2006年VOA标准英语-Bush Honors Legacy of Martin Luther King

By Paula Wolfson
White House
16 January 2006
 
 
President Bush makes remarks at the Georgetown University's "Let Freedom Ring" Celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
  
Across the United States, Americans paused Monday to honor the life and legacy¹ of the slain² civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.  President Bush was the main speaker at an event in Washington.

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This is the 20th annual Martin Luther King holiday in the United States and it is the first since the passing of Rosa Parks, often called the mother of the civil rights movement.

Their two stories became intertwined at a ceremony marking Martin Luther King Day at Washington's Kennedy Center.  President Bush urged Americans to remember their struggle and to recommit themselves to the dream that Martin Luther King gave his life for almost 38 years ago.

" … an America where the dignity of every person is respected, where people are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character, and where the hope of a better tomorrow is in every neighborhood in this country.

The president spoke³ of the courage of the founders⁴ of the civil rights movement.  He said Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were inspired by their religious faith and their deep belief in a better future.

"So when they made their appeal for equal rights, they aimed for America's soul, and they roused the dozing⁵ conscience of a complacent⁶ nation," added Mr. Bush.

President Bush said much has changed in the United States since the 1950s, when a black seamstress named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated⁷ Montgomery, Alabama, bus, and a young minister named Martin Luther King, Jr. organized a boycott⁸ of the bus system.  All the same, Mr. Bush acknowledged much more remains⁹ to be done.

"At the dawn of this new century, America can be proud of the progress we have made toward equality, but we all must recognize we have more to do," explained Mr. Bush.

Reverend King was assassinated¹⁰ in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4, 1968.   Rosa Parks remained active in the civil rights movement after his death, and passed away October 24 at the age of 92.

1 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。

2 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

5 dozing   

v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡

参考例句：

• The economy shows no signs of faltering. 经济没有衰退的迹象。
• He never falters in his determination. 他的决心从不动摇。

6 complacent   

adj.自满的；自鸣得意的

参考例句：

• We must not become complacent the moment we have some success.我们决不能一见成绩就自满起来。
• She was complacent about her achievements.她对自己的成绩沾沾自喜。

7 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

8 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句