书城外语看见老外就能聊
32087700000028

第28章 马丁·路德·金诞辰纪念日

A:When is the birthday of Dr。Martin Luther King,Jr。,the greatest fighter for human right in America in the 1960s?

B:He was born on Jan。15 in 1929.He is an African-American clergyman and has worked hard for civil rights in his native South and elsewhere for his whole life。Preaching peace and sensibility,he was in the vanguard of many demonstrations and rallies。

A:Was it him who made the speech“I Have A Dream”which is much renowned not only across the US?

B:Yes,it was him。In 1963,during the massive March on Washington,King gave the famous“I Have a Dream”speech at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial。In the speech,King prophesied a world in which his children“will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”。

A:Such a freedom fighter was then assassinated。I can't believe it!

B:Me either。King's assassination in April 1968 in Memphis,Tennessee,sent shock waves around the world。In succeeding years,various cities and then states made King's birthday a legal holiday。

A:What do people usually do in this day in his memory?

B:Now a national holiday in the United States,the day serves as the focus for discussions,national as well as international,about the issues King held dear,and about the progress-or lack of same-achieved since King had his dream。

A:马丁·路德·金博士是上世纪60年代美国最伟大的人权斗士。他的生日是在什么时候呢?

B:他生于1929年1月15日。他是一位非洲裔美国牧师,在家乡美国南部和全国各地为争取黑人民权做出了毕生努力。他多次参加示威游行和群众集会,带头宣传和平与正义。

A:世界闻名的《我有一个梦想》的演说是出自马丁·路德·金博士吗?

B:是的。1963年在“华盛顿大游行”中,金在林肯纪念碑前发表了著名的《我有一个梦想》的演说。在演说中,他曾预言一个世界的到来,在那个世界里,“将不是以他们的肤色,而是以他们的品格优劣来评价”他的孩子们。

A:这样一位伟大的自由斗士最终竟被暗杀,真是让人不敢相信。

B:是的。在1968年4月,金在田纳西州孟菲斯市被暗杀,消息震惊了全世界。在此后的几年中,许多城市,接着又有许多州,将金的生日定为法定假日。

A:在这一天人们为纪念他通常做些什么呢?

B:现在这个日子已经是全美国的假日了。这一天,在美国国内乃至国际上,人们会聚焦于金所魂牵梦萦的问题,讨论自从金发表了演说之后他的梦想实现得怎么样,是有了进展,还是仍有差距。

Clergyman n。牧师

Preach v。传教;宣讲

Vanguard n。前锋,先锋,领导者

Demonstration n。示威

Rally n。集会

Prophesy v。预言,预报

美文赏析

I Have A Dream 我有一个梦想(节选)

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:“We hold these truths to be self-evident,that all men are created equal。”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia,the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood。

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi,a state sweltering with the heat of injustice,sweltering with the heat of oppression,will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice。

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character。

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day,down in Alabama,with its vicious racists,with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of“interposition”and“nullification”——one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers。

I have a dream today!

我梦想有一天,这个国家将会奋起,实现其立国信条的真谛:“我们认为这些真理不言而喻:人人生而平等。”

我梦想有一天,在佐治亚州的红色山岗上,昔日奴隶的儿子能够同昔日奴隶主的儿子同席而坐,亲如手足。我梦想有一天,甚至连密西西比州——一个非正义和压迫的热浪逼人的荒漠之州,也会改造成为自由和公正的青青绿洲。

我梦想有一天,我的四个小女儿将生活在一个不是以皮肤的颜色,而是以品格的优劣作为评判标准的国家里。

我今天怀有一个梦。

我梦想有一天,亚拉巴马州会有所改变——尽管该州州长现在仍滔滔不绝地说什么要对联邦法令提出异议和拒绝执行——在那里,黑人儿童能够和白人儿童兄弟姐妹般地携手并行。

我今天怀有一个梦。