The savage murder of a gay man stuns a state where hate-crime laws do not protect homosexuals
This is not the type of place where this happens, city council president George Carlton told a reporter, after the horror became public in his hometown, Sylacauga, Ala. He echoed what was said in Jasper, Texas, a year ago. Few people then had ever heard of Jasper. A week ago, even fewer could have pointed out Sylacauga on a map. A tiny city of 13,000, halfway between Birmingham and Montgomery, Sylacauga was known for its white marble quarries, textile mills and ice-cream factory. But last week Sylacauga, like Jasper, became a chapter in the recent history of hatred.
According to police, Steven Eric Mullins, 25, and Charles Monroe Butler Jr., 21, plotted for two weeks to murder Billy Jack Gaither, 39. On Feb. 19, they arranged to meet him at a Sylacauga bar and lured him to a secluded area. There they beat him and dumped him into the trunk of his car. They then drove about 15 miles to Peckerwood Creek in Coosa County. There, says Coosa County Sheriff s Deputy Al Bradley, they took him out of the trunk, took an ax handle and beat him to death. They set two old tires aflame, says Bradley, then they put the body on the fire. They did it all, the deputy says, because Gaither was gay.
Gaither s death has become a rallying point for gay-rights organizations and state legislators pushing a bill that would extend Alabama s three-year-old hate-crimes law beyond race, color, religion and national origin to cover crimes related to sexual orientation as well. It s unfortunate that somebody had to lose his life in order for this legislation to pick up momentum here in the state of Alabama, says state Representative Alvin Holmes, who failed to get the original law amended when it was passed in 1996. Holmes filed for extending the law after Matthew Shepard, a gay student, was beaten and left to die on a fence in Wyoming last October, an incident that sparked national outrage. Even Wyoming failed to pass hate-crime legislation in the wake of the Shepard lynching. Like Shepard, Gaither did not hesitate to admit being gay, though he adhered quietly to Sylacauga s Southern dispositions. And friends dispute Mullins and Butler s allegations that a sexual proposition incited the murder. Gaither s brother Randy told CNN: Regardless of his personal life or anything, he doesn t deserve to be killed for this.
The message people are getting is that gay people are second-class citizens, says Tracey Conaty, spokesperson for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Before Gaither s murder, activists were planning a major national pro-gay offensive. From March 21 to March 27, the task force will launch its Equality Begins at Home campaign, with 250 grass-roots events in all 50 states aimed at passing anti-gay-bashing legislation. Says Conaty: These laws reflect the conscience of a community and send an important message. The March events, says Urvashi Vaid, director of the task force s policy institute, will involve straight people concerned about neighbors denied basic human rights. Adds Vaid: It s more than just a gay thing.
1. What is implied in the first two paragraphs?
[A] there are many murders in the recent history of hatred
[B]the murder also happened in Jasper one year ago
[C] it is another case of the gay being tortured to death
[D]the city council president comes from Sylacauga
2. The author uses the example of Matthew Shepard to show that ________.
[A] it is difficult to extend the hate-crime legislation
[B]people want to extend the hate-crime law
[C]the gays are really in a terrible fix
[D] people are indifferent to the gay student
3. Alvin Holmes attitude toward the gay victims is _________.
[A]indifferent
[B]sympathetic
[C]outrageous
[D]considerate
4. Similar to Matthew Shepard, Gaithers death ________.
[A]aroused peoples sympathy for the gay
[B] sharpened peoples awareness
[C]gave legislation some momentum
[D]failed to have any change in the legislation
5. The text intends to express the idea that __________.
[A] people should be concerned about their gay neighbors
[B]the gay people shouldnt be regarded as second-class citizens
[C] the legislation for the gay still has a long way to go
[D]more pro-gay campaigns should be launched
答案:C A B D C
词汇注释
homosexual n.同性恋
echo vt.摹仿, 重复
rallying point n.聚集点,号召力
legislator n.立法者
momentum n.动力, 要素
in the wake of adv.尾随, 紧跟, 仿效
lynching n.处私刑
allegation n.主张,断言, 辩解
offensive n.进攻, 攻势
grass-roots adj.一般民众的, 由乡间民间来进行的
Putin's foreign policies likely to tilt toward Asia
Charities open to religious groups
Rapid-fire attacks kill 50 across Iraq
Self-immolation acts condemned by deputies
US, Philippines to hold joint military exercises
Foodies drive gourmet market boom in S. Africa
Comic collection could yield serious money
Nixon's visit 'changed so many things'
Texas school district embarks on widespread iPad giveaway
Iran denies nuke activity at military site
ROK, US launch annual drills despite warning
Gillard 'confident' she will stay as PM
'Control number of mainland births in HK'
More farmers for next NPC
Aussie FM resigns in leadership spat
Putin set for poll triumph
Human rights added to draft law
Law to ensure human rights
Bin Laden's compound demolished
Two girls commit suicide in pursuit of time travel fantasy
Taliban promises revenge against US
More US kids living in high-poverty areas
Australian PM knocks out rival, but not discontent
Leaders, lawmakers discuss work report
Expats fuel demand for domestic helpers
Concerns over radiation remain
Women deputies call for greater female voice
Forced labor outlawed for people in detention
Romney ekes out win in Ohio
Worker wakes up without left kidney
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |