VOA慢速英语2016 国家大教堂移除邦联旗的玻璃

AS IT IS 2016-06-12 National Cathedral to Remove Glass Images of Confederate Flags 国家大教堂移除邦联旗的玻璃

Two flags will be removed from two separate stained glass windows at the Washington National Cathedral, cathedral representatives said recently.

华盛顿国家大教堂的两个花窗玻璃上的旗子会被移除，教堂的发言人近日说道。

The flags are stained glass reproductions of the flag of the Confederate States of America. They will be replaced with plain glass on windows honoring two Confederate generals: Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Robert E. Lee.

花窗玻璃上的旗子是美利坚联盟国的旗帜。替代它们的将是两面平面玻璃，以纪念联邦将军“石墙”托马斯·杰克逊和罗伯特·李。

The Confederacy was a group of 11 southern states.They withdrew from the Union after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860.

美利坚联盟国由美国南部11个州组成。 1860年亚伯拉罕·林肯当选总统后它们就从美利坚合众国分裂出去了。

At the time, the southern United States was largely agricultural, and depended on slave labor¹. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery.The federal government rejected the claims of the southern states. The conflict led to the civil war, which lasted from 1861 to 1865.

那时候美国南方主要是农业，并且依赖奴隶的劳动。而林肯反对奴隶制。 美国联邦政府拒绝了南方各州的要求。 这一冲突导致了1861年至1865年的内战。

Today, many Americans say the Confederate flag represents racism², slavery and rebellion.But others see the flag as a sign of the South, one that honors the area’s history.

现在许多美国人认为邦联旗代表了种族歧视，奴隶制和叛乱。但是有些人认为它代表了美国南部，也纪念了这一地区的历史。

The removal of the stained-glass flags from the Washington National Cathedral is meant to start a discussion on racism and the legacy³ of slavery, says the Reverend Kelly Brown Douglas.She is a member of the task force that proposed the removal of the flags.The group will consider what to do with the windows in the next two years.

移除华盛顿国家大教堂内邦联旗的玻璃意味着开始讨论种族歧视和奴隶制的遗留问题， 教士凯利·布朗·道格拉斯说道。她是建议移除邦联旗工作小组的一员。这个小组未来两年内会考虑怎样处理两个窗户。

The public display of the Confederate flag has been subject to debates since the June 2015 killing⁴ of nine blacks at a church in South Carolina. The white man charged in the attack had his picture taken with a Confederate battle flag before the shootings.

由于2015年6月南卡罗来纳州有9名黑人死在一个教堂， 邦联旗的公开展览仍有待讨论。此次被指控的白人在枪机事件发生前曾和邦联旗拍了一张照片。

Recently, the states of South Carolina and Alabama stopped displaying and flying the Confederate flag on public grounds. And some businesses have stopped selling the flag at their stores.

近期南卡罗来纳州和阿拉巴马州已经停止在公开场合展示悬挂邦联旗帜。 一些商店也停止售卖邦联旗帜。

Words in This Story

stained – adj. of or relating to use of special liquid to change the color of something

legacy – n. something that happened in the past or that comes from someone in the past

display – v. to put something where people can see it

institution – n. an established organization

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

3 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。