美国国家公共电台 NPR A Rocky Appearance For DeVos On '60 Minutes'

 

SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:

President Trump¹ also is setting up a commission on school safety. He's asked Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to lead it. It will look at everything from arming teachers to age restrictions² on gun purchases to video game violence. The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High has thrust the normally press-shy education secretary into the spotlight³. She visited the school in Florida last week.

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BETSY DEVOS: I come committed on behalf of this administration to continuing to work to find solutions so that no student and no parent ever has to go through what this community has had to endure.

MCCAMMON: And we're joined now by NPR's education correspondent Anya Kamenetz with more about DeVos' positions on guns in schools. Hello, Anya.

ANYA KAMENETZ, BYLINE⁴: Hi, Sarah.

MCCAMMON: So up until now, what has been Betsy DeVos' position on school safety?

KAMENETZ: Well, a lot of people probably remember the moment during her confirmation⁵ hearing when Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat⁶ from Connecticut, asked her about guns in schools. And Murphy is really identified with this issue because of the Sandy Hook massacre⁷ in Newtown, Conn.

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CHRIS MURPHY: One final question - do you think that guns have any place in or around schools?

DEVOS: I think that's best left to locales and states to decide. If the underlying⁸ question is...

MURPHY: You can't say that - you can't say definitively⁹ today that guns shouldn't be in schools.

DEVOS: Well, I will refer back to Senator Enzi and the school that he was talking about in Wapiti, Wyo. I think probably there - I would imagine that there's probably a gun in the school to protect from potential grizzlies¹⁰.

MURPHY: If President Trump...

MCCAMMON: So people really seized on that grizzly¹¹ bear comment. They accused DeVos of being out of touch. And, you know, Anya, polls suggest she is President Trump's least popular Cabinet member. Remind us why DeVos draws so much criticism.

KAMENETZ: Well, since that confirmation hearing, critics have been pointing out that she seems really unprepared for her job on the spot. Of course she's never been an educator. At the same time, she's one of the wealthiest members of a very wealthy Cabinet. And during her philanthropic career, she's really pushed for private, religious and charter and for-profit schools even as her job puts her in charge, of course, of the nation's public schools. And then beyond her background, she's drawn¹² ire for her rollbacks of Obama-era civil rights regulations, especially those protecting transgender students and victims of sexual assault.

MCCAMMON: So we know what DeVos has said in the past about teachers needing guns to protect students from bears. But what has she been saying lately in response to the shooting last month in Parkland, Fla.?

KAMENETZ: Well, she told Lesley Stahl on "60 Minutes" that she sort of supports the idea that states could choose to arm teachers.

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LESLEY STAHL: Do you think that teachers should have guns in the classroom?

DEVOS: That should be an option for states and communities to consider. And I hesitate to think of, like, my first-grade teacher, Mrs. Zorhoff (ph) - I couldn't ever imagine her...

STAHL: Right.

DEVOS: ...Having a gun and being trained in that way. But for those who are capable, this is one solution that can and should be considered.

STAHL: So...

DEVOS: But no one size fits all. Every state and every community is going to address this issue in a different way.

KAMENETZ: And she also said on the "Today" show everything is on the table and that we have to get much broader than just talking about guns.

MCCAMMON: DeVos says we have to get much broader. What might she mean by broader?

KAMENETZ: Well, there's a long-standing national divide over what really makes schools safer. DeVos' Education Department held a meeting a few months ago on school safety, and they heard from people who are really concerned about violence in schools who say that we need harder discipline, more zero tolerance-type policies.

And then on the other side of the debate, you have a whole lot of scholars and experts calling for more school counselors¹³, more mental health resources, less suspensions, less expulsions and making sure that schools are safer and emotionally healthier places to be. This is kind of the approach that's really backed up by a lot of research. And really I think it's what we're going to be debating in the months to come.

MCCAMMON: Two very different perspectives on what might be the best way to move forward on this issue - that's NPR's education correspondent Anya Kamenetz. Thank you, Anya.

KAMENETZ: Thank you, Sarah.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

4 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。

5 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

6 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

7 massacre   

n.残杀，大屠杀；v.残杀，集体屠杀

参考例句：

• There was a terrible massacre of villagers here during the war.在战争中，这里的村民惨遭屠杀。
• If we forget the massacre,the massacre will happen again!忘记了大屠杀，大屠杀就有可能再次发生！

8 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

9 definitively   

adv.决定性地，最后地

参考例句：

• None of the three super-states could be definitively conquered even by the other two in combination. 三个超级国家中的任何一国都不可能被任何两国的联盟所绝对打败。 来自英汉文学
• Therefore, nothing can ever be definitively proved with a photograph. 因此，没有什么可以明确了一张照片。 来自互联网

10 grizzlies   

北美洲灰熊( grizzly的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Suns beat the Memphis Grizzlies 127-113 earlier Tuesday night. 在周二晚上早些时候，太阳以127：113击败孟菲斯灰熊。
• Whatever you do, do not blink.They're like grizzlies. 无论你做什么，别眨眼。他们跟熊有点相象。

11 grizzly   

adj.略为灰色的，呈灰色的；n.灰色大熊

参考例句：

• This grizzly liked people.这只灰熊却喜欢人。
• Grizzly bears are not generally social creatures.一般说来，灰熊不是社交型动物。

12 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。

13 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册