VOA慢速英语2014 80年后,仍然有数百万人逃离恶魔岛

 

80 Years Later, Millions Still Escape from Alcatraz 80年后,仍然有数百万人逃离恶魔岛

In 1934, U.S. officials wondered where to put the country’s most dangerous prisoners. They found a place on an island in the harbor¹ of the city of San Francisco, California. It was officially called Alcatraz Federal² Penitentiary³, but everyone called it “The Rock.”

Alcatraz was a military prison from the late 1850s until the 1930s. When the first group of federal prisoners arrived on August 11, 1934, “The Rock” opened for business. The prisoners were considered the country’s worst criminals. They included murderers⁴, bank robbers⁵ and kidnappers⁶. One of the main reasons federal officials chose Alcatraz Island to detain⁷ these prisoners was because they thought it would be impossible for the prisoners to escape.

Cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. Also, the distance between the island and San Francisco is too far for most humans to swim. No prisoner was ever officially reported to have successfully escaped.

However, in 1962, three men broke out of the prison. Each man worked very hard at night for many months to cut through the stone wall of his cell. They made false heads out of paper, paint and hair. On the night of June 11th, the men placed the heads in their beds to make it look as if they were sleeping. Then, the prisoners escaped through the holes in their cells to get to the water. The men were never seen or heard from again. It is believed that they drowned while trying to swim to San Francisco.

The prison closed in 1963 because of the high cost of keeping prisoners there and the need for major repairs. The last prisoners were moved to other jails⁸.

In 1972, the United States Congress⁹ passed a bill creating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Alcatraz Island and the old prison are part of this area.

Each year, more than one million people visit Alcatraz to see the prisoners’ cells and listen to stories about the jail’s history. But unlike the prisoners who once lived there, visitors can escape from the prison whenever they want and return back across the harbor to San Francisco.

Today, the U.S. government houses the country’s most dangerous criminals in a “super max” prison at Florence, Colorado. Its unofficial name is “Alcatraz of the Rockies.”

1 harbor   

n.海港，港口；vt.庇护，藏匿；心怀(怨恨等)

参考例句：

• The harbor lies to the south of the city.港口在城市的南边。
• At that time,our ship was tied up at this harbor.当时我们的船停靠在这个港口。

2 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

3 penitentiary   

n.感化院；监狱

参考例句：

• He worked as a warden at the state penitentiary.他在这所州监狱任看守长。
• While he was in the penitentiary her father died and the family broke up.他坐牢的时候，她的父亲死了，家庭就拆散了。

4 murderers   

n.谋杀犯，凶手( murderer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The murderers lurked behind the trees. 谋杀者埋伏在树后。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hollywood films misrepresented us as drunks, maniacs and murderers. 好莱坞电影把我们歪曲成酒鬼、疯子和杀人凶手。 来自辞典例句

5 robbers   

n.抢劫者，强盗，盗贼( robber的名词复数 )；盗匪

参考例句：

• The robbers fled empty-handed. 抢劫犯一无所获地逃走了。
• The policeman discharged his gun at the fleeing robbers. 警察向逃跑的强盗开了枪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 kidnappers   

n.拐子，绑匪( kidnapper的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They were freed yesterday by their kidnappers unharmed. 他们昨天被绑架者释放了，没有受到伤害。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The kidnappers had threatened to behead all four unless their jailed comrades were released. 帮匪们曾经威胁说如果印度方面不释放他们的同伙，他们就要将这四名人质全部斩首。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 detain   

vt.拘留，扣留，留住，耽搁

参考例句：

• The act allows police to detain a suspect for up to 48 hours.该法令允许警方将嫌疑犯扣押最多48小时。
• Allow me to detain you for a moment.请允许我耽误你一会。

8 jails   

监狱( jail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Accounts of cruel tortures in the jails of the reactionary government would curl one's hair. 关于反动政府监狱里酷刑情况的介绍听了会叫人毛骨悚然。
• The jails were full of prominent citizens and there they stayed without hope of early trial. 监狱里关满了有声望的市民，他们待在那里没有获得早日审判的希望。

9 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。