Passage ten(Antinuclear Demonstration¹)

       Police fired tear gas and arrested more than 5,000 passively resisting protestors Friday in an attempt to break up the largest antinuclear demonstration ever staged in the United States. More than 135,000 demonstrators confronted police on the construction site of a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant scheduled to provide power to most of southern New Hampshire. Organizers of the huge demonstration said, the protest was continuing despite the police actions. More demonstrators were arriving to keep up the pressure on state authorities to cancel the project. The demonstrator had charged that the project was unsafe in the densely² populated area, would create thermal³ pollution in the bay, and had no acceptable means for disposing of its radioactive wasters. The demonstrations⁴ would go on until the jails and the courts were so overloaded⁵ that the state judicial⁶ system would collapse⁷.

       Governor Stanforth Thumper⁸ insisted that there would be no reconsideration of the power project and no delay in its construction set for completion in three years. “This project will begin on time and the people of this state will begin to receive its benefits on schedule. Those who break the law in misguided attempts to sabotage⁹ the project will be dealt with according to the law,” he said. And police called in reinforcements from all over the state to handle the disturbances¹⁰.

       The protests began before dawn Friday when several thousand demonstrators broke through police lines around the cordoned-off construction site. They carried placards that read “No Nukes is Good Nukes,” “Sunpower, Not Nuclear Power,” and “Stop Private Profits from Public Peril¹¹.” They defied police order to move from the area. Tear gas canisters fired by police failed to dislodge the protestors who had come prepared with their own gas masks or facecloths. Finally gas-masked and helmeted police charged into the crowd to drag off the demonstrators one by one. The protestors did not resist police, but refused to walk away under their own power. Those arrested would be charged with unlawful assembly, trespassing¹², and disturbing the peace.

1.       What were the demonstrators protesting about?
[A] Private profits.
[B] Nuclear Power Station.
[C] The project of nuclear power construction.
[D] Public peril.

2.       Who had gas-masks?
[A] Everybody.
[B] A part of the protestors.
[C] Policemen.
[D] Both B and C.

3.       Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a reason for the demonstration?
[A] Public transportation.
[B] Public peril.
[C] Pollution.
[D] Disposal of wastes.

4.       With whom were the jails and courts overloaded?
[A] With prisoners.
[B] With arrested demonstrators.
[C] With criminals.
[D] With protestors.

5.       What is the attitude of Governor Stanforth Thumper toward the power project and the demonstration?
[A] stubborn.
[B] insistent¹³.
[C] insolvable.
[D] remissible.

Vocabulary

1.       tear gas                                              催泪瓦斯

2.       passively resisting protestor                  不抵抗的抗议者

3.       stage                                                  发起，举行，上演

4.       break up                                             驱散，终止

5.       cordon                                               警戒线，警戒

6.       nuke                                                  （美俚）核武器，核电站

7.       defy                                                   公然蔑视/反抗

8.       canister                                             罐，筒，榴霰弹筒

9.       dislodge                                              赶走

10.   charge                                                冲锋，向前冲

11.   trespass                                              非法侵入，扰乱

难句译注

1.       Police fired tear gas and arrested more than 5,000 passively resisting protestors Friday in an attempt to break up the largest antinuclear demonstration ever staged in the United States.
【结构简析】句中间用in an attempt介词短语和staged分词使句子变长。Staged修饰demonstration。
【参考译文】星期五，再制止美国举行过的最大的反核示威游行中，警方发放了催泪瓦斯，逮捕了5000多不拒捕的抗议者，企图解散游行队伍。

2.       The protests began before dawn Friday when several thousand demonstrators broke through police lines around the cordoned-off construction site.
【结构简析】主从句。
【参考译文】星期五拂晓之前，当好几千名示威者冲破警戒再核建设基地周围的警察封锁线时，抗议示威开始了。

写作方法与文章大意

       这是一则有关反对核电站的群众示威抗议的新闻导报，采用对比手法。警方镇压；群众坚决抗议。第一段就写出了尽管警方释放催泪瓦斯，逮捕了5000多人，示威组织者申明抗议要继续下去，越来越多的抗议者参与对当局加压，想迫使其废除在当地建立核电站的计划。其理由是在人口密集地区建站不安全，在海湾产生热污染，核废料处理无有效方法。

       第二段叙述了州长大人坚决维护核电站的立场，不再考虑计划修改问题，三年内要完成核电站建设。届时，本州人民得益。对企图破坏计划实施而违法的人将以法处置。已集结全州警察加强对付这次捣乱。

       第三段讲了双方现场交战：星期五破晓，数千示威者（高举示威牌，上写：没有核电站就是好的核电站；不要核能，要太阳能等）冲过建设基地警察警戒线，警察用催泪瓦斯无效后，开始一个一个地抓逮示威者，被捕者将被控以非法集会、侵入和扰乱治安等罪名。

答案详解

1.       C 抗议建设核电站计划。不是抗议核电站。至于
B. 核电站还未建，所以不对。A. 私人利益 和 D. 公共危险，这些都是示威牌上之口号不是抗议的主攻方向。

2.       D 双方。 最后一段第四行最后和第五行“抗议者准备了他们自己的防毒面具或面罩。最后，头戴防毒面具和头盔的警察冲进人群一个一个地抓逮示威者。”所以说两方面都有防毒面具。

3.       A 公共交通运输。
B. 公共危险。 C. 污染。 D. 废料处理，是三个抗议的理由。

4.       B 被逮捕的示威者。第一段最后一行“示威要继续下去直到州监牢和州法庭人满为患，从而使州司法体系垮台。”说明示威者准备去坐牢，决不服输的决心。而人多到监牢装不下证明州司法的问题。所以这里只能是被抓的示威者。
A. 犯人。 C. 罪犯。D.抗议者。警察不可能抓所有的抗议者。关在牢里的只能是被抓的示威者。

5.       A 固执己见，冥顽不化。见第二段他坚持说核电站计划不用再考虑，三年内一定要建成，计划准时开始，本州人民到时候就能获益。对这些违法企图破坏计划的人依法惩处。并且从州内各处调集警察来处理这次“骚乱”。从语言到行动都说明，这位州长固执己见，顽固得很。
B. 坚持的。 C. 不能解决的。 D. 可宽恕的。