VOA标准英语2015--美国城市保护民权遗产促进旅游业发展

US Civil Rights Heritage Aimed as Tourist Draw 美国城市保护民权遗产促进旅游业发展

ATLANTA, GEORGIA—

In the U.S. South, some communities are trying to capitalize on histories linked to the civil rights movement. They’re embracing sometimes-painful memories to educate visitors and lure¹ tourist dollars.

In Atlanta, Georgia, former Mayor Shirley Franklin cherishes the personal letters of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., housed at the city's newest civil rights landmark².

"I think that gives people a much fuller understanding of who he was and what influenced him," she said of the collection.

Franklin spearheaded efforts to secure King's papers and build the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, which opened in June 2014.

"I thought it would be a success, because I thought we were filling a gap in American history and certainly Atlanta history,” she said. “It is certainly very hard to find this much about civil rights in one place in Atlanta."

More than 1 million people visit civil rights attractions in Atlanta, one of many U.S. communities that are embracing the dark chapters of their past.

Andrew Young, another former mayor, was prominent in the civil rights movement and worked with King. He called Atlanta “one of the leading cities for civil rights tourism. I mean, that is our civil rights legacy³."

Each month, thousands visit Atlanta – the site of many civil rights battles from at least 50 years ago – to see dozens of historic sites. Among them are Ebenezer Baptist Church, where both King and his father served as pastors⁴, the home in which MLK Jr. was born, and the King Center, established by the leader’s family.

Alabama highlights history

In neighboring Alabama, communities from the capital, Montgomery, to Birmingham, Selma and Tuskegee are trying to capitalize on their civil rights history.

"Alabama recognizes that civil rights is an engine for economic growth and development, said Fred Gray, an activist⁵. “We need to preserve that history.”

In 1960, Gray argued a case before the U.S. Supreme⁶ Court, successfully showing that electoral district boundaries of Macon County, Georgia, violated the Constitution by deliberately⁷ disenfranchising black voters. He also obtained the court order for the second of three related marches from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.

Gray founded the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural⁸ Center in 1997 to showcase "triumphs and tragedies," as its website says.

The city is home to Tuskegee University, linked to an infamous⁹ clinical study – conducted from 1932 to 1972 – in which it collaborated¹⁰ with the U.S. Public Health Service to determine the impact of untreated syphilis. The study enrolled¹¹ 600 impoverished¹² sharecroppers, who were given free medical care, meals and burial insurance for their participation¹³. Of them, 399 had the disease. But, even after penicillin¹⁴ was proved effective in treating the sexually transmitted disease in the 1940s, researchers intentionally¹⁵ failed to provide it to the study’s subjects. In 1997, then-President Bill Clinton formally apologized for the government’s actions at a White House ceremony for surviving study participants.

Sites tap emotions

For tourists, visiting civil rights sites can be an emotional experience.

"You can feel the effort and the empowerment, the effect that [civil rights activists] fought here,” said one young man visiting Selma in spring to mark the 50th anniversary of a march that became a turning point in the civil rights movement.

On March 7, 1965, state troopers and other law enforcement personnel used tear gas and billy clubs as on some 600 unarmed marchers set out from Selma to Montgomery to demand voting rights. The day became known as Bloody¹⁶ Sunday.

"You can just feel all the emotions and feelings," the young man said.

"So many people want to know, so many people need to know, our children need to know their history in order to go forward," said Gloria Cowan, another tourist visiting the site.

Back in Atlanta, plans are already underway to expand the Civil Rights Center and develop more programs for young people.

"A lot of these events took place before they came of age politically,” said Alan Abramowitz, an Emory University professor of political science. “… It is important to have that legacy preserved for posterity¹⁷. "

1 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

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 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

5 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

6 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

7 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

8 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

9 infamous   

adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的

参考例句：

• He was infamous for his anti-feminist attitudes.他因反对女性主义而声名狼藉。
• I was shocked by her infamous behaviour.她的无耻行径令我震惊。

10 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

11 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

14 penicillin   

n.青霉素，盘尼西林

参考例句：

• I should have asked him for a shot of penicillin.我应当让他给我打一针青霉素的。
• Penicillin was an extremely significant medical discovery.青霉素是极其重要的医学发现。

15 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

16 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

17 posterity   

n.后裔，子孙，后代

参考例句：

• Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
• The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。