英语沙龙：一月十五日 马丁·路德·金诞辰纪念日

Jan.15 Martin Luther King,Jr.'s Birthday

Born on this day in 1929,the African－American clergyman Dr.Martin Luther King,Jr.worked hard for civil rights in his native South and elsewhere.Preaching peace and sensibility,he was in the vanguard of many demonstrations¹ and rallies.In1963,during the massive March on Washington,King gave the famous “I Have a Dream” speech at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial.In the speech,King prophesied² a world in which his children “will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”King's assassination³ in April 1968 in Memphis,Tennessee,sent shock waves around the world.In succeeding years,various cities and then states made King's birthday a legal holiday.Now a national holiday in the United States,it serves as the focus for discussions,national as well as international,about the issues King held dear,and a bout⁴ the progress－－or lack of same－－achieved since King had his dream.

一月十五日 马丁·路德·金诞辰纪念日

美国黑人牧师马丁·路德·金博士生于１９２９年１月１５日。他在家乡美国南部、在全国各地，为争取黑人民权做了不懈的努力。他多次参加示威游行和群众集会，带头宣传和平与正义。１９６３年在“华盛顿大游行”中，金在林肯纪念碑前发表了著名的“我有一个梦想”的演说。在演说中，他曾预言一个世界的到来，在那个世界里，“将不是以他们的肤色，而是以他们的品格优劣来评价”他的孩子们。１９６８年４月，金在田纳西州孟菲斯市被暗杀，消息震惊了全世界。在此后的几年中，许多城市，接着又有许多州，将金的生日定为法定假日。现在这个日子已经是全美国的假日了。这一天，在美国国内乃至国际上，人们会聚焦于金所魂牵梦萦的问题，讨论自从金发表了演说之后他的梦想实现得怎么样，是有了进展，还是仍有差距。 

1 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。

2 prophesied   

v.预告，预言( prophesy的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She prophesied that she would win a gold medal. 她预言自己将赢得金牌。
• She prophesied the tragic outcome. 她预言有悲惨的结果。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

4 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。