VOA慢速英语2014 美国警察通过中国微博追查到美国居民

 

As It Is - Police Reaches US Residents¹ through China's Weibo 美国警察通过中国微博追查到美国居民

A California police department is using a non-traditional tool to reach the local population. It is the first example of American police opening an account on Weibo, the popular Chinese website.

This move is having a major effect on a city near Los Angeles.

Xu RunGang owns a restaurant in the California community of Alhambra.  As the owner, Mr. Xu has a lot on his plate -- meaning he has many different duties.  He makes sure his restaurant serves quality food. He also keeps records of how much money the business earns and spends.

Mr. Xu also has another important duty: keeping his employees safe.  For that, he turns to the Alhambra Police Department’s page on the social media site Weibo.

Xu RunGang says the police leave messages explaining how they guard, or patrol², the neighborhood around his restaurant.  He can also ask police officers safety questions.  For example, he says, he and his employees work until late at night.  The police offer a free service to look at the area around the restaurant. They also offer advice on security³ issues.

The Alhambra Police Department opened its account on Weibolast year. This surprised local residents, including Wu Shuang.

She says that, in the beginning, she thought it was really unusual.  She could not imagine that an official U.S. agency⁴ would ever use Chinese-language social media.

Creating a Language Bridge Between Communities

Police Captain Clifford Mar⁵ says more than half of the city's 80,000 residents are Asian, and most are Chinese.  So, he says, deciding to have an account on Weibomade perfect sense.

“So the reason for that is to really to create a bridge between the community, a communication between the Chinese-speaking community and our police department and communicate, make them aware of our, how we can help them.”

Only 10 percent of Alhambra’s police department is Asian.  And with limited resources, Mr. Mar says the website is an important tool to reach the Chinese community.

“Part of the Chinese culture is a closed society.  They’re not in a sense outgoing and bringing problems out to the public, or especially some other entity⁶ like a police department.  So, a lot of crimes go unreported.”

The Weiboaccount is also a place where the Asian community can find other information.  Community members can read about road conditions.  They can even ask questions that help new immigrants⁷ learn about life and culture in the United States.

Wang XinYi is a volunteer for the police department’s Weiboaccount.

She says residents ask all kinds of questions, including advice for what to do if neighbors are arguing loudly at night. 

Alhambra police say police in other U.S. cities are watching to see the results of their Weiboexperiment.

I’m Anna Matteo.

Words in the News

unusual – adj. not normal or not common; not often done, seen or heard (“After the divorce⁸, his behavior became so unusual that his friends barely⁹ recognized him.”)

security – n. freedom from danger or harm; protection; measures necessary to protect a person or place (“Security was increased in the city.”)

volunteer – n. (a verb or a nown) a person who chooses to do something without being asked, usually without being paid (“She volunteers every weekend reading to sick children in the hospital.”Or "She is a volunteer at the hospital where she reads to sick children.")

communication– n.the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or behaviors to express or exchange information or to express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, et cetera, to someone else (“The key to every good relationship is communication.”)

And that's the Words in the News.

1 residents   

n.居民( resident的名词复数 )；（旅馆的）住宿者

参考例句：

• Plans to build a new mall were deep-sixed after protests from local residents. 修建新室内购物中心的计划由于当地居民反对而搁浅。
• Local residents have reacted angrily to the news. 当地居民对这一消息表示愤怒。

2 patrol   

v.巡逻，巡查；n.巡逻，巡查，巡逻队

参考例句：

• They attacked two soldiers on patrol.他们袭击了两名正在巡逻的士兵。
• Policemen patrol the streets.警察在街上巡逻。

3 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

4 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

5 mar   

vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟

参考例句：

• It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
• Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。

6 entity   

n.实体，独立存在体，实际存在物

参考例句：

• The country is no longer one political entity.这个国家不再是一个统一的政治实体了。
• As a separate legal entity,the corporation must pay taxes.作为一个独立的法律实体，公司必须纳税。

7 immigrants   

n.移民( immigrant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Illegal immigrants were given the opportunity to regularize their position. 非法移民得到了使其身份合法化的机会。
• Immigrants from all over the world populate this city. 这个城市里生活着来自世界各地的移民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 divorce   

n.离婚；分离；vi.离婚；vt.离婚；脱离

参考例句：

• Did he divorce his wife or did she divorce him?是他要和妻子离婚，还是妻子要和他离婚？
• None of us like the divorce of word and deed.我们都不喜欢言行不一。

9 barely   

adv.仅仅，几乎没有，几乎不

参考例句：

• The male bird is barely distinguishable from the female.雄鸟和雌鸟几乎无法辨别。
• He took barely enough money to keep the children in bread.他赚很少的钱仅够孩子们勉强糊口。