VOA慢速英语--佛罗里达州的学生积极活动欲修改枪支法

Florida Students Announce Voting Campaign to Change Gun Laws

A group of students who survived the deadly shooting in Parkland, Florida, announced a bus tour to support new gun laws.

About 24 of the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School made the announcement on Monday. The event came one day after several in the group graduated from high school.

The tour is to begin June 15 in the Midwestern city of Chicago.

The students say their goal is to register more young people to vote so they will support reforms to U.S. gun laws.

Cameron Kasky is one of the high school students involved. He noted¹ that four million young Americans will turn 18 years old in 2018. “If every single one of those people votes, encourages their friends to vote, makes sure their family is getting to the polls, we can make real change in this country,” he said. Eighteen is the minimum age for voting in the United States.

The student organizers wore a message on T-shirts made for the event. The words “Road to Change” were printed on them.

Parkland students and activists² Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg also attended the event.

The students said the tour will target districts where elected officials have received a lot of money from the National Rifle Association. The group, based in northern Virginia, represents gun owners and candidates who oppose restrictions³ on gun ownership.

The tour is the most recent event in a youth movement against gun violence. The movement developed after student Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people with a gun at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, Florida on February 14.

In the months following the shooting, many students from the high school have taken part in demonstrations⁴ and gatherings⁵. They have gone to Florida’s capital, Tallahassee, and Washington, D.C.

On its website, the group says it will visit 20 states on its tour. They also say they will visit every congressional district in Florida.

The group says it is paying for its tour through donations. The related March for Our Lives campaign has received financial support from popular television and movie personalities⁶ such as Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

tour –n. a series of appearances involving events in different places

graduate –v. to receive a diploma from a school or college

encourage –v. to make someone more likely to do something

minimum –adj. the lowest amount or number that is possible

1 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

2 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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

4 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

5 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

6 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。