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2007年VOA标准英语-Britain Marks Bicentenary of Abolition of Slave

时间:2007-05-29 00:21来源:互联网 提供网友:sseeker   字体: [ ]
    (单词翻译:双击或拖选)
By Tendai Maphosa
London
23 March 2007

Britain is commemorating2 the 200th anniversary of the passage of the law that abolished the trans-Atlantic slave trade March 25 1807. One of the most poignant3 of the events is "Slave Britain," a photographic exhibition at St. Paul's cathedral in London. The exhibition illustrates4 that, while the trans-Atlantic trade in human beings was abolished 200 years ago, slavery still thrives in Britain, although in different forms. Tendai Maphosa reports for VOA from London.

Today's slaves do not come on a boat. Neither are they branded or shackled5 and not all of them come from Africa. In fact most of them come into Britain legally and on their own, usually lured6 by promises of a good job.

The St. Paul exhibition, called "Slave Britain," shows pictures of some of the women who believed the promises and ended up as prostitutes or overworked, badly treated and grossly underpaid domestic servants. They all have one thing in common - they come from very poor countries.

"What we are trying to do is to highlight that slavery trade continues to this day; that human trafficking takes place in this country, which I think will surprise many people," says Anglican cleric, Canon Ed Newell, the cathedral's spokesperson.

Anti-Slavery International, which was founded by some of the 19th century abolitionists, is also involved in the exhibition. It's spokesperson, Beth Herzfeld, says slavery is widespread.

"At least 12 million people are in slavery; there is no area that's free from slavery and you will find slavery in most countries," she explained.

Herzfeld says slavery takes many forms, but the victims suffer the same consequences.

A rescued child <a href=laborer9 looks out from the window of a bus as he arrives to participate in a march against child trafficking, in New Delhi, India, 22 Mar1 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070529/0822390.jpg" width="185" vspace="2" border="0" />
A rescued child laborer looks out from the window of a bus as he arrives to participate in a march against child trafficking, in New Delhi, India, 22 Mar 2007
"In India there are men women and children who are in bonded10 labor8, this is a form of slavery where people who are the most vulnerable and the poorest are forced to take loans due to their poverty and the whomever they are taking their loan from demands their labor as repayment," said Herzfeld. "They do not receive money by and large for the labor that they do but they are expected to work seven days a week, 365 days a year, they are charged interest on top of their loan and any days they need off will be added to their debt so in many instances a loan for as little as thirty dollars can be handed down for generations. In Niger there are people who are born into a slave class and inherited as property over generations, this is descent-based slavery. In the Philippines young girls are forced to work as domestic workers, they have to live in the home of their employers; are vulnerable to violence and abuse, they have to work very long hours often with no days off and usually without any pay."

The trans-Atlantic slave trade saw at least 10 million Africans transported to the so-called New World - the Americas and the Caribbean islands to provide labor for the European settlers. It is estimated that some two million Africans died during what is now called the Middle Passage, the voyage between Africa and their destinations.

Britain is home to some of the descendants of those who made it to the Caribbean and worked on the sugar plantations11. One of them is Pepukai who moved to London from Jamaica. He is a member of the Pan African Congress Movement and other organizations which represent the interests of the black community.

He does not think much of the anniversary, which, he says, celebrates the British abolitionists without acknowledging the role played by black people in their own liberation. He described the events around the anniversary as "a guise12 to delay the whole business of reparations."

He says the issues of apologies for slavery by the British government and paying reparations are inexorably intertwined.

"If I go into somebody's house, wreck13 their house, ransack14 it, loot all the possessions and burn it down and then turn around and say I am sorry and walk away what does that mean? To say sorry is to say this will never, never happen again. But most importantly is that you have committed a crime . How do you now make good on the crime that you have committed? England would not be what it is, the whole of Europe would not be what it is, the whole of America would not be what it is had it not been for the enslavement of our people who labored15 brutally16 to build the wealth that is now the capitalism17 that governs the entire world that benefits only one group of people, the Europeans," said Pepukai.

 

While debate about the trans-Atlantic slave trade and its aftermath continues 200 years after its abolition7, Britain and other countries are grappling with a new form of slavery that is as insidious18 as it is illegal.


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1 mar f7Kzq     
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟
参考例句:
  • It was not the custom for elderly people to mar the picnics with their presence.大人们照例不参加这样的野餐以免扫兴。
  • Such a marriage might mar your career.这样的婚姻说不定会毁了你的一生。
2 commemorating c2126128e74c5800f2f2295f86f3989d     
v.纪念,庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴,以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网
3 poignant FB1yu     
adj.令人痛苦的,辛酸的,惨痛的
参考例句:
  • His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
  • It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了,这尤其令人悲恸。
4 illustrates a03402300df9f3e3716d9eb11aae5782     
给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明
参考例句:
  • This historical novel illustrates the breaking up of feudal society in microcosm. 这部历史小说是走向崩溃的封建社会的缩影。
  • Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. 阿尔弗莱德 - 阿德勒是一位著名的医生,他有过可以说明这点的经历。 来自中级百科部分
5 shackled 915a38eca61d93140d07ef091110dab6     
给(某人)带上手铐或脚镣( shackle的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The hostage had been shackled to a radiator. 当时人质被铐在暖气片上。
  • He was shackled and in darkness of torment. 他被困在黑暗中备受煎熬。
6 lured 77df5632bf83c9c64fb09403ae21e649     
吸引,引诱(lure的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • The child was lured into a car but managed to escape. 那小孩被诱骗上了车,但又设法逃掉了。
  • Lured by the lust of gold,the pioneers pushed onward. 开拓者在黄金的诱惑下,继续奋力向前。
7 abolition PIpyA     
n.废除,取消
参考例句:
  • They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
  • The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。
8 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
9 laborer 52xxc     
n.劳动者,劳工
参考例句:
  • Her husband had been a farm laborer.她丈夫以前是个农场雇工。
  • He worked as a casual laborer and did not earn much.他当临时工,没有赚多少钱。
10 bonded 2xpzkP     
n.有担保的,保税的,粘合的
参考例句:
  • The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee.威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
  • This adhesive must be applied to both surfaces which are to be bonded together.要粘接的两个面都必须涂上这种黏合剂。
11 plantations ee6ea2c72cc24bed200cd75cf6fbf861     
n.种植园,大农场( plantation的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Soon great plantations, supported by slave labor, made some families very wealthy. 不久之后出现了依靠奴隶劳动的大庄园,使一些家庭成了富豪。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
  • Winterborne's contract was completed, and the plantations were deserted. 维恩特波恩的合同完成后,那片林地变得荒废了。 来自辞典例句
12 guise JeizL     
n.外表,伪装的姿态
参考例句:
  • They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
  • The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。
13 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
14 ransack fALzi     
v.彻底搜索,洗劫
参考例句:
  • He began to ransack his mother's workbox for a piece of thread.他要找一根线,开始翻腾妈妈的针线盒。
  • She ransack my apartment for the bankbook.她在我公寓里到处搜索寻找存折。
15 labored zpGz8M     
adj.吃力的,谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转
参考例句:
  • I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing. 我离那头麋鹿非常近,能听见它吃力的呼吸声。 来自辞典例句
  • They have labored to complete the job. 他们努力完成这一工作。 来自辞典例句
16 brutally jSRya     
adv.残忍地,野蛮地,冷酷无情地
参考例句:
  • The uprising was brutally put down.起义被残酷地镇压下去了。
  • A pro-democracy uprising was brutally suppressed.一场争取民主的起义被残酷镇压了。
17 capitalism er4zy     
n.资本主义
参考例句:
  • The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
  • Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。
18 insidious fx6yh     
adj.阴险的,隐匿的,暗中为害的,(疾病)不知不觉之间加剧
参考例句:
  • That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
  • Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。
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