美国国家公共电台 NPR--A statue honoring Mary McLeod Bethune is unveiled at the U.S. capitol

A statue honoring Mary McLeod Bethune is unveiled at the U.S. capitol

Transcript¹

Educator and civil rights activist² Mary McLeod Bethune makes history as the first Black person to have a state-commissioned statue in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, replacing a confederate statue.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Mary McLeod Bethune was a civil rights activist and the daughter of former slaves. Now her statue stands in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall. She's the first African American to be honored there. From member station WMFE in Orlando, Danielle Prieur reports.

DANIELLE PRIEUR, BYLINE³: Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator, activist and founder⁴ of Bethune-Cookman University, or BCU. That's a historically Black college in Daytona Beach. The 11-foot-tall statue of her was designed by a Latina sculptor⁵, another first for statues in Statuary Hall. Nilda Comas⁶ carved it from white marble excavated⁷ from Michelangelo's cave in Tuscany. Tasha Youmans, who's dean of BCU's library, says the sculpture captures Bethune. She wears a graduation cap and gown and holds a black rose in one hand. It was her favorite flower.

TASHA YOUMANS: We know her accomplishments⁸, but now for us, the world will know her accomplishments and just how significant she is to United States history.

PRIEUR: On Wednesday, a group of students and community members gathered at the college Bethune founded to watch a live feed of the unveiling of her statue at the U.S. Capitol. When the long black cloth was lifted, the room broke into a standing⁹ ovation¹⁰.

(CHEERING)

PRIEUR: Sonya Poteat is a BCU grad. She's a teacher like her grandparents and parents, who were all inspired by Bethune. She was the first one on her feet, overcome by the moment.

SONYA POTEAT: And everything that we've gone through and transcended¹¹ to know that we are definitely a great people, and this is such a great honor to be in the Capitol building in the greatest country in the world.

PRIEUR: On Capitol Hill, Bethune's statue replaces that of a Confederate general. Republican Florida Congressman¹² Mike Waltz says that's fitting because Bethune stood up to injustice¹³.

MIKE WALTZ: She stood up to divisiveness. She stood up to, you know, hatred¹⁴ based on someone's skin color.

PRIEUR: And above all, Bethune believed in people's potential. Her sculpture is inscribed¹⁵ with one of her favorite sayings, quote - "invest in the human soul. Who knows? It might be a diamond in the rough."

For NPR News, I'm Danielle Prieur.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 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。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

6 comas   

n.昏迷( coma的名词复数 )

参考例句：

7 excavated   

v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘

参考例句：

• The site has been excavated by archaeologists. 这个遗址已被考古学家发掘出来。
• The archaeologists excavated an ancient fortress. 考古学家们发掘出一个古堡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

10 ovation   

n.欢呼，热烈欢迎，热烈鼓掌

参考例句：

• The hero received a great ovation from the crowd. 那位英雄受到人群的热烈欢迎。
• The show won a standing ovation. 这场演出赢得全场起立鼓掌。

11 transcended   

超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 )； 优于或胜过…

参考例句：

• He wanted assurance that he had transcended what was inherently ambiguous. 他要证明，他已经超越了本来就是混淆不清的事情。
• It transcended site to speak to universal human concerns. 它超越了场所的局限，表达了人类共同的心声。

12 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

13 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

14 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

15 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》