孩子们围着他，问有关他工作的问题，孩子们惊讶地看着警察骑着摩托车通过障碍场。

The children also got to learn about police horses. A police officer explained how to take care of the horses. She showed how the police train horses to ignore noises and other distractions 5.

孩子们还了解了警马，一名警察讲解如何照料马匹，她展示警察如何培训马无视噪音等分心的东西。

Afterward 6, the children got to ride one of the police horses.

然后孩子们还有机会骑马。

The young people also went on a series of special field trips. They visited a Secret Service training center. The Secret Service is the agency that protects President Obama and his family.

孩子们还进行了一系列特殊的实地参观，他们参观了特勤局培训中心，特勤局是负责保护总统奥巴马及其家人的机构。

The campers learned about espionage 7 on a visit to the Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

孩子们还在参观华盛顿间谍博物馆时了解了间谍活动。

The police also took the children to a courthouse to watch a real trial.

警察还带孩子们去法院观看了一场真实的审判。

There was also time for more usual camp activities -- swimming, bowling 8, and laser tag. But for many campers, it was the police activities that make them want to return.

还有一些常见的夏令营活动，包括游泳、保龄球和激光枪战。但对很多营员来说，让他们还想来参观的是警察的活动。

Eleven-year-old Kya Ebuwei attended Cops Camp for the second year.

11岁的Kya Ebuwei是第二年参加警察夏令营。

“I think it’s a really good idea to have the officers connect with the kids and give them the insight on their job and what they do, so we know why they’re protecting us and how much they love their job.”

“我想让警察和孩子们联系起来，让他们观察警察的工作，是很好的主意，这样我们就了解他们是如何保护我们的，知道他们有多么热爱自己的工作。”

Officer Lakeisha Robinson says each camper shows that Cops Camp for Kids is a success.

警察蕾珂莎·罗宾逊说每位营员都表示儿童警察夏令营活动是成功的。

"Even now, we have so many repeat campers that come back every year, and I just love it. It warms my heart because it’s telling me that I’m actually making a difference."

“甚至有很多老营员每年都回来参观，我很喜欢这个，让我感到温暖，因为这让我明白自己确实与众不同。”

Words in This Story

positive – adj. good or useful

amazement – n. a feeling of being very surprised or amazed

obstacle course – n. a series of objects that people or animals in a race have to jump or climb over, go around, go under, etc.

distractions – n. something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention

espionage – n. the things that are done to find out secrets from enemies or competitors: the activity of spying

insight – n. the ability to understand people and situations in a very clear way