2019-2020学年度第43期总第796期
Protesting US police brutality (P2)
山东省烟台第二中学 赵娜娜

Lead-in

What incident can you think of once seeing the picture?

Protests have erupted in the United States.

Traffic was blocked.

Fire was set.

Protesters clashed with riot police, who fired tear gas and plastic bullets in an effort to restore order.

What triggered the protests?

A video goes viral showing “police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while Floyd was pinned (按) to the ground following his arrest.”

What’s the scale of the situation?
Despite mobilization of the National Guard, violence and destruction of property have broken out across major cities. According to the Guardian, this has been the most widespread civil unrest (动荡) in the US since the assassination (刺杀) of social activist Martin Luther King Jr in 1968.

Prediction

Read the title and predict what the passage is about.
Protesting US police brutality

·What did the police do?
·What group may the victim belong to?
·Who is protesting?

Fast-reading

Find the main idea of each part.

 

Reading for details

Read the text carefully and answer the following questions.
1. What are the reasons behind the protests?
2. What are the measures to deal with the protests?

1.What are the reasons behind the protest?

·Long-lasting inequality
Although racial equality is guaranteed in law, from the social level and from people's mindsets, potential racial conflicts (冲突) are brewing (酝酿).

·Fractured relationship between the police and the city's black community
The police department is described as “racist (种族主义), bigoted (有偏见的) and uncaring about the black community”.

 

A black CNN reporter was arrested while broadcasting the protests.

·Frustration and despair felt by many in the US
The violent unrest stemming from Floyd’s killing is a marked demonstration of these issues, illustrating the frustration and despair felt by many in the country.

2. What measures are being taken to deal with the protests?

 

Post-reading
Are you for or against the protests in the US?

A black store owner criticizes the protesters for destroying her property.

A middle-aged black man calls on a young man to stop protesting and try to think of a way to change the inequality in America.
 

The mayor of Minneapolis knelt down and wept over Floyd's coffin.

“Black Lives Matter” is painted on the road to the White House.

Language Study
1.与……冲突   
clash with
2.努力恢复秩序  
in an effort to restore order
3.广泛传播的视频  
a widely-circulated video
4.爆发   
break out
5.尽管……  
despite the fact that
6.财富不均等
wealth inequality
7.由……产生
stem from
8.标志性的证明
a marked demonstration
9.沮丧
frustration
10.对……的回应
in response to
11.威胁某人做某事
threaten sb to do sth
12.督促某人做某事
urge sb to do sth

Homework
Write a passage about the protests and share your opinions about the situation.