美国国家公共电台 NPR Harvey Weinstein Surrenders To New York City Police To Face Sexual Assault Charges

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has surrendered to the New York City Police Department this morning. He's facing sexual assault charges. Weinstein was already famous in Hollywood before he became the catalyst¹ of the #MeToo era. He had spent decades at the top of the entertainment world. Then multiple sexual harassment² and assault allegations cost him his reputation and his company. Now they may cost him his freedom, as well. NPR's Elizabeth Blair has been following the story, and she joins us now. Hi, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH BLAIR, BYLINE³: Hi, Rachel.

MARTIN: There have been so many allegations against Weinstein in recent months. What do we know about the cases that have actually prompted these criminal charges?

BLAIR: So what we know - and this is through reporting from The New York Times and The New Yorker - is the Manhattan DA is bringing charges on behalf of two women. One case carries charges of first-degree rape⁴ and third-degree rape. In that one, the alleged⁵ victim's name is being withheld⁶. In the other, Weinstein is charged with a first-degree criminal sex act. The alleged victim in that case is Lucia Evans. She was one of the first to come - to go public with allegations. Evans told The New Yorker magazine last fall that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in his Manhattan office, where he'd invited her on the pretext⁷ of talking career opportunities. And at the time - this was 2004 - Evans was an aspiring⁸ actress still in college.

MARTIN: We have seen so many men lose their jobs in the #MeToo movement, not many criminal charges. So this moment is different, isn't it?

BLAIR: This is a big moment. And, you know, we don't know what's going to happen with the trial. And I'm sure it will be long and drawn⁹ out. But for so many women, it was Harvey Weinstein. It was the allegations against him. It was all of the reporting around it that really unleashed¹¹ the #MeToo movement or at least helped unleash¹⁰ the movement in a very big way. You had Gwyneth Paltrow. You had Ashley Judd, you know, marquee actresses coming forward. And that, as a result, sort of let it be OK for women around the country who had similar allegations to come forward. So it's a big moment.

MARTIN: Why has it taken so long to get to the point of criminal charges, considering the scope of all the allegations against him?

BLAIR: Well, according to The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow, the Manhattan DA took all this time because they wanted to secure the strongest case they could. Rape and sexual assault cases are notoriously hard to prove in court. There are often no direct witnesses or physical evidence. And that's especially true if a victim doesn't seek help right away. Also, Farrow makes a point of this - it took this long because Evans - Lucia Evans - had to take that pretty bold step of coming forward and pressing charges, knowing the toll¹² these cases can take on a victim, especially a case like this one, which is going to be surrounded by enormous publicity¹³. Farrow quotes investigators¹⁴, saying they gave her the time to arrive at that place where she could - you know, felt comfortable confronting all that.

MARTIN: So what happens now? I mean, we should point out Weinstein still maintains he's done nothing wrong, right?

BLAIR: Correct. His lawyer calls the allegations entirely¹⁵ without merit.

MARTIN: All right. NPR's Elizabeth Blair for us this morning. Elizabeth, thank you so much.

BLAIR: OK. Thank you, Rachel.

1 catalyst   

n.催化剂，造成变化的人或事

参考例句：

• A catalyst is a substance which speeds up a chemical reaction.催化剂是一种能加速化学反应的物质。
• The workers'demand for better conditions was a catalyst for social change.工人们要求改善工作条件促进了社会变革。

2 harassment   

n.骚扰，扰乱，烦恼，烦乱

参考例句：

• She often got telephone harassment at night these days.这些天她经常在夜晚受到电话骚扰。
• The company prohibits any form of harassment.公司禁止任何形式的骚扰行为。

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 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

5 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

6 withheld   

withhold过去式及过去分词

参考例句：

• I withheld payment until they had fulfilled the contract. 他们履行合同后，我才付款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There was no school play because the principal withheld his consent. 由于校长没同意，学校里没有举行比赛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 pretext   

n.借口，托词

参考例句：

• He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。
• He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

8 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

9 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

10 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

11 unleashed   

v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The government's proposals unleashed a storm of protest in the press. 政府的提案引发了新闻界的抗议浪潮。
• The full force of his rage was unleashed against me. 他把所有的怒气都发泄在我身上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

13 publicity   

n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告

参考例句：

• The singer star's marriage got a lot of publicity.这位歌星的婚事引起了公众的关注。
• He dismissed the event as just a publicity gimmick.他不理会这件事，只当它是一种宣传手法。

14 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。