(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
People in America - a program in Special English on the Voice of America. Today, Warren Scheer and Shep O'Neal begin the story of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Junior.
It all started on a bus. A black woman was returning home from work after a long hard day. She sat near the front of the bus because she was tired and her legs hurt. But the bus belonged to the city of Montgomery in the southern state of Alabama. And the year was nineteen fifty-five.
In those days, black people could sit only in the back of the bus. So the driver ordered the woman to give up her seat. But the woman refused, and she was arrested.
Incidents like this had happened before. But no one had ever spoken out against such treatment of blacks. This time, however, a young black preacher organized a protest. He called on all black citizens to stop riding the buses in Montgomery until the laws were changed. The name of the young preacher was Martin Luther King. He led the protest movement to end injustice in the Montgomery city bus system. The protest became known as the Montgomery bus boycott. The protest marked the beginning of the civil rights movement in the United States.
This is the story of Martin Luther King, and his part in the early days of the civil rights movement.
Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in nineteen twenty-nine. He was born into a religious family.
Martin's father was a preacher at a Baptist church. And his mother came from a family with strong ties to the Baptist religion.
In nineteen twenty-nine, Atlanta was one of the wealthiest cities in the southern part of the United States. Many black families came to the city in search of a better life. There was less racial tension between blacks and whites in Atlanta than in other southern cities. But Atlanta still had laws designed to keep black people separate from whites.
The laws of racial separation existed all over the southern part of the United States. They forced blacks to attend separate schools and live in separate areas of a city. Blacks did not have the same rights as white people, and were often poorer and less educated.
Martin Luther King did not know about racial separation when he was young. But as he grew older, he soon saw that blacks were not treated equally.
One day Martin and his father went out to buy shoes. They entered a shoe store owned by a white businessman.
The businessman sold shoes to all people. But he had a rule that blacks could not buy shoes in the front part of the store. He ordered Martin's father to obey the rule. Martin never forgot his father's angry answer:
"If you do not sell shoes to black people at the front of the store, you will not sell shoes to us at all. "
Such incidents, however, were rare during Martin's early life. Instead, he led the life of a normal boy. Martin liked to learn, and he passed through school very quickly. He was only fifteen when he was ready to enter the university. The university, called Morehouse College, was in Atlanta. Morehouse College was one of the few universities in the South where black students could study.
It was at the university that Martin decided to become a preacher. At the same time, he also discovered he had a gift for public speaking.
He soon was able to test his gifts. One Sunday, Martin's father asked him to preach at his church. When Martin arrived, the church members were surprised to see such a young man getting ready to speak to them. But they were more surprised to find themselves deeply moved by the words of young Martin Luther King.
A church member once described him: "The boy seemed much older than his years. He understood life and its problems."
Martin seemed wise to others because of his studies at the university. He carefully read the works of Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian leader and thinker. Martin also studied the books of the American philosopher, Henry David Thoreau. Both men wrote about ways to fight injustice. Gandhi had led his people to freedom by peacefully refusing to obey unjust laws. He taught his followers never to use violence. Thoreau also urged people to disobey laws that were not just, and to be willing to go to prison for their beliefs.
As he studied, Martin thought he had found the answer for his people. The ideas of Gandhi and Thoreau -- non-violence and civil disobedience -- could be used together to win equal rights for black Americans. Martin knew, then, that his decision to become a preacher was right. He believed that as a preacher he could spread the ideas of Gandhi and Thoreau. Years later he said:
"My university studies gave me the basic truths I now believe. I discovered the idea of humanity's oneness and the dignity and value of all human character. "
Martin continued his studies in religion for almost ten years. When he was twenty-two, he moved north to study in Boston.
It was in Boston that Martin met Coretta Scott, the woman who later became his wife.
Martin always had been very popular with the girls in his hometown. His brother once said that Martin "never had one girlfriend for more than a year".
But Martin felt Coretta Scott was different. The first time he saw her Martin said: "You have everything I have ever wanted in a wife. "
Coretta was surprised at his words. But she felt that Martin was serious and honest. A short time later, they were married. Martin soon finished his studies in Boston, and received a doctorate degree in religion. The young preacher then was offered a job at a church in Montgomery, Alabama.
Martin Luther King and his wife were happy in Montgomery. Their first child was born. Martin's work at the church was going well. He became involved in a number of activities to help the poor. And the members of his church spoke highly of their new preacher. Coretta remembered their life as simple and without worries.
Then, a black woman, Rosa Parks, was arrested for sitting in the white part of a Montgomery city bus. And Martin Luther King organized a protest against the Montgomery bus system.
Martin believed it was very important for the bus boycott to succeed -- more important even than his own life. But he worried about his ability to lead such an important campaign. He was only twenty-six years old. He prayed to God for help and believed that God answered his prayers.
Martin knew that his actions and his speeches would be important for the civil rights movement. But he was faced with a serious problem. He asked: "How can I make my people militant enough to win our goals, while keeping peace within the movement. "
The answer came to him from the teachings of Gandhi and Thoreau. In his first speech as a leader, Martin said:
"We must seek to show we are right through peaceful, not violent means. Love must be the ideal guiding our actions. If we protest bravely, and yet with pride and Christian love, then future historians will say:
"There lived a great people, a black people, who gave new hope to civilization. "
With these words, a new movement was born. It was non-violent and peaceful. But victory was far from sure, and many difficult days of struggle lay ahead.
重点解析
1.belong to属于
Earls, princes, and kings belong to the nobility.
伯爵、亲王和国王属于贵族。
2.give up放弃
Coastguards had given up all hope of finding the two divers alive.
海岸警卫队对两位潜水员生还已完全不抱希望。
3.in search of寻找；寻求
It was a place to which genteel families came in search of health and quiet.
这是上流社会家庭寻求健康和静谧的场所。
4.speak out公开表白
Viktor Shklovsky spoke out in defence of the book
维克多·什科洛夫斯基为这本书公开辩护。
5.be willing to愿意
There are, of course, questions which she will not be willing to answer.
当然，有些问题是她不愿回答的。
6.speak highly of称赞
Whenever I made progress, my parents always speak highly of me.
无论什么时候我取得进步，我父母总是高度的表扬我。
参考译文
这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天，沃伦·舍尔和谢普·奥尼尔为您讲述民权运动领袖小马丁·路德·金的故事。
一切都始于一辆公共汽车。一位黑人妇女在辛苦工作了一天后，正下班回家。她坐在公共汽车的前部，因为她累了，腿也疼。但是这辆巴士属于南部阿拉巴马州的蒙哥马利市。那一年是1955年。
在那些日子里，黑人只能坐在公共汽车的后面。所以司机命令这位女士让座。但是这个女人拒绝了，她被逮捕了。
类似的事件以前也发生过。但是从来没有人公开反对这样对待黑人。然而，这一次，一位年轻的黑人牧师组织了一场抗议。他呼吁所有的黑人公民停止乘坐蒙哥马利的公共汽车，直到法律被修改。这位年轻的牧师就是马丁·路德·金。他领导了旨在结束蒙哥马利市公交系统不公正现象的抗议运动。这次抗议被称为蒙哥马利公车抵制运动。这次抗议标志着美国民权运动的开始。
这就是马丁·路德·金的故事，还有他在早期民权运动中所扮演的角色。
马丁·路德·金于1929年出生于佐治亚州亚特兰大。他出生在一个宗教家庭。
马丁的父亲是浸礼会教堂的牧师。他的母亲来自一个与浸信会有着密切联系的家庭。
1929年，亚特兰大是美国南部最富有的城市之一。许多黑人家庭来到这个城市寻找更好的生活。相比其他南方城市，亚特兰大的黑人和白人之间种族紧张更少。但是亚特兰大仍制定了将黑人和白人分开的法律。
美国南部的各个地方都执行着种族隔离法律。他们强迫黑人和白人上不同的学校，居住在城市的不同区域。黑人没有和白人同样的权利，他们经常是更贫穷、教育程度更低的人。
马丁·路德·金年轻的时候并不知道种族隔离。但是等他长大的时候，他很快就发现黑人没有被平等对待。
有一天马丁和他的父亲出去买鞋。他们进了一个老板是白人的鞋店。
这个商人把鞋子卖给所有的人。但是但是他有一条规定，黑人不能在商店的前面买鞋。他命令马丁的父亲尊重规则。马丁从没有忘记父亲愤怒的答案：
“如果你不让黑人在店铺的前面买鞋，那你干脆就不要把鞋卖给所有人了。”
但是，这种事情在马丁的早期生活中很少见。相反，他过着正常男孩的生活。马丁喜欢学习，他很快就完成了学业。他准备好进大学的时候只有15岁。这所名为莫尔豪斯学院的大学位于亚特兰大。莫尔豪斯学院是南方少数几所黑人学生可以就读的大学之一。
就是在大学里马丁决定当一名传教士。与此同时，他也发现自己有公开演讲的天赋。
他很快就能检验自己的天赋了。一个星期天，马丁的父亲请他到教堂去讲道。当马丁到达时，教友们惊讶地看到这样一个年轻人正准备和他们讲话。但更让他们惊讶的是，他们发现自己被年轻的马丁·路德·金的话深深地打动了。
一位教会成员曾经这样描述他：“这个男孩看起来比实际年龄大得多。他了解生活及其问题。”
马丁在大学的学习使别人觉得他很聪明。他仔细阅读了印度领袖和思想家圣雄甘地的著作。马丁还研究了美国哲学家亨利·大卫·梭罗的著作。两人都写了一些对抗不公正的方法。甘地曾领导人们和平地拒绝遵守不公正的法律，使他们获得自由。他告诉自己的追随者永远不要使用暴力。梭罗也鼓励人们不要遵守不公正的法律，而且要愿意为了自己的信仰进监狱。
马丁在学习的时候认为自己已经为他的人民找到了答案。甘地和梭罗的非暴力和非暴力反抗思想，可以一起用来为美国黑人争取平等权利。那时马丁知道自己成为一名牧师的决定是对的。他相信，作为一名牧师，他可以传播甘地和梭罗的思想。
几年后，他说：我的大学学习给了我现在相信的基本事实。我发现了人性的统一性以及所有人性的尊严和价值。"
马丁继续他的宗教研究将近十年。他22岁时去到北方的波士顿学习。
正是在波士顿，马丁遇到了后来成为他妻子的科蕾塔·斯科特。
在他的家乡，马丁一直很受女孩子们的欢迎。他的哥哥曾说马丁“从来没有和一个女朋友在一起超过一年”。
但马丁觉得科蕾塔·斯科特不一样。第一次见到她，马丁说：“你拥有了我想要的妻子的一切。"
科蕾塔对他说的话感到很惊讶。但是她觉得马丁是认真而真诚的。不长时间后，他们就结婚了。马丁很快就完成了他在波士顿的学习，获得了宗教博士的学位。这位年轻的牧师后来在阿拉巴马州蒙哥马利的一家教堂得到了一份工作。
马丁·路德·金和他的妻子在蒙哥马利过的很开心。他们的第一个孩子出生了。马丁在教堂的工作很顺利。他参加了一些列帮助穷人的活动。他的教会成员对他们的新牧师评价很高。科雷塔记得他们的生活很简单，无忧无虑。
随后，一名名叫罗莎·帕克斯的黑人妇女因坐在蒙哥马利市公交车的白色车厢里而被捕。马丁·路德·金组织了一场反对蒙哥马利公交系统的抗议活动。
马丁认为这次的公交抵制活动取得成功是很重要的，比他自己的生活更重要。但是他担心自己没有领导一项这么重要的活动的能力。他只有26岁。他向上帝祈祷寻求帮助，他相信上帝会回应他的祈祷。
马丁知道自己的行动和演讲对民权运动是重要的。但是他面临着一个严重的问题。他问道：“我怎样才能使我的人们足够激进以赢得目标，同时在运动过程中又保持和平。”
答案来自甘地和梭罗的教导。在他作为领导人的第一次演讲中，马丁说：
“我们必须通过和平而不是暴力的手段来表明我们是正确的。爱必须是指导我们行动的理想。如果我们勇敢地提出抗议，但是要以自豪和基督教的爱，那么未来的历史学家会说：
有一个伟大的民族，一个黑人，他们给文明带来了新的希望。"
有了这些话，一项新的运动出现了。这个新的运动是非暴力与和平的。但胜利还远未确定，前方还有许多艰难的斗争日子。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
