VOA标准英语2015--对话有助于搭建洛杉矶居民与警察的沟通桥梁

 

Dialogue Helps LA Residents, Police Build Bridges 对话有助于搭建洛杉矶居民与警察的沟通桥梁

LOS ANGELES—

Tensions have flared¹ between police and African Americans around the United States, after a series of confrontations³ and controversial shootings of young black men. But some police departments are working to build bridges. In South Los Angeles, community leaders say the effort is helping⁴ in one neighborhood with a history of violence.

Captain Phillip Tingirides is responding to a call from a woman assaulted by her boyfriend.  

The information is sketchy⁵, but police locate the site, question the victim and later apprehend⁶ the suspect.

Just days ago, a young man was shot and killed after a confrontation² with gang members in a nearby parking lot.

“Somebody came in here from that gang and just arbitrarily starting shooting people,” said Tingirides.

Candles mark a street-side memorial for one of two women recently murdered, whose bodies were left burning on the street. It happened around the corner from a road grimly called Death Alley⁷.

Violent crime in Los Angeles has risen for the first time in a decade. But the murder rate has dropped dramatically from levels 20 years ago, partly because of outreach by police. Outreach has included activities like mentoring⁸ kids and coaching their football teams.

“It gave our officers -- who really only responded to bad situations where we get called and they see the worst part of people at their worst moment -- [a chance] to see a different side of the community,” said Tingirides.

Problems are longstanding between this minority community and police. The streets of South Los Angeles erupted in violence in the Watts⁹ Riots of 1965, and again in 1992, both times in protest over treatment of black men by police.

Weekly meetings of the Watts Gang Task Force bring together local leaders and police for regular dialogue. Every day, special police units patrol public housing projects as part of a community safety partnership¹⁰. Police sergeant¹¹ Emada Tingirides, the wife of Captain Tingirides, coordinates¹² the program. She is black and he is white, and the biracial couple is well known to residents.   

Emada Tingirides said relations have improved here in her 20 years with the department.

“There were times when you could only go into the public housing developments with a minimum of four officers, because officers were shot at. We were constantly going back and forth¹³ violently with the community,” she recalled.

The housing projects are also safer because of help from activists¹⁴ like Cynthia Mendenhall. A gang member in her youth, she later lost two sons to the violence.

“If you do not have people like us in place all over the United States - New York, Chicago, Detroit, wherever [there are] these police shootings, in front of the people, in between the police department, it will never work,” said Mendenhall.

A controversial shooting in August angered residents. Los Angeles police shot Ezell Ford¹⁵, an unarmed 25-year-old black man, and they later said he had tried to wrestle¹⁶ a gun from one of the officers. The family disputes the account and the investigation¹⁷ continues. 

But most in the community refuse to turn to violence, said Perry Crouch¹⁸ of the Watts Gang Task Force. He looks to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. for inspiration.

“That was not his dream. His dream was to snatch down the walls of racism¹⁹ and prejudice, and we will all bind²⁰ together as God's children,” said Crouch.

He said while the dream has not been realized in South Los Angeles, through dialogue, the goal is getting closer.

1 Flared   

adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The match flared and went out. 火柴闪亮了一下就熄了。
• The fire flared up when we thought it was out. 我们以为火已经熄灭，但它突然又燃烧起来。

2 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

3 confrontations   

n.对抗，对抗的事物( confrontation的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At times, this potential has escalated into actual confrontations. 有时，这一矛盾升级为实际的对抗。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• These confrontations and uncertainties were bing played out for the first time on a global scale. 所有这一切对抗和不稳定，第一次在全球范围内得到充分的表演。 来自辞典例句

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 sketchy   

adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的

参考例句：

• The material he supplied is too sketchy.他提供的材料过于简略。
• Details of what actually happened are still sketchy.对于已发生事实的详细情况知道的仍然有限。

6 apprehend   

vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑

参考例句：

• I apprehend no worsening of the situation.我不担心局势会恶化。
• Police have not apprehended her killer.警察还未抓获谋杀她的凶手。

7 alley   

n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路

参考例句：

• We live in the same alley.我们住在同一条小巷里。
• The blind alley ended in a brick wall.这条死胡同的尽头是砖墙。

8 mentoring   

n.mentoring是一种工作关系。mentor通常是处在比mentee更高工作职位上的有影响力的人。他/她有比‘mentee’更丰富的工作经验和知识，并用心支持mentee的职业（发展）。v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• One of the most effective instruments for coaching and mentoring is the "role rehearsal" . 辅导和教学的最有效的手段之一是“角色排练。” 来自辞典例句
• Bell Canada called their mentoring system a buddy-buddy system. 加拿大贝尔公司称他们的训导系统是伙伴—伙伴系统。 来自互联网

9 watts   

（电力计量单位）瓦，瓦特( watt的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• My lamp uses 60 watts; my toaster uses 600 watts. 我的灯用60瓦，我的烤面包器用600瓦。
• My lamp uses 40 watts. 我的灯40瓦。

10 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

11 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

12 coordinates   

n.相配之衣物；坐标( coordinate的名词复数 )；（颜色协调的）配套服装；[复数]女套服；同等重要的人（或物）v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的第三人称单数 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• The town coordinates on this map are 695037. 该镇在这幅地图上的坐标是695037。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。

14 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

16 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

17 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

18 crouch   

v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏

参考例句：

• I crouched on the ground.我蹲在地上。
• He crouched down beside him.他在他的旁边蹲下来。

19 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。

20 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。