奥巴马发声
近日，美国警察暴力执法致黑人男子死亡事件不断升级。6月3日，美国前总统奥巴马就此次事件发表公开讲话。
无注释原文：
Obama Urges Young People To Keep Up Their Protests To Bring Change
NPR
Venturing further into the public discourse he had largely held back from since relinquishing the Oval Office to President Trump, former president Barack Obama joined a virtual town hall Wednesday to advocate the kind of hope and change that once inspired a nation to twice elect him as its leader.
"We have seen in the last several weeks, last few months, the kinds of epic changes in events in our country that are as profound as anything that I've seen in my lifetime," the 58-year-old onetime community organizer told his unseen, online audience in a Zoom video conference organized by My Brother's Keeper Alliance, a part of the Obama Foundation.
Titled "Reimagining Policing in the Wake of Continued Police Violence," the event featured several younger community activists as well as Obama's former attorney general, Eric Holder.
But Obama was clearly the main attraction.
Sitting in shirtsleeves with sparsely filled bookshelves as a backdrop, the 44th president declared that despite the tragedy of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the disproportionate toll on communities of color taken by the coronavirus pandemic, he remained optimistic because so many young people are getting galvanized and motivated.
"When sometimes I feel despair, I just see what's happening with young people all across the country, and the talent and the voice and the sophistication that they're displaying," he said, noting that Martin Luther King Jr, Cesar Chavez and Malcolm X all were young when they got involved in their causes. "And it makes me feel optimistic. It makes me feel as if, you know, this country's gonna get better."
The upcoming presidential election, in which Obama's former running mate Joe Biden is poised to challenge Trump, got nary a mention in the 90-minute session.
Obama observed that most of the changes needed for better and safer policing, such as barring the use of strangleholds, will have to happen at the local level.
"I've been hearing a little bit of chatter in the Internet about voting versus protest, politics and participation versus civil disobedience and direct action," he recounted. "This is not an 'either or' — this is a 'both and' — to bring about real change we both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable."
The current strife in America, he added, may draw comparisons with social upheaval and street protests in the 1960's. But he maintained that the diverse demographic makeup of demonstrations now is different.
"You look at those protests, and that was a far more representative cross section of America out on the streets, peacefully protesting," he noted. "That didn't exist back in the 1960s, that kind of broad coalition."
That was the "hope" part of the former president's message.
There was also a call for change, with Obama issuing a warning that while "attention moves away at some point, protests start to dwindle in size," and that the quest for change was "a marathon, not a sprint."
"Just remember, this country was founded on protest: it is called the American Revolution, and every step of progress in this country, every expansion of freedom, every expression of our deepest ideals has been won through efforts that made the status quo uncomfortable," Obama said as he bid farewell to his audience. "And we should all be thankful for folks who are willing, in a peaceful, disciplined way, to be out there making a difference."
- ◆ -
含注释全文：
Obama Urges Young People To Keep Up Their Protests To Bring Change
NPR
Venturing further into the public discourse he had largely held back from since relinquishing the Oval Office to President Trump, former president Barack Obama joined a virtual town hall Wednesday to advocate the kind of hope and change that once inspired a nation to twice elect him as its leader.
venture
作动词，表示“冒险去（或做）；冒昧地说”，英文解释为“to risk going somewhere or doing something that might be dangerous or unpleasant, or to risk saying something that might be criticized”举个🌰：
As we set off into the forest, we felt as though we were venturing (forth) into the unknown.
当我们动身进入那片森林时，感觉自己似乎正在冒险进入一个未知的世界。
📺美剧《复仇》（Revenge）中的台词提到：This is brave new territory we're venturing into here. 这是我们华丽冒险的新地域。
📺美剧《宋飞正传》（Seinfeld）中的台词提到：You realize you're venturing into uncharted waters? 你意识到你在冒险进入未知水域吗？
discourse
1）表示“论文；演讲”，英文解释为“a long and serious treatment or discussion of a subject in speech or writing”，如：a discourse on issues of gender equality 关于性别平等的论文。
2）表示“语篇；话语”，英文解释为“the use of language in speech and writing in order to produce meaning; language that is studied, usually in order to see how the different parts of a text are connected”。
relinquish
relinquish /rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ/ 表示“放弃（权力或控制）”，英文解释为“If you relinquish something such as power or control, you give it up.”举个🌰：
He does not intend to relinquish power.
他不打算放弃权力。
* the Oval Office 椭圆形办公室（Oval Office）位于白宫西厢，是美国总统的正式办公室。The Oval Office is, since 1909, the working office space of the President of the United States, located in the West Wing of the White House, Washington, D.C.
"We have seen in the last several weeks, last few months, the kinds of epic changes in events in our country that are as profound as anything that I've seen in my lifetime," the 58-year-old onetime community organizer told his unseen, online audience in a Zoom video conference organized by My Brother's Keeper Alliance, a part of the Obama Foundation.
epic
1）表示“史诗般的；鸿篇巨制的；壮丽的”，英文解释为“in the style of an epic”，如：an epic film about the Roman Empire 古罗马帝国题材的史诗电影。
2）表示“艰苦卓绝的；漫长而艰难的”，英文解释为“used to describe events that happen over a long period and involve a lot of action and difficulty”如：an epic journey/struggle 漫长艰难的旅途/艰苦卓绝的斗争。
3）表示“宏大的；壮丽的；给人深刻印象的”，英文解释为“very great and impressive”如：a tragedy of epic proportions 巨大的不幸。
Titled "Reimagining Policing in the Wake of Continued Police Violence," the event featured several younger community activists as well as Obama's former attorney general, Eric Holder.
* the attorney general（美国的）司法部长
But Obama was clearly the main attraction.
Sitting in shirtsleeves with sparsely filled bookshelves as a backdrop, the 44th president declared that despite the tragedy of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the disproportionate toll on communities of color taken by the coronavirus pandemic, he remained optimistic because so many young people are getting galvanized and motivated.
backdrop
1）表示“（舞台的）背景幕布”，英文解释为“a painted piece of cloth that is hung behind the stage in a theatre as part of the scenery”。
2）表示“事件的背景”，英文解释为“The backdrop to an event is the general situation in which it happens.”举个🌰：
The election will take place against a backdrop of increasing instability.
选举的背景是逐渐不稳的局势。
disproportionate
表示“不成比例的；不相称的；太大（或太小）的”，英文解释为“too large or too small when compared with sth else”举个🌰：
The area contains a disproportionate number of young middle-class families.
此地年轻的中产阶级家庭特别多。
toll
1）表示“(道路或桥梁）收费；通行费”，英文解释为“A toll road or toll bridge is a road or bridge that you have to pay to use.”举个🌰：
Most people who drive the toll roads don't use them every day.
大部分开车上收费公路的人不是每天都走公路。
2）表示“（死亡、事故或灾难的）总数”，英文解释为“A toll is a total number of deaths, accidents, or disasters that occur in a particular period of time.”举个🌰：
There are fears that the casualty toll may be higher.
人们担心伤亡人数可能会更多。
galvanize
galvanize /ˈɡælvəˌnaɪz/ 表示“激起；使震惊；使振奋”，英文解释为“to cause someone to suddenly take action, especially by shocking or exciting them in some way”举个🌰：
The prospect of his mother coming to stay galvanized him into action.
他母亲要来和他一起住了，这才使得他打起精神。
"When sometimes I feel despair, I just see what's happening with young people all across the country, and the talent and the voice and the sophistication that they're displaying," he said, noting that Martin Luther King Jr, Cesar Chavez and Malcolm X all were young when they got involved in their causes. "And it makes me feel optimistic. It makes me feel as if, you know, this country's gonna get better."
sophistication
sophistication / səˌfɪstɪˈkeɪʃən/ 表示“世故；复杂巧妙；高水平；老于世故；有教养”，英文解释为“The sophistication of people, places, machines, or methods is their quality of being sophisticated.”
The upcoming presidential election, in which Obama's former running mate Joe Biden is poised to challenge Trump, got nary a mention in the 90-minute session.
running mate
表示“（美国）竞选伙伴；（尤指）副总统候选人”，英文解释为“In an election campaign, a candidate's running mate is the person that they have chosen to help them in the election. If the candidate wins, the running mate will become the second most important person after the winner.”
在第三集来了！还是那对直播争宠的兄弟一文中，文中标题就提到run for president：Will Andrew Cuomo run for president, his brother asks? 'No. No'
此时run作动词，熟词僻义，表示“（尤指在美国）参加竞选”，英文解释为“to be a candidate in an election for a political position, especially in the US”，举个🌰：
Clinton ran a second time in 1996.
1996年，克林顿第二次竞选。
be poised to
表示“准备就绪的；蓄势待发”，英文解释为“ready to do a particular thing at any moment”举个🌰：
The company is poised to launch its new advertising campaign.
公司随时准备发起新的广告攻势。
nary a ...
nary /ˈnɛərɪ/ 用来强调“没有一点...”表示“”，英文解释为“not one or none at all; used for emphasis”举个🌰：
Nary a word of this was mentioned.
这件事一点都没提到。
We saw nary a soul (= no one at all).
我们一个人都没看见。
🎬电影《无敌破坏王2：大闹互联网》（Ralph Breaks the Internet）中的台词提到：you just jump into with both feet, and nary a plan. 你直接一头扎进去 没有计划的事。
🎬电影《午夜巴黎》（Midnight in Paris）中的台词提到：Nevertheless, two months: nary a word. 两个月了还是杳无音讯。
Obama observed that most of the changes needed for better and safer policing, such as barring the use of strangleholds, will have to happen at the local level.
observe
1）熟词僻义，表示“评述；说，讲；评论”，英文解释为“If you observe that something is the case, you make a remark or comment about it, especially when it is something you have noticed and thought about a lot.”举个🌰：
She observed that it would soon be time to stop for lunch.
她说很快就到停下来吃午饭的时间了。
2）表示“庆祝”，英文解释为“If you observe an important day such as a holiday or anniversary, you do something special in order to honour or celebrate it.”如：where he will observe Thanksgiving with family members. 在那里他将与家人一起庆祝感恩节。
bar
表示“禁止，阻止（某人做某事）”，英文解释为“to ban or prevent sb from doing sth”举个🌰：
The players are barred from drinking alcohol the night before a match.
运动员在参赛前夜不得喝酒。
* stranglehold /ˈstræŋɡəlˌhəʊld/ a strong hold around sb's neck that makes it difficult for them to breathe 掐脖子；卡脖子
"I've been hearing a little bit of chatter in the Internet about voting versus protest, politics and participation versus civil disobedience and direct action," he recounted. "This is not an 'either or' — this is a 'both and' — to bring about real change we both have to highlight a problem and make people in power uncomfortable."
chatter
作名词，表示“唠叨的话；喋喋不休”，英文解释为“continuous rapid talk about things that are not important”如：idle chatter表示“闲聊，无聊的唠叨”。
civil disobedience
表示“非暴力反抗；温和抵抗；不合作主义”，英文解释为“refusal by a large group of people to obey particular laws or pay taxes, usually as a form of peaceful political protest”
direct action
表示“直接行动（不经过谈判而直接进行）”，英文解释为“the use of strikes, protests, etc. instead of discussion in order to get what you want”
recount
recount一词去年在王思聪怎么了？和《摩登情爱》：良莠不齐但时显魅力文中都出现过，比如第二篇文中提到：A flashback-driven episode starring Dev Patel and Catherine Keener, in which the two leads recount stories of love and regret, is ultimately more effective. 在由戴夫·帕特尔(Dev Patel)和凯瑟琳·基纳(Catherine Keener)主演的倒叙一集中，两个主角讲述了爱与遗憾的故事，最终效果更好。
recount表示“讲述；叙述；描述”，英文解释为“to describe how something happened, or to tell a story ”举个🌰：
He recounted his adventures since he had left home.
他讲述了离家以后的很多奇遇。
The current strife in America, he added, may draw comparisons with social upheaval and street protests in the 1960's. But he maintained that the diverse demographic makeup of demonstrations now is different.
strife
strife /straɪf/ 表示“冲突；争斗；倾轧”，英文解释为“angry or violent disagreement between two people or groups of people”。
"You look at those protests, and that was a far more representative cross section of America out on the streets, peacefully protesting," he noted. "That didn't exist back in the 1960s, that kind of broad coalition."
That was the "hope" part of the former president's message.
There was also a call for change, with Obama issuing a warning that while "attention moves away at some point, protests start to dwindle in size," and that the quest for change was "a marathon, not a sprint."
dwindle
dwindle /ˈdwɪndəl/表示“逐渐减少，缩小，变小”（to gradually become less and less or smaller and smaller）举个🌰：
The factory's workforce has dwindled from over 1,000 to a few hundred.
该厂的工人总数已从1000多减少到了几百人。
表示降低，减少的词经常出现，比如：
📍fall表示“（水平、数量、价格等，尤指较大幅度地）下跌，下降，降低”（to go down to a lower level, amount, price etc, especially a much lower one）
📍slide表示“（价格等）下滑，下跌”（if prices, amounts, rates etc slide, they become lower）
📍diminish表示“（使）减少，（使）减小”（to become or make something become smaller or less）
📍dip表示“降低，减少”，英文解释为“if an amount or level dips, it becomes less, usually for just a short time”，如：Profits dipped slightly last year. 去年利润略有降低。
sprint
sprint /sprɪnt/表示“短跑比赛；短距离速度竞赛”，英文解释为“a race in which the people taking part run, swim, etc. very fast over a short distance”
区分：
📍sprite /spraɪt/表示“（传说中的）小仙子，小精灵，小妖精”（a small creature with magic powers, especially one that likes playing tricks）
"Just remember, this country was founded on protest: it is called the American Revolution, and every step of progress in this country, every expansion of freedom, every expression of our deepest ideals has been won through efforts that made the status quo uncomfortable," Obama said as he bid farewell to his audience. "And we should all be thankful for folks who are willing, in a peaceful, disciplined way, to be out there making a difference."
status quo
表示“现状”，英文解释为“the state of a situation as it is”，如： 维持/保持现状maintain/preserve/defend the status quo (=not make any changes)。
注：完整演讲全文点击文末的“阅读原文”查看。
- 推荐阅读 -
- END -
LearnAndRecord
2015年2月8日
2020年6月4日
第1944天
每天持续行动学外语