2007年VOA标准英语-Americans Honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s Memory

By Barry Unger
Washington, D.C.
15 January 2007
 
watch MLK Holiday report

Americans are celebrating the life of African-American civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday today (1/15) with ceremonies and tributes across the nation.  King, a clergyman who was an eloquent¹ speaker, was a leader among activists² who began campaigning during the 1950s for an end to racial discrimination.  They staged protests, sit-ins and marches to emphasize their demand for equal rights for all Americans.  The U.S. Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, but four years later an assassin's bullet killed Martin Luther King Jr.  Jim Bertel narrates³.

  
  
"I have a dream...."

Martin Luther King Jr. immortalized those words with his speech during the March on Washington in August of 1963. Hundreds of thousands of people were in the audience when King spoke⁴ at what was then the largest public demonstration⁵ ever seen in the United States.  King organized many nonviolent protests, demanding an end to segregation⁶ and racial discrimination -- part of the civil-rights campaign in this country that led to the passage of laws guaranteeing equal treatment for African-Americans and other minority groups.

King was shot and killed in 1968, less than three months after his 39th birthday.  His life is celebrated⁷ each year now as a national holiday, marked in many places by service projects honoring King's legacy⁸.

 
President Bush helps paint a mural as he visits Cardozo Senior High School, 15 Jan. 2007
President Bush visited a high school here in Washington to cheer on volunteers donating their time for a community project.

"I encourage people all around the country to serve somebody in need.  And by serving someone in need, you are honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King," said the president.

In Atlanta, where Martin Luther King Jr. was born, a new exhibit puts thousands of his personal documents on display for the first time, giving the public an opportunity to not just hear King's words, but see them as well.

Shirley Franklin, the mayor of Atlanta, says it is a moving experience.  "To see his handwriting and to understand the power not just of the words but of the process, the power that one man can have through hard work and thoughtfulness."

Franklin mobilized a fundraising drive to purchase King's collected papers at auction⁹ last year.

"We raised $32 million in a little less than two weeks."

The collection ranges from handwritten copies of King's most famous speeches to private documents such as his college report card.

"You will also see a handwritten version of the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance letter and you will see notes for the Birmingham jail letters. But there are also sermons that have never been published that are completely handwritten. It is a very powerful experience, and we think our visitors will enjoy it."

The exhibit will remain open through May, allowing visitors to learn more about a man whose dream had an impact on the lives of many millions of Americans.

1 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

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 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

4 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。

5 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

6 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。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

8 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。

9 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。