VOA慢速英语2021--美国官员调查司机冲撞游行队伍的原因

Investigators¹ are trying to find out if the driver of a vehicle that crashed into a parade in the state of Wisconsin was fleeing a crime.

The incident happened Sunday during a Christmas holiday parade in Waukesha, near the city of Milwaukee. Five people were reportedly killed in the crash. A law enforcement² official told the Associated Press that more than 40 others were injured.

The parade included marching bands and children dancing.

A sports utility³ vehicle, or SUV, sped through barriers and struck the dancers, musicians and others. One video of the incident showed a woman screaming, "Oh my God!" repeatedly⁴ as a group of young dancers was struck. Members of a "Dancing Grannies" club were also among those killed and injured.

Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson identified the driver as Darrell Brooks⁵, Jr. Thompson said there was no evidence the incident was linked to terrorism.

Brooks was detained⁶ after a Waukesha police officer opened fire to try to stop the vehicle.

Earlier on Sunday, Brooks had left the site of a crime before officers arrived. Police described the earlier crime as an argument involving a knife. They added that he was not being chased⁷ by police at the time of the crash. The police chief gave no additional⁸ details on the earlier crime.

On social media, the city of Waukesha said the number of dead was at least five.

The city's live streaming video captured⁹ images of the deadly incident. So did people who recorded the event with their phones. One video shows the moment when the SUV broke through the barriers. The sound of apparent¹⁰ gunfire can be heard.

Another video shows a young child dancing in the street as the SUV speeds by before it crashes into parade attendees.

The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies group wrote on its Facebook page that some of its members were among the dead. "Our group was doing what they loved, performing in front of crowds in a parade putting smiles on faces of all ages, filling them with joy and happiness," it wrote.

Chris Germain is co-owner of the Aspire¹¹ Dance Center studio. His business had about 70 people in the parade. That included children as young as 2.

Germain's 3-year-old daughter took part in the parade. He said he was driving at the head of his group's parade section when he saw the SUV "just blaze¹² right past us." Blaze means to move very quickly.

Germain jumped out of his own SUV he was driving and gathered the girls who were with him to safety.

Then he walked ahead to see the damage. He said emergency workers were performing life-saving measures on many people.

"There were small children laying all over the road. There were police officers and EMTs doing CPR on multiple¹³ members of the parade," he said.

The Waukesha School District canceled classes Monday and said extra mental health experts would be available for students and employees. The parade's list of performers included cheer, dance and band groups from area schools.

Wisconsin Governor¹⁴ Tony Evers called the deadly incident a "senseless act."

The Christmas parade is held each year in Waukesha on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

Words in This Story

granny (grandmother) --n. the mother of your mother or father

moment --n. a very short period of time

streaming –n. continuously played or captured as data sent to a computer over the internet

EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) -–n. a person who is trained to provide emergency medical services to patients who are being taken to a hospital

CPR (Cardiopulmonary resuscitation) –n. a way of trying to save the life of someone who has stopped breathing and whose heart has stopped beating

multiple --adj. more than one

1 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 enforcement   

n.实施, 执行

参考例句：

• MPs called for tougher enforcement of the existing laws on drugs. 下院议员呼籲加强现行毒品法律的执行力度。
• The court is ineffective because it lacks the necessary enforcement machinery. 法院效率低是因为缺乏必要的执行机制。

3 utility   

n.公共设施，效用，公用程序，实用品，实用；adj.多效用的，多功能的

参考例句：

• A fur coat has more utility in winter than in autumn.毛皮外衣在冬天比在秋天更有用。
• Utility bills didn't amount to much.公用事业的费用有限。

4 repeatedly   

adv.重复地，再三地

参考例句：

• The loudspeakers blared the speech repeatedly.扬声器里反复大声地播送那篇演讲。
• He repeatedly beat his foot upon the floor.他反复用脚敲着地板。

5 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 detained   

留住( detain的过去式和过去分词 )； 耽搁； 拘留； 扣留

参考例句：

• One man has been detained for questioning. 一个男人被拘留审问。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group. 他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

7 chased   

vt.追捕（chase的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The enemy chased the decoys down to the place of ambush. 敌人将诱骗者一直追到伏兵所在地。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 additional   

adj.添加的，额外的，另外的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to set down these additional rules.有必要制定这些补充规则。
• I think we can fit in an additional room.我想我们可以再加建一间房子。

9 captured   

俘获( capture的过去式和过去分词 )； 夺取； 夺得； 引起（注意、想像、兴趣）

参考例句：

• Allied troops captured over 300 enemy soldiers. 盟军俘虏了300多名敌方士兵。
• Most of the rebels were captured and disarmed. 大部分叛乱分子被俘获并解除了武装。

10 apparent   

adj.表面上的，貌似真实的，显然的，明明白白的

参考例句：

• The apparent truth was really a lie.表面上看似实话，实际上是个谎言。
• His guilt is apparent to all.他的罪恶尽人皆知。

11 aspire   

vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于

参考例句：

• Living together with you is what I aspire toward in my life.和你一起生活是我一生最大的愿望。
• I aspire to be an innovator not a follower.我迫切希望能变成个开创者而不是跟随者。

12 blaze   

n.火焰，火堆，火光，火灾；vi.燃烧，着火

参考例句：

• In a blaze of anger he shouted at them.他怒火中烧，对着他们大吼起来。
• Dry wood makes a good blaze.干木燃起夺目的光焰。

13 multiple   

adj.多个(或多项、多种)的；n.（数）倍数

参考例句：

• The number 8 is a multiple of 4.八是四的倍数。
• The most common multiple births are twins,two babies born at the same time.最常见的多胎是双胞胎，两个婴儿同时出生。

14 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。