高中英语第二册课本朗读16-a

　　THE AMERICAN SOUTH

       Ever since the Civil War, the South has struggled to find ways to deal with its troubled past. The history of the South is one of suffering: the suffering of the Native Americans who were killed or driven off their land by European settlers; the pains of slaves brought from Africa by greedy slave traders; the death and poverty of the Civil War; the hardships of unemployment and civil unrest in the post-war years and the Great Depression; the many sacrifices of the Civil Rights Movement. The wounds are slow to heal¹ and the scars² run deep. Even today, the South is far behind the rest of the United States in areas such as education and economic development.
But the story of the South is also one of hope and success. There are signs that a new, different South is coming out of its dark past. Atlanta, Georgia, is a good example. Like many of its sister cities in the South, Atlanta was burnt down in the Civil War. The city was destroyed and there was no money for reconstruction³. In fact, when the new mayor⁴ of Atlanta started working in 1864, the city hand only ＄1.64. The post-war years were hard and the people of Atlanta struggled to rebuild the city and create a new South where former slaves and slave-owners could live together.
Atlanta quickly recovered from the destruction⁵ caused by the Civil War. In only five years, most of the city had been rebuilt and Atlanta began to grow again. Despite the hardships of the post-war years and the Great Depression, the people of Atlanta continued to develop the area, both economically and socially. The were signs that the new Atlanta would be different: Atlanta’s African community grew and black businesses became more successful.
It was also in Atlanta that one of the great leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, was born. Dr King grew up in a city where nearly half the population was black, but where segregation⁶ took away many of their rights. The in justices in the city and in the South led Dr King to organize non-violent demonstrations⁷ aimed at ending segregation. The city saw a series of fierce fights between blacks and whites in the 1960s and Dr King was shot and killed in 1968. His funeral was shown on television and millions of Americans watched as people marched through Atlanta in honour of Dr King’s efforts were not in vain, however. Segregation eventually disappeared and a new dawn seemed to arrive. Slowly but surely, Atlanta was becoming a successful city proud of its cultural diversity.
In 1996, the city was the host of the Olympic Games, an honour the city shares with great cities such as Sydney and Beijing. During the Olympic Games, the eyes of the world were on Atlanta and the city was proud to display its new image. Modern Atlanta is a booming⁸ business centre and the home of some of the largest and most successful companies in America. Like many other Southern cities, Atlanta is representative of the new South, a place where hope and faith have replaced fear and doubt.
The South still has many problems to deal with, but the people there are determined⁹ to make a new beginning. Today, the South is known for its friendly atmosphere, and Atlanta, Birmingham, Miami, and Little Rock are once again becoming commercial and cultural centres of the nation.

1 heal   

v.使愈合，治愈，使康复；平息(争吵等)；消除，解决(分支等)

参考例句：

• Time helped heal the old wounds.时间有助于治愈旧创伤。
• This wound will soon heal if yon keep it clean.如果你保持伤口清洁，它很快就会痊愈。

2 scars   

n.伤痕( scar的名词复数 )；精神上的创伤；有损外观的地方；裸岩

参考例句：

• Slowly the war scars faded. 战争的创伤慢慢地消失了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I've got scars from head to toe in tribute to my courage. 为了嘉奖我的胆量，我得到浑身的伤疤。 来自辞典例句

3 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

4 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

5 destruction   

n.破坏，毁灭，消灭

参考例句：

• The enemy bombs caused widespread destruction.敌人的炸弹造成大面积的破坏。
• Overconfidence was his destruction.自负是他垮台的原因。

6 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

7 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

8 booming   

adj.急速发展的v.激增( boom的现在分词 )；猛涨；发出隆隆声；以低沉有力的声音说话

参考例句：

• The opera singer has a deep, booming, masculine voice. 这位歌剧演唱家有一副深沉而又浑厚有力的嗓音。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He is booming as a teacher. 作为一位教师，他日趋成功。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 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。