2017考研英語(yǔ)《經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)人》閱讀：無(wú)法改變的悲劇

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Cameron Todd Willingham

卡梅倫·陶德·威廉漢姆

Irrevocable

無(wú)法改變

Texas may well have killed an innocent man

得克薩斯可能殺死了一名無(wú)辜者

Was the real villain a faulty wire?

真正的罪魁禍?zhǔn)资且桓�故障電線?

ON THE morning of December 23rd 1991 a fire destroyed a home in Corsicana, Texas shared byCameron Todd Willingham, his wife and their three daughters. The fire killed the girls; MrsWillingham was at the Salvation Army store shopping for Christmas gifts. Mr Willinghamsurvived. The next year he was convicted of setting the fire. He was sentenced to death andexecuted in 2004.

1991年12月23日上午，一場(chǎng)火燒掉了德克薩斯州科西卡納城的一處民居，這里住著卡梅倫·托德·威靈厄姆、他的妻子和他們的三個(gè)女兒。大火燒死了三個(gè)小姑娘，威靈厄姆夫人彼時(shí)正在救世軍商店買圣誕禮物。威靈厄姆活了下來(lái)。一年后他被判有縱火罪。死刑判決于2004年宣判并執(zhí)行。

His conviction rested on arson investigators'findings and the testimony of Johnny Webb, ajailhouse informant who claimed that Willingham had confessed to him. Shortly before theexecution, Willingham's lawyers sent the governor and parole board a report from GeraldHurst, another arson investigator, detailing multiple flaws in the first investigation. Heconcluded that the fire was caused by a space heater or faulty electrical wiring. Officials appearto have received this report before Willingham's execution, but did nothing with it. Severalindependent arson investigators reached similar conclusions.

其罪名是基于縱火調(diào)查人的發(fā)現(xiàn)和獄中報(bào)案人約翰尼·韋伯的證詞——此人聲稱威廉漢姆曾向自己供罪——而判處的。處決前不久，威廉漢姆的律師像州長(zhǎng)和假釋委員會(huì)遞送了另一位縱火調(diào)查人杰拉爾德·哈斯特的報(bào)告，報(bào)告詳述了首次調(diào)查中的多項(xiàng)漏洞。哈斯特的結(jié)論是，這場(chǎng)大火是由電暖器或故障電線引發(fā)的。官員們似乎是在威廉漢姆處決前收到了這份報(bào)告，但卻不了了之。獨(dú)立進(jìn)行縱火調(diào)查的數(shù)方得出了相似結(jié)論。

Willingham insisted on his innocence, refusing to plead guilty even to avoid execution. MrWebb testified that, as he was passing Willingham's cell, he heard him confess to having donethe deed to cover up child abuse committed by his wife. But no bruises or signs of abusewere found on the children's bodies.

威廉漢姆堅(jiān)稱自己清白無(wú)辜，他拒不服罪，甚至拒絕為免除死刑申訴。韋伯作證說(shuō)，他在經(jīng)過(guò)威廉漢姆的小房間時(shí)聽(tīng)到了后者供認(rèn)自己為掩蓋妻子虐女行為而作此舉。但是孩子們的尸體上并未發(fā)現(xiàn)傷痕或施虐痕跡。

Mr Webb recanted his testimony in 2000. He then recanted his recantation, but admitted to ajournalist that “It's very possible I misunderstood what [Willingham] said.” Mr Webb alsotestified that he was promised no benefit in exchange for his testimony. In February,however, lawyers working to get Willingham a posthumous pardon revealed a note discoveredin Mr Webb's file with the Navarro County prosecutor promising a reduced charge “based oncoop[eration] in Willingham”. On April 3rd Texas denied Willingham a pardon. His lawyers canreapply in April 2016.

2000年，韋伯宣布撤回證詞。接著他又取消了撤回，但又向記者承認(rèn)“很有可能是我理解錯(cuò)了[威廉漢姆]那番話”。韋伯還證實(shí)了自己作證不會(huì)得到任何利益。然而，在二月份，努力為威廉漢姆爭(zhēng)取死后赦免的律師們公布了韋伯檔案中發(fā)現(xiàn)的一則記錄，在記錄中，納瓦羅縣檢察官允諾將“基于威廉漢姆的[配]合”減刑處理。4月3日，德克薩斯方面拒絕了赦免威廉漢姆的要求。其律師可于2016年4月重新申請(qǐng)。

1.convict of 宣判(某人)犯有(某罪)

例句:She is convict of the manslaughter of herhusband.

她被宣判犯有殺害丈夫的罪行。

2.appear to 似乎

例句:On Capitol Hill, senators today appear to view the matter as something of a tempest in ateapot.

美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)的參議員們今天似乎把這個(gè)問(wèn)題小題大做了。

3.refuse to 拒絕

例句:Local authorities are likely to refuse to hire facilities to unrecognised martial artsorganisations.

當(dāng)?shù)氐闹鞴軝C(jī)構(gòu)可能會(huì)拒絕向非官方的武術(shù)組織出租設(shè)備。

4.cover up 掩蓋

例句:Sophistry can never cover up the truth.

狡辯無(wú)法掩蓋事實(shí)真相。