NBC晚间新闻 波特兰抗议者与特工起冲突

Overnight in Portland protesters launch mortar-style fireworks at federal agents. The steel barrier that encases the federal courthouse between them provoking this response. What started two months ago as protests against police brutality¹ has now become a nightly ritual. They started gassing us so we came back with respirators. They started shooting us. So we came back with vests. Who's escalating² this? It's not us.

State officials say the agents are not welcome but the president insists they're here to protect federal property. In nearby Seattle on Saturday a show of solidarity³ with portland's protesters devolved from peaceful into what police call a riot. Federal agents stayed out of sight. President says they're in Seattle for emergencies only. Here at the police precinct in downtown Seattle they're bracing⁴ for the possibility of more violence. You can see the windows are covered in plywood. They just set up the cement barricade⁵, each block weighs 4 000 pounds. In Los Angeles protesters and police clashed outside the federal courthouse. And in Louisville opposing armed militia⁶ groups faced off at a demonstration⁷. Now officials and protesters are preparing for what tonight may bring.

在波特兰，抗议者整夜向联邦特工发射迫击炮式烟花。他们之间的围绕联邦法院的钢铁屏障激起了这种回应。两个月前开始的抗议警察暴行的活动现在已经成为每晚的例行公事。他们开始用瓦斯攻击我们，所以我们带着呼吸器回来。他们开始向我们开枪。所以我们穿着防弹背心回来了。谁导致的事态升级？不是我们。州官员表示不欢迎这些特工，但总统坚称他们来这里是为了保护联邦财产。周六，在附近的西雅图，一场与波特兰抗议者团结一致的示威活动从和平演变为警方所说的骚乱。联邦探员没有出现。总统说他们来西雅图只是为了紧急情况。在西雅图市中心的警察分局，他们正在为可能发生的更多暴力事件做准备。你可以看到窗户上覆盖着胶合板。他们刚刚筑起了水泥路障，每一块都重达4000磅。在洛杉矶，抗议者和警察在联邦法院外发生冲突。在路易斯维尔市，敌对的武装民兵组织在示威中对峙。现在，官员和抗议者正在为今晚可能发生的事情做准备。

1 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

2 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

3 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

4 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

5 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

6 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

7 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。