VOA常速英语2019--首位黑人女市长承诺为芝加哥带来变革

Both candidates, Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle, were African-American and women. The winner, 56-year-old Lightfoot, promised her supporters a new direction in America’s third-largest city. Today, you did more than make history. You created a movement for change. Her 72-year-old opponent is chief executive of Cook County where Chicago was located. Voters anxious for a change back to Lightfoot. I’m ready for someone new to come in. I’m ready for fresh, new, bright, eager ideas.

两位候选人——劳丽·莱特福特和托妮·普瑞可温克，都是非裔美籍，也都是女性。获胜者是56岁的莱特福特，她承诺支持者们会为美国第三大城市带来新的方向。今天，你们不只创造了历史，你们还驱动了变革。她72岁的竞争对手是库克县的董事会主席，库克县位于芝加哥。选民们渴望能通过莱特福特实现变革。我希望有新人上任，我希望有新鲜的、崭新的、明亮的、有热忱的观点出现。

Chicago had more than 550 murders last year, a drop from the previous two years, but more than Los Angeles and New York combined. The US Justice Department has accused Chicago’s Police Department of excessive use of force and racial bias¹. With gun violence fueled by the drug trade and racial inequality, one analyst² says Chicago is really two cities: One with gleaming downtown and very wealthy and importantly safe neighborhood, but also one that struggles with extreme and persistent³ segregation⁴ that have been Chicago’s legacy⁵. Chicago is a city of progressive politics where Democrats⁶ dominate. Former President Barack Obama began his political career here. His one-time White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has been mayor since 2011. Today, minorities dominate, but another analyst says the election was not about race. You can’t help but feel that the city and the city leaders have turned their backs on you, and so just another person, just because they look like you doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gonna be for you.

芝加哥去年出现了550多起谋杀案，案件数量比前两年下降了，但依然比洛杉矶和纽约的谋杀案总和还要多。美国司法部已控诉芝加哥警局过度使用武力，而且种族偏见严重。在毒品交易和种族不平等驱动暴力事件不断出现的情况下，一位分析师表示，芝加哥是一个有着两面性的城市：一面是光鲜亮丽的市区，富得流油、安全性强；而另一面挣扎于持续的极端种族分离中，而且这种传统很早就有了。芝加哥是变革派政治的天下，由民主党主导。前总统巴拉克·奥巴马就是从芝加哥开启自己政治生涯的。他曾经的白宫办公厅主任拉姆·伊曼纽尔自2011年起就担任芝加哥市市长。如今，芝加哥是少数族裔的天下，但另一位分析师表示，大选的关注点不在种族问题上。你会情不自禁地感觉到：这座城市和这座城市的领导人们已经背弃了你。他们只是另一个人。他们长得跟你相像并不意味着他们为你而战。

The defeated candidate pledged support for the winner. Not long ago, two African-American women vying⁷ for this position would have been unthinkable, and while it may be true that we took different paths to get here, tonight is about the path forward, and meeting many challenges ahead.

落败的候选人承诺会支持获胜者。不久前，2位非裔美籍女性竞争这一职位的场面是怎么也想不到的。虽然我们有过不同的经历，但今晚我们都是为未来而努力的，为未来的诸多挑战而奋斗的。

1 bias   

n.偏见，偏心，偏袒；vt.使有偏见

参考例句：

• They are accusing the teacher of political bias in his marking.他们在指控那名教师打分数有政治偏见。
• He had a bias toward the plan.他对这项计划有偏见。

2 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

3 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

4 segregation   

n.隔离，种族隔离

参考例句：

• Many school boards found segregation a hot potato in the early 1960s.在60年代初，许多学校部门都觉得按水平分班是一个棘手的问题。
• They were tired to death of segregation and of being kicked around.他们十分厌恶种族隔离和总是被人踢来踢去。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。