VOA常速英语2021--白人警察跪杀弗洛伊德的审判开始陪审团遴选

This is VOA news. Via remote, I'm Marissa Melton. Jury selection begins Monday in the second degree of murder and manslaughter trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police officer who pressed his knee into the neck of George Floyd last year just before the African-American man died in police custody¹. Chauvin's trial is expected to come down to two key questions: Did Chauvin's actions cause Floyd's death and were his actions reasonable? Floyd was declared dead May 25, 2020 after Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for about nine minutes. Floyd's death led to protests against racial violence in Minneapolis and elsewhere around the country. Friction² between the administration of then U.S. President Donald Trump³ and protesters outside the White House led the mayor of Washington D.C., Muriel Bowser, to declare a street adjacent to the White House as Black Lives Matter Plaza⁴.

欢迎收听美国之音新闻。我是玛丽莎·梅尔顿，为您远程报道。星期一，明尼阿波利斯警察德里克·乔文二级谋杀和过失杀人的审判开始了陪审团的遴选。去年，乔文用膝盖抵住乔治·弗洛伊德的脖子，杀害了这位处于警方拘押中的非裔美国人。乔文的审判预计将归结为两个关键问题：乔文的行为是否导致弗洛伊德死亡，他的行为是否合理？弗洛伊德于2020年5月25日被宣布死亡，当时，白人警察乔文用膝盖抵住弗洛伊德的脖子约9分钟。弗洛伊德之死在明尼阿波利斯和美国其他地方引发了反对种族暴力的抗议活动。时任美国总统特朗普政府与白宫外的抗议者之间的摩擦，致使华盛顿特区市长穆里尔·鲍瑟宣布白宫附近的一条街道为黑人的命也是命广场。

U.S. President Joe Biden directed federal agencies on Sunday to take modest steps to promote voting access as a major congressional fight looms⁵ over voting rights across the country. U.S. President Joe Biden directed federal agencies on Sunday to take modest steps to promote voting access as a major congressional fight looms over voting rights across the country. The U.S. leader signed the executive order on the 56th anniversary of "Bloody⁶ Sunday." The name refers to a 1965 incident in Selma, Alabama, in which about 600 civil rights activists⁷ were beaten by state troopers as they marched to call for protection of voting rights. The demonstration⁸ led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act later in 1965. More on that at our website voanews.com. This is VOA news.

美国总统拜登星期天指示联邦机构采取适度措施，扩大投票权限，尽管国会在全国各地的投票权问题上的一场重大斗争迫在眉睫。 拜登命令政府机构扩大选民登记和选举信息的获取。他还要求该机构负责人制定计划，让数百万联邦雇员有时间投票或自愿担任无党派投票工作者。这位美国领导人在“血腥星期天”56周年纪念日签署了这项行政命令。“血腥星期天”指的是1965年在阿拉巴马州塞尔马发生的一起事件，当时大约600名民权活动人士在游行呼吁保护投票权时遭到州警殴打。这次示威活动导致1965年晚些时候通过了《投票权法》。您可以通过voanews.com浏览更多新闻。欢迎收听美国之音新闻。

1 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

2 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

3 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

4 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

5 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 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。

7 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》

8 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。