VOA慢速英语 摩托车爱好者称我们不是罪犯

AS IT IS 2015-06-30 Motorcycle Lovers: We Are Not Criminals 摩托车爱好者称我们不是罪犯

Some law enforcement officials in the United States say motorcycle clubs are criminal gangs. Investigators¹ were especially critical of such clubs after a shooting in May in the southwestern city of Waco, Texas. Several groups of motorcyclists had gathered at a restaurant. There was a dispute, and members of competing clubs began shooting at each other. Nine people were killed and 18 others wounded.

But motorcyclists say they are not criminals and should not be treated as lawbreakers. Some of them note that they have been meeting for years without being charged with a crime.

Our story begins at the Hawg Stop restaurant and bar in Houston, Texas. A few hundred members of motorcycle clubs from the Houston area went there recently for food and drinks.

Police had said they would watch the situation closely. Yet there was no sign of police officers there, and the gathering² appeared peaceful.

Lawyer Joey Lester has represented motorcycle clubs from across the country. He says almost every time motorcyclists meet, the gathering is a peaceful event.

"We have had eight- or nine-thousand of them over the last 30 years. We have never had any problems -- even little problems -- at any of these meetings. That thing in Waco was an aberration³.”

Mr. Lester says it appears police overreacted when they arrested 170 people at the gathering in Waco. Police charged those they arrested with criminal conspiracy⁴.

“You are supposed to have evidence against each person in order to bring a charge like that against them, so what they did -- what law enforcement did there -- was a travesty⁵ of justice in my opinion.”

Some legal experts say police were justified⁶ in making mass arrests, given the disorder⁷ at the time of the shootings. Many of those arrested were released after appearing in court. They made a bond payment and promised to return when a trial date is set.

At the meeting in Houston and at a recent large gathering in Austin, Texas, there were no signs of tension between motorcycle groups.

Tracy White is a member of a biker club. She says the clubs welcome everyone.

“We don’t go by your race, we don’t go by your age -- none of that matters. Everything is transparent⁸; love is love.”

The meetings are well-organized and follow rules. Prayer is also part of the meetings. Reverend Rocky Summerfield operates a group called “We Will Ride Ministries⁹.”

“Some of these guys they don’t feel comfortable with a, a church setting, so we, this, this is our mission field.”

A member of the Wild Dillos club named “Slick” says he works at a bank during the week.

“Wearing a coat and tie, and on the weekends, I like to put my jeans on and my jacket and vest and ride my Harley (motorcycle).”

Clubs say some of their members include lawyers, doctors and bankers. Other members have low-paying jobs.

Some bikers belong to clubs with a rough reputation. They almost always wear black leather clothing. Their appearance might be frightening to an outsider. It is difficult to know just by looking at them which members are criminals and which are not.

Reverend Summerfield says most club members obey the law, love their country and pay their taxes.

“(It's) no different than a ladies tennis club. You know, they have an interest in playing tennis and whatever. We just have a big interest and camaraderie¹⁰ of riding motorcycles.”

Words in This Story

gang – n. a group of criminals

club – n. a group of people who meet for an activity

aberration – n. something (such as a problem or a type of behavior) that is unusual or unexpected

conspiracy – n. a plot

travesty of justice – idiom a miscarriage¹¹ of justice; an act of the legal system that is an insult to the system of justice

bond – n. the amount of money that someone promises to pay if a prisoner who is allowed to leave jail does not return later for a trial or to prison; an agreement to pay bail¹²

transparent – adj. honest and open; not secretive

setting – n. the place and conditions in which something happens or exists

mission field – idiomatic¹³ religious expression an activity during which, or a place where, religious workers seek to convert people to believe in the workers’ faith 

jeans – n. pants made of a strong cloth (called denim)

rough – adj. having a lot of crime or danger

reputation – n. the common opinion that people have about someone or something; the way in which people think of someone or something

leather – n. animal skin that is chemically treated to preserve it and that is used in making clothes, shoes or furniture

tennis – n. a game that is played by two people or two pairs of people on a special court (called a tennis court) where they hit a small ball back and forth¹⁴ over a net using rackets

camaraderie – n. a feeling of good friendship among the people in a group

1 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 aberration   

n.离开正路，脱离常规，色差

参考例句：

• The removal of the chromatic aberration is then of primary importance.这时消除色差具有头等重要性。
• Owing to a strange mental aberration he forgot his own name.由于一种莫名的精神错乱，他把自己的名字忘了。

4 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。

5 travesty   

n.歪曲，嘲弄，滑稽化

参考例句：

• The trial was a travesty of justice.这次审判嘲弄了法律的公正性。
• The play was,in their view,a travesty of the truth.这个剧本在他们看来是对事实的歪曲。

6 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

7 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

8 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

9 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

10 camaraderie   

n.同志之爱，友情

参考例句：

• The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable.同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。
• Some bosses are formal and have occasional interactions,while others prefer continual camaraderie.有些老板很刻板，偶尔才和下属互动一下；有些则喜欢和下属打成一片。

11 miscarriage   

n.失败，未达到预期的结果；流产

参考例句：

• The miscarriage of our plans was a great blow.计划的失败给我们以巨大的打击。
• Women who smoke are more to have a miscarriage.女性吸烟者更容易流产。

12 bail   

v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人

参考例句：

• One of the prisoner's friends offered to bail him out.犯人的一个朋友答应保释他出来。
• She has been granted conditional bail.她被准予有条件保释。

13 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

14 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。