2017考研英語拓展閱讀：奧巴馬為214名犯人減刑

考研英語來源：新東方網整理 2016-08-06　

Most of those affected were guilty of non-violent crimes, many involving possession or distribution of drugs.

被赦免犯人大多數都是非暴力犯罪，許多人都是因持有和販賣毒品而入獄。

The president has now made 562 commutations, officials say.

有官員表示說，奧巴馬目前為止已經對562做出了減刑赦免。

He has authorised more than the previous nine presidents combined.

奧巴馬赦免的人比前九任總統赦免的人加起來還要多。

Almost all the prisoners were convicted for crimes related to cocaine, methamphetamine or other drugs.

幾乎所有犯人被判有罪的原因都是犯下了和可卡因、冰毒以及其他毒品有關的罪行。

A few are in jail for firearms violations related to their drug activities. Almost all those affected are men, representing a diverse geographical cross-section of the US.

一部分被判入獄是因為犯下了和毒品活動相關的槍支違法行為。被赦免的犯人幾乎全部是男性，他們來自美國不同的地方。

"All of the individuals receiving commutation [on Wednesday] were incarcerated under outdated and unduly harsh sentencing laws," White House counsel Neil Eggleston wrote in a blog post.

白宮律師尼爾·埃格爾斯頓在其一篇博文中寫道：“所有這些在周三被減刑的犯人們都曾因過時和量刑過于嚴重的法律而被囚禁。”

"They embody the president’s belief that America is a nation of second chances."

“他們體現了奧巴馬總統的信念--美國是一個有第二次機會的國家。”

Correspondents say that Mr Obama’s drive to reduce the sentences of non-violent drug offenders as part of his clemency initiative reflects his long-held belief that the US needs to introduce less severe sentencing requirements.

有記者指出，奧巴馬對這些非暴力毒品犯罪者減刑的行為是其特赦計劃的一部分，反映出了他長久以來所秉持的信念--美國需要引進不那么嚴苛的量刑要求。

The president is believed to have used the fast pace of his commutations to put pressure on Congress to address the sentencing issue.

外界認為，奧巴馬用頻繁的減刑行動來向國會施壓，從而使得他們解決量刑的問題。

One of the inmates benefitting from the president’s leniency is reported by the AP news agency to be Dicky Joe Jackson of Texas.

據美聯社報道，在受益于此次總統赦免的犯人中，有一名犯人是來自于德州的迪克·喬·杰克遜。

He was sentenced to life in 1996 for methamphetamine violations and for being a felon with an unlicensed gun.

在1996年，他因冰毒犯罪和無證持槍被判終身監禁。

Jackson was reported to have said in 2013 that he would have preferred a death sentence: "I wish it were over, even if it meant I were dead,’’ he was quoted as saying at the time.

有媒體曾經引述杰克遜的話報道，他曾在2013年表示說自己寧愿被判死刑：“我希望這一切在那時就能夠結束，甚至這意味著我可能已經死了。”

The sentences of most of those affected by the president’s order will now end on 1 December, officials say.

有官員表示，大多數奧巴馬此次赦免犯人的刑期將在12月1日結束。