时间:2019-02-24 作者:英语课 分类:经济学人文艺系列


英语课

   Race in America


  美国种族问题
  The fury of Ferguson
  弗格森市的暴怒
  Race is America's deepest problem, but multiple small changes can mitigate 1 it
  种族问题是美国最根深蒂固的问题,但各种细微的改变可以使之缓解。
  RIOTS are rarely so widely anticipated. By 8pm on November 24th, when the prosecutor 2 in Ferguson, Missouri, announced the grand jury's decision not to charge a police officer with a crime for shooting an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, cops in riot gear were already in place and barriers surrounded municipal buildings. Mr Brown's parents and Barack Obama called for calm. Yet soon America's TV screens were full of burning police cars, crowds coughing on tear gas, and young black men throwing bricks and smashing shops. America's history of racial injustice 3 looked as potent 4 as ever.
  人们通常很难预测什么时候会发生暴动。11月24日晚8点,当密苏里州弗格森市的检察官宣布大陪审团的决定:不起诉向手无寸铁的黑人青年Michael Brown开枪的警察,穿戴了防暴装备的警察已经整装待命,并在市政大楼周围安置围栏。Brown的父母和奥巴马总统要求双方冷静。然而很快地,美国各大电视的屏幕上都播放了燃烧的警车、人群在催泪弹中咳嗽、黑人青年投掷砖块砸烂商店。美国少数族裔难求公正的历史似乎又再一次清晰地展现在世界面前。
  美国种族问题.jpg
  That would be the wrong conclusion to draw. Looking back at the riots in Los Angeles in 1992 that followed the acquittal of four white police officers who had savagely 5 beaten a black motorist, Rodney King, a lot has changed. America has a black president. The LA riots, which left 53 dead, happened in one of America's great cities, and sparked violence in others. This time the focus was a struggling suburb; in Los Angeles black teenagers protested peacefully alongside white ones.
  这种结论是错误的。回顾1992年发生在洛杉矶的暴乱,起因是4个白人警察残忍地殴打了一个黑人摩托车手Rodney King,自此之后很多事情都改变了。美国有了黑人总统。这起暴乱发生在美国最大的城市之一洛杉矶,导致了53人死亡,暴力也蔓延到了其他城市。这一次焦点落在了麻烦不断的市郊;洛杉矶事件中黑人青年和白人一起和平地进行示威活动。
  Blacks plainly still suffer prejudice across America: they account for 86% of the vehicle stops made by police in Ferguson. But America's race problem is increasingly one of class. Blacks' biggest problem is now poverty, which is most visible in places such as Ferguson. Like many post-war suburbs across America, Ferguson is stuck between the prosperous white exurbs of St Louis and the city's somewhat revitalized centre. In 1990 its population was three-quarters white; by 2010, it had become two-thirds black. The sub-prime mortgage crisis hit it hard. Many of its homeowners still owe more than they own.
  很明显黑人在美国忍受着偏见:弗格森市86%被警察叫停的汽车都是黑人驾驶。但是美国的种族问题日益突出远不止如此。黑人现在最大的问题是贫困,这一点在像弗格森市这种地方很明显。和其他战后的美国市郊一样,弗格森市被夹在繁荣富裕的圣路易斯白人远郊社区与或多或少获得振兴的市中心之间。1990年,该市人口有四分之三是白人;到了2010年,黑人已经占了三分之二。次贷危机给它带来的打击是沉重的。很多房主仍然资不抵债。
  Solving the problems of places like Ferguson is less about passing more anti-discrimination laws than about rekindling 6 economic growth and spreading the proceeds. But there are also ways of making politics and policing work better that would contribute greatly to racial harmony in America.
  解决弗格森市问题的方法不在于实施更多反歧视法案,而应该重新振兴经济增长并增加居民收入。但也有一些更好的安保工作方法能促进美国的种族和谐。
  The police are not an army
  警察不是军队
  Ferguson's political institutions have not kept up with its demography 7. Of the city's six-member council, five are white. The hapless mayor, James Knowles, is a white Republican who was re-elected in 2013 in an election in which fewer than one in eight eligible 8 voters turned out. He is in charge of the police force, in which three out of 53 officers are black. Such disparities feed the belief—held by blacks across the country—that both justice and law-enforcement systems are racist 9.
  弗格森市的政治制度并没有跟上其人口的发展。市政委员6个人中有5个是白人。James Knowles这个倒霉的市长是个白人共和党员,在2013年的一次投票参与率不到八分之一的选举中再次当选的。他掌管市区警力,其中53个警官中只有3个是黑人。如此的不平衡让全美境内的黑人都相信——不管是司法系统还是执法系统都是种族歧视的。
  Police brutality 10 reinforces that belief. If there was one lesson from the attack on Rodney King, it was that police officers should behave like civilians 11, not an occupying army. Around 500 people were killed last year by the police—though since nobody counts, nobody really knows.
  警方的野蛮行为也加剧了这种观念。如果说能从Rodney King事件中学到什么教训的话,应该就是警察应该像一个市民而非一个占领军人。去年大约有500人被警察杀死——尽管自此之后没有人再统计过,也没有人真的知道。
  In Ferguson, bad policies help to explain why distrust turns to anger. Take, for example, the way the town is financed. In 2013 a fifth of Ferguson's general revenues—some $2.6m, in a city of 21,000 people—were derived 12 from fines and asset confiscation 13. That is equivalent to $124 a year for every man, woman and child in the city. Paying fines, even for minor 14 traffic offences, can involve queuing for hours. Those who miss court dates can be jailed until they pay, accumulating more fines along the way. Slowly but surely, the justice system has become an elaborate mechanism 15 for criminalising poverty.
  在弗格森市,错误的政策导致不信任演变成愤怒。比如该镇的财政政策。2013年,拥有21000人口的弗格森市五分之一的财政收入——约260万美元,是来自于罚款和不动产收缴,相当于人均124美元,无论男女还是儿童都包括在内。即便是为最轻微的交通违规支付罚款也要排数小时的队。那些算错了日子的人可能会被关起来直到交钱为止,期间还会累积更多的罚款。越来越肯定的是,司法系统已经成为一个为惩罚因贫犯罪的人们而精心设置的体系。
  Smaller cities should stop using their police forces and courts as tax-collectors. Police shootings should be taken much more seriously, and the federal government should stop enabling small police forces to buy military-grade weapons. Proper gun control laws would help: policemen who fear they will be shot are more likely to kill suspects. In their absence, body-mounted cameras might constrain 16 police behaviour.
  小城市应该停止把警察和法院作为收税机器的做法。警察开枪应该被更认真地对待,联邦政府也应该阻止小范围的执法警察购买军队级别的武器。适当的枪支控制法应该会有帮助;害怕歹徒先开枪的警察更有可能击毙嫌犯。如果不能用以上的办法,随身摄像头应该能限制警察的行为。
  Efforts should also be made to increase voter turnout. Ferguson, like many small cities, holds its municipal elections at odd times in odd-numbered years, when little else is on the ballot 17. If they coincided with national elections, more people would be paying attention. And attempts to restrict voting—by banning Sunday polls, restricting voting hours and requiring people to produce ID—should be resisted.
  除此之外也应该努力增加投票人的参与率。就像其他小城市一样,弗格森市在奇数年会偶尔举行市政选举,但很少有其他人会参与选举。如果正好时间赶上国家大选,会有更多的人关注。其他限制投票的做法——比如禁止周日民意调查、限制投票时间、要求人们出示身份证明等——应该叫停。
  Such measures will not inspire great speeches. But the fact that the answers to America's racial problems now lie in a more vibrant 18 economy and the nitty gritty of politics and policing is itself a form of progress.
  这些措施听起来并不激动人心。但现实是,解决美国种族问题的关键取决于更有活力的经济和具体的政策,而治安管理本身则是一种进步。
  1.call for 需要;要求
  例句:Other factors also call for care by regulators.
  还有其它一些因素需要监管部门的关注。
  2.economic growth 经济增长
  例句:Trade liberalization is the engine of economic growth.
  贸易自由化是经济增长的发动机。
  3.contribute to 捐献;促成
  例句:Banks contribute to the real economy in other ways.
  银行为实体经济做贡献是通过其他途径。
  4.keep up with 跟上;齐肩并进
  例句:Even well-established companies can scarcely keep up with demand.
  即便是知名企业,也很难跟上此种需求。

vt.(使)减轻,(使)缓和
  • The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
  • Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。
n.起诉人;检察官,公诉人
  • The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
  • The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利
  • They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
  • All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。
adj.强有力的,有权势的;有效力的
  • The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
  • We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。
adv. 野蛮地,残酷地
  • The roses had been pruned back savagely. 玫瑰被狠狠地修剪了一番。
  • He snarled savagely at her. 他向她狂吼起来。
v.使再燃( rekindle的现在分词 )
  • There might be a rekindling of the kind of nationalistic fervour of yesteryear. 过去的国家主义狂热可能再次被点燃。 来自互联网
  • Bryant and O'Neal on the floor at the same time, rekindling memories both good and bad. 科比和奥尼尔在地板上在同一时间,死灰复燃的回忆有好有坏。 来自互联网
n.人口统计,人口学
  • Demography is the analysis of population variables.人口学是对人口变量的分析。
  • It was once a rule of demography that people have fewer children as their countries get richer.按人口统计学的一贯规律,一个国家里的人民越富有,他们所拥有的孩子就越少。
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
  • He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
  • Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。
n.种族主义者,种族主义分子
  • a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
  • His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。
n.野蛮的行为,残忍,野蛮
  • The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
  • a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军
平民,百姓( civilian的名词复数 ); 老百姓
  • the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
  • At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后,至少有300名平民下落不明。
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取
  • Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
n. 没收, 充公, 征收
  • Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels. 没收一切流亡分子和叛乱分子的财产。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
  • Confiscation of smuggled property is part of the penalty for certain offences. 没收走私财产是对某些犯罪予以惩罚的一部分。
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修
  • The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
  • I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
n.机械装置;机构,结构
  • The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
  • The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。
vt.限制,约束;克制,抑制
  • She tried to constrain herself from a cough in class.上课时她竭力忍住不咳嗽。
  • The study will examine the factors which constrain local economic growth.这项研究将考查抑制当地经济发展的因素。
n.(不记名)投票,投票总数,投票权;vi.投票
  • The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
  • The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。
adj.震颤的,响亮的,充满活力的,精力充沛的,(色彩)鲜明的
  • He always uses vibrant colours in his paintings. 他在画中总是使用鲜明的色彩。
  • She gave a vibrant performance in the leading role in the school play.她在学校表演中生气盎然地扮演了主角。
标签: 经济学人
学英语单词
-rubicin
A-side
acceleration polygon
aders
Apios tuberosa
Arcachon, Bassin d'
Askol'd, Banka
ayness
baby's room
balm cricket
basic sediment and water
capsulizes
car approaching gong
Caverject
celestial poles
cell aging
central thimble
Cesis
charge coupled device sun sensor
coil radiator
colourizations
corpus spongiosum penis
crassulent
CRHV
detail paper
dextran-150
diplomat
doormats
Drâa el Mizan
Embelia rudis
eneamines
episode analysis
excrementitious
exhaustion of groundwater resources
existing road
fetal-origins
fin skeleton
fixed savings deposits
fluorescent body
fok
foon
Fort Hall
frondless
gabbiness
gabbroite
Handelia trichophylla
haybird
hengelsby
high-productivity
hockey coaches
in-cars
induction of labor with bougie
informative marking
input/output transfer
interleafs
kilion
lahey
marine phytocytology
methanofuran
metric fine thread
ministerly
Nantulo
Niger
one-chip product
order close-out options
out-of-process debugging
peripheral arteriosclerosis
permissive release
plumb bob
propped up
purchase of services
put a stitches in
rate of flow meter
remeditate
rhabdophis swinhonis
rihga
Roubaisian
saccharization
sample preparation by recoil
segmented condensation method
septic necrosis
simplyconnected
sintered bearing bronze
sodium chloroplatinite
sooked
struck capacity
supervacaneal
sweeping molder's horse
Talmudist
tangent pump
tetragnatha maxillosa
to some tune
total turns of steering wheel
tumbled over
unable to do anything with
verruca acuminatas
window scattering
Wirrulla
word-matchings
year-end variance
yeve
Zanaki