VOA常速英语2007年-UN Calls for Moratorium on Death Penalty

By Robert Raffaele
Washington
19 December 2007
 

The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution calling for a moratorium¹ on the death penalty with the ultimate goal of abolishing the practice. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the vote, calling it a bold step by the international community. The non-binding resolution calls on all countries that still allow capital punishment to respect international standards that safeguard the rights of condemned² inmates⁴.

The vote follows the passage of a law banning executions in the U.S. state of New Jersey⁵. VOA's Robert Raffaele has more.

New Jersey is the first U.S. state in more than four decades to outlaw⁶ capital punishment. Governor Jon Corzine signed the ban on Monday. "I think it is the winning side, because it is moral, in my heart and in my soul, and that's why I feel the way I do," Corzine said. 

The new measure spares the lives of eight men on New Jersey's death row, including Jesse Timmendequas, a sex offender⁷ who murdered seven-year-old Megan Kanka in 1994. That case helped lead to Megan's Law, requiring law enforcement agencies to notify the public about convicted sex offenders⁸ living in their communities.

Megan's father, Richard Kanka, voiced his outrage⁹ to New Jersey lawmakers. "She was suffocated¹⁰, she was raped¹¹ post-mortem, her body was dumped in a park. Now if that doesn't constitute gross and heinous¹², I don't understand what you people are thinking about. "

Capital punishment opponents are praising the state's decision. Among them: Sister Helen Prejean, the author of "Dead Man Walking," a book about her experience with a death row inmate³. She said, "And the word will travel around the globe, that there is a state in the United States of America that was the first to show that life is stronger than death, that love is greater than hatred¹³."

Lethal¹⁴ injections have come under increased scrutiny¹⁵ in the United States since recent executions in Florida and California took up to 30 minutes to kill the condemned inmates. The U.S. Supreme¹⁶ Court is reviewing the constitutionality of such executions and is expected to issue a ruling in the next few months.

 

1 moratorium   

n.(行动、活动的)暂停(期)，延期偿付

参考例句：

• The government has called for a moratorium on weapons testing.政府已要求暂停武器试验。
• We recommended a moratorium on two particular kinds of experiments.我们建议暂禁两种特殊的实验。

2 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

3 inmate   

n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人

参考例句：

• I am an inmate of that hospital.我住在那家医院。
• The prisoner is his inmate.那个囚犯和他同住一起。

4 inmates   

n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• One of the inmates has escaped. 被收容的人中有一个逃跑了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The inmates were moved to an undisclosed location. 监狱里的囚犯被转移到一个秘密处所。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

6 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

7 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。

8 offenders   

n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物）

参考例句：

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 判处长期徒刑可对违法者起到强有力的威慑作用。
• Purposeful work is an important part of the regime for young offenders. 使从事有意义的劳动是管理少年犯的重要方法。

9 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

10 suffocated   

（使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气

参考例句：

• Many dogs have suffocated in hot cars. 许多狗在热烘烘的汽车里给闷死了。
• I nearly suffocated when the pipe of my breathing apparatus came adrift. 呼吸器上的管子脱落时，我差点给憋死。

11 raped   

v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸

参考例句：

• A young woman was brutally raped in her own home. 一名年轻女子在自己家中惨遭强暴。 来自辞典例句
• We got stick together, or we will be having our women raped. 我们得团结一致，不然我们的妻女就会遭到蹂躏。 来自辞典例句

12 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

13 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。

14 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

15 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

16 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。