新闻周刊:接下去是否还要拆除华盛顿和杰斐逊的雕像(8)

Ellis told Newsweek that after DNA¹ testing in the late 1990s confirmed that Hemings' children had been fathered by Jefferson, there had been calls for the Jefferson Memorial to be torn down. "Nothing ever came of it," he said.

埃利斯告诉《新闻周刊》，在上世纪90年代末进行的DNA检测证实了杰斐逊是海明斯的孩子的父亲后，就有人呼吁拆除杰斐逊纪念馆。他表示，“对此什么也没发生”。

He believes a compromise could be to change plaques² at monuments like the Jefferson Memorial to better reflect the truth of the Founding Father's life— but notes that it may not be enough when it comes to Confederate monuments.

他认为一个折衷的办法是更改像杰斐逊纪念馆这样的纪念碑上的牌匾，以更好地反映这位开国元勋生平的真相，但他指出，在邦联纪念碑方面，这可能还不够。

"There are some Southern states that are trying to retain the monuments, but with new signage and descriptive language about them that allows them to remain as monuments to a misguided policy like the Civil War. I sort of support that. We're remembering but we're not memorializing it," he said.

“一些南部的州试图保留这些纪念碑，但新的标牌和描述性语言使它们得以保留，成为内战等错误政策的纪念碑。我支持这一点。我们在记住这段历史，但不是纪念。”他说

"But in a moment like now, that argument won't seem credible³. People are angry and understandably so."

“但针对现在，这种说法似乎不可接受。人们很生气，这是可以理解的。”

"If you do that, there won't be anybody left."

“如果你那样做，就不会有人留下来了。”

In Ron Chernow's definitive⁴ biography Washington: A Life, the author outlines Washington's growing unease with slavery while still profiting from it. Washington seldom uttered the word slavery "as if it grated on his conscience," Chernow writes, preferring instead to use euphemisms⁵ for the men, women and children he owned such as "servants," "my people" and "my family."

在罗恩·切尔诺的权威传记《Washington: A Life》中，作者概述了华盛顿对奴隶制日益感到不安，同时仍在从中获利。切诺写道，华盛顿很少用奴隶制这个词来形容，“好像这触怒了他的良心”，相反，他更喜欢用委婉语来形容他拥有的男人、女人和孩子，比如“仆人”、“我的人民”和“我的家人”

Like Jefferson, Washington owned hundreds of slaves, but he was the only slave-owning Founding Father to liberate⁶ his slaves when he died. His opposition⁷ to slavery, however, "took the form of a gradual awakening⁸ over many decades," Chernow wrote. Washington spoke⁹ about slaves just as he would any other property, Chernow wrote, and frequently wrote in his diary of being "at home all day alone" despite being surrounded by slaves.

和杰斐逊一样，华盛顿拥有数百名奴隶，但他是唯一一位拥有奴隶并在去世时解放奴隶的开国元勋。然而，切尔诺写道，他对奴隶制的反对“采取了在几十年中，逐渐觉醒的形式”。切诺写道，华盛顿谈论奴隶就像对待其他任何财产一样，经常在日记中写道，“整天独自呆在家里”，尽管身边都是奴隶。

1 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

2 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

3 credible   

adj.可信任的，可靠的

参考例句：

• The news report is hardly credible.这则新闻报道令人难以置信。
• Is there a credible alternative to the nuclear deterrent?是否有可以取代核威慑力量的可靠办法？

4 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

5 euphemisms   

n.委婉语，委婉说法( euphemism的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• No point is in mincing words or hiding behind euphemisms. 没有必要闪烁其词或者羞羞答答。 来自辞典例句
• No point in mincing words or hiding behind euphemisms. 没必要闪烁其词或者羞羞答答。 来自辞典例句

6 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

7 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

8 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。