湖南12歲少年弒母獲釋引發(fā)爭議

12-Year-Old in China Kills His Mother, Then Returns to School, Igniting an Outcry

紐約時報

New York Times

It began with a quarrel over cigarettes.

事件開始于抽煙引發(fā)的爭吵。

Weighed down by loans and the burden of single parenting, a 34-year-old woman often took home leftover food and unopened packs of cigarettes from the banquets she occasionally attended in a nearby village in central China.

由于債務的重壓和單身母親的負擔，一位34歲的女人常常把她偶爾到鄰村參加宴席的剩菜和一盒盒沒拆封的煙帶回家斤葱。

weigh sb down

1)表示“使(某人)感到沉重怎栽；壓下嫌佑，壓倒”儒溉，英文解釋為“if something weighs you down, it is heavy and difficult to carry”歹苦；

2)表示“使感到焦慮，使煩惱边灭，使憂心忡忡”，英文解釋為“if a problem weighs you down, it makes you feel worried and upset”健盒，如：a family weighed down with grief 沉浸在悲痛之中的一家人绒瘦，舉個??：

He felt weighed down by his responsibilities.

他感到自己的責任重得難以承受。

But one night earlier this month, she discovered that her 12-year-old son had stolen and smoked four packs, and she exploded with rage and beat him, according to local media reports.

但本月早些時候的一個晚上扣癣，據(jù)當?shù)孛襟w報道惰帽，她發(fā)現(xiàn)四包煙被12歲的兒子偷走并抽了，她勃然大怒父虑，打了他该酗。

The next morning, the woman identified only by her surname, Chen (her full name was not released by the authorities) was found dead in her bedroom, stabbed to death by her son, the police said. When the boy, who has been identified only by his surname, was asked by relatives if he regretted his actions, he said that he did, but that he didn't think it was a big deal.

次日早晨，這名只公布了姓“陳”（當局未公布她的全名）的女人被發(fā)現(xiàn)死在她的臥室里士嚎，警方說呜魄，她是被兒子刺死的。當這名男孩——只公布了他的姓——被親戚問起他是否對自己的行為感到后悔莱衩，他說他是后悔爵嗅，但覺得沒什么大不了。

“I didn't kill anyone else. I killed my mom,” he was quoted as saying.

“我又沒殺別人膳殷，我殺的是我媽操骡【呕穑”報道中引述他的原話說。

Back in School

返校

In the eyes of many Chinese, the boy was a heartless criminal who deserved to be punished. But in China, where the minimum age of criminal responsibility is 14, he could not be held legally responsible. The boy was released by the authorities in the town of Yuanjiang, in Hunan Province, with no conditions.

在很多中國人眼里册招，這個男孩是應該受到懲罰的殘忍罪犯岔激。但在中國，最低刑事責任年齡為14歲是掰，他無法被追究刑事責任虑鼎。男孩被湖南沅江市當局無條件釋放。

Five days after he stabbed his mother more than 20 times, the sixth grader was back in school. Parents were irate.

在捅了自己的母親20多刀五天之后键痛，這名六年級學生回到了學校炫彩。家長們憤怒不已。

irate

表示“ (尤因認為受到不公平待遇而）極憤怒的”絮短，英文解釋為“extremely angry, especially because you think you have been treated unfairly”江兢，舉個??：

The owner was so irate he almost threw me out of the place.

主人那么生氣，他差點兒把我從那個地方趕出去丁频。

表示生氣杉允，憤怒的詞：

上文出現(xiàn)的explode with rage：勃然大怒

· rage（v.）：to feel very angry about something and show this in the way you behave or speak 發(fā)怒；怒斥席里，舉個??：

Inside, He was raging.

內(nèi)心里叔磷，他怒不可遏。

· rage（n.）：a strong feeling of uncontrollable anger 盛怒奖磁，狂怒改基，如：in a rage/cry of rage/trembling with rage

· furious（adj.）：very angry 狂怒的，暴怒的

The grisly story, which has spread quickly across Chinese social media, has prompted a public debate in China about whether the country's juvenile justice system, which has been praised in recent years for its focus on rehabilitation over punishment, is in fact too lenient.

這個可怕的故事在中國的社交媒體上迅速傳開咖为，引發(fā)了中國的公眾對于該國未成年人司法體系的熱議秕狰。近年來，這個因重改造輕懲罰受到稱贊的體系事實上太過仁慈了案疲。

grisly

表示“令人極其厭惡的封恰，恐怖的”，英文解釋為“extremely unpleasant and involving people being killed or injured”褐啡，如：a series of grisly murders 一連串恐怖的兇殺案诺舔。

lenient

表示“寬大的，仁慈的”备畦，英文解釋為“not strict in the way you punish someone or in the standard you expect”低飒。

It has also reignited debate about a question that countries around the world have long grappled with: At what age should a child be held responsible for his or her crimes?

此事還再度引發(fā)了一個困擾了世界各國多年的爭論：在什么年齡可以追究兒童的刑事責任？

grapple with sth

表示“盡力解決懂盐，設法理解（難題）”褥赊，英文解釋為“to try hard to deal with or understand something difficult”，舉個??：

The government has to grapple with the problem of unemployment.

政府必須盡力解決失業(yè)問題莉恼。

At the heart of the question is the issue of when a child can be deemed to have intent to commit a crime. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends the age of 12 as an “absolute minimum” of criminal responsibility.

問題的核心在于拌喉，什么時候兒童才能被視為有實施犯罪的意圖速那。聯(lián)合國兒童權(quán)利委員會(United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child)建議12歲為刑事責任的“絕對最低”年齡。

United Nations officials have cited research about child cognitive development and the dangers of exposing children to violence in prisons. But there is no global consensus. In the United States, the minimum age of criminal responsibility for federal crimes is 11. But in 33 states, children of any age can theoretically be convicted and sentenced at the state level. In India, the minimum age is 7, compared with 16 in Timor-Leste.

聯(lián)合國的官員引用了關(guān)于兒童認知發(fā)展以及將兒童暴露于監(jiān)獄暴力之下的危害的研究尿背。但全球尚未達成共識端仰。在美國，聯(lián)邦犯罪的刑事責任最低年齡為11歲田藐。但有33個州理論上任何年齡的兒童都可以在州一級被定罪并被判刑荔烧。在印度，最低年齡為7歲汽久，而東帝汶則是16歲鹤竭。復制自LearnAndReocrd

convict

作動詞，表示“證明/判定…有罪”景醇，英文解釋為“to prove or officially announce that someone is guilty of a crime after a trial in a law court”臀稚，如：a convicted murderer 已定罪的謀殺犯

Some countries are considering changing the minimum age of culpability. In Australia, officials are looking into a proposal to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 16 from 10. In the Philippines, by contrast, President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to lower the minimum age from 15 as part of his brutal war on drugs.

一些國家正在考慮變更最低刑事責任年齡。在澳大利亞三痰，官員們正在研究一項將刑事責任年齡從10歲提高至16歲的提案烁涌。與此相反，在菲律賓酒觅，總統(tǒng)羅德里戈·杜特地(Rodrigo Duterte)已發(fā)誓要將最低年齡從15歲降低，以此作為他殘酷禁毒戰(zhàn)爭的一部分微峰。

culpability

名詞舷丹，表示“可責；有過失蜓肆；有罪”颜凯，英文解釋為“responsibility for a fault or wrong; blame.”，形容詞性仗扬，culpable表示“應受譴責的症概；該受處罰的；該對錯誤負責的”（deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad）早芭；舉個??：

He was held culpable (= blamed) for all that had happened.

他被認為應該為所發(fā)生的一切負責彼城。

補充：culpable homicide表示“過失殺人”（specialized ?in some legal systems, the crime of killing someone or causing their death, but not intentionally）

'He Looked at Me and Smiled'

“他就看著我笑了”

In China, the boy in Yuanjiang may have been underage. But to many who followed the case, there was no question that the boy had intended to commit a crime.

在中國，這個沅江男孩也許是未成年退个，但對許多關(guān)注此案的人來說募壕，他毫無疑問是在蓄意犯罪。

Many pointed to reports about his behavior before and after the killing. When neighbors heard screams coming from the family's apartment on the night of the stabbing, the boy told them through the door that everything was fine and that his mother was just upset because his 2-year-old brother had soiled the bed, according to Chinese news reports.

許多人提到了他在殺人前后的行為语盈。據(jù)中國新聞報道舱馅，殺人當晚，鄰居們聽到他的家中傳來尖叫聲刀荒，男孩隔著門告訴他們代嗤，一切都很好棘钞，母親只是因為他兩歲的弟弟弄臟了床而心煩。

soil

[熟詞僻義]作動詞干毅，表示“（尤指因大便）弄臟”宜猜，英文解釋為“to make something dirty, especially with solid waste”，如：soiled nappies/underwear/sheets 弄臟的尿布/內(nèi)衣/床單溶锭。

補充：not soil your hands表示“不玷污雙手（指不做令人不快或不誠實的事）宝恶，不沾染污點，不參與不好的事情”（to not do something because you consider it too unpleasant or dishonest）舉個??：

Keep your money – I wouldn't soil my hands with it.

把你的錢留著吧趴捅，我可不愿意被它玷污了雙手垫毙。

The morning after the killing, the boy sent his teacher a message from his mother's phone to say that he had a cold and that he would not be at school, news reports said. When his grandfather stopped by to check in later that morning, the boy told him that his mother had gone out.

據(jù)新聞報道，在殺人案發(fā)生后的第二天早上拱绑，男孩用母親的電話給老師發(fā)了一條短信综芥，說他患了感冒，不去上學了猎拨。那天上午晚些時候膀藐，姥爺順道來看望他，男孩告訴他母親出門了红省。

The boy's aunt told The Beijing News: “I asked him if he missed his mother. He shook his head and said no. I asked if he was afraid. He looked at me and smiled. I asked if he hated his mother. He nodded.”

死者的妯娌告訴《新京報》：“我問他想不想母親额各。他搖頭說不想。問他怕不怕吧恃。他就看著我笑了虾啦。恨不恨母親，他點頭了痕寓“磷恚”復制自LearnAndReocrd

His behavior led many people to say he should be held responsible for the crime.

他的行為使許多人認為他應該為這一罪行負責。

“You can't use age as a standard for everything,” one user wrote on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. “Since we recognize that some children are talented and even exceed the I.Q. level of adults, we should also accept that some children have surpassed adults and are precocious.”

“不能用年齡作為一切事情對錯的標準線呻率，”一名用戶在微博——中國版的Twitter——上寫道硬毕。“既然我們認可有的孩子天資過人礼仗，甚至超過成年人的智商水平吐咳，那我們應該接受有的孩子心理早熟，也超過了成年人元践∨捕”

precocious

表示“早熟的”，英文解釋為“A precocious child is very clever, mature, or good at something, often in a way that you usually only expect to find in an adult.”

But Zhang Hongwei, a professor at the Juvenile and Family Law Center at Jinan University, cautioned against moving too quickly to lower the minimum age of culpability, arguing that the problems of juvenile justice required a more “systematic” approach in China, which has a unified criminal justice system for both adults and juveniles.

但暨南大學少年及家事法研究中心教授張鴻巍警告說卢厂，不要過快降低應負罪責的最低年齡乾蓬，他認為，在中國慎恒，青少年司法問題需要更多的“系統(tǒng)化”方法——在這里成人和青少年刑事司法系統(tǒng)是合一的任内。

He pointed to recent efforts to set up an independent juvenile system, similar to that in the United States. He also called for an overhaul of China's work-study centers, which act as rehabilitation centers for juveniles who commit minor offenses.

他提到最近為建立獨立的撵渡、類似于美國的青少年司法體系所做的努力。他還呼吁對中國的少管所進行全面改革死嗦，這是為犯有輕微罪行的青少年設立的教育中心趋距。

“Even if we lower the minimum age, it can't change everything fundamentally,” said Mr. Zhang.

“即使降低最低年齡，也不能從根本上改變一切越除，”他說节腐。

Plight of Migrant Workers

民工的困境

The Yuanjiang killing highlighted a related issue that has long been a concern in China: the difficulties facing the more than 286 million migrant workers who leave home every year in search of work in the bigger cities.

中國每年有2.86億多民工離開家鄉(xiāng)到大城市找工作，沅江事件突顯了他們面臨的困難摘盆，這在中國是一個長期問題翼雀。

plight

此處作名詞表示“困境，窘境”孩擂，英文解釋為“an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad, or difficult one”狼渊，如：the plight of the poor/homeless 窮人/無家可歸者的困難處境。

According to local news reports, the boy was, like the children of many migrant workers, “left behind” in his hometown at a young age and raised mostly by his grandparents. He had moved in with his mother for the first time earlier this year, relatives told reporters.

據(jù)當?shù)匦侣剤蟮览嗫眩@名男孩和許多民工的孩子一樣狈邑，在很小的時候就“留守”家鄉(xiāng)，主要由祖父母撫養(yǎng)蚤认。親戚們告訴記者米苹，今年早些時候，他第一次搬到母親家砰琢。

It is an experience that scholars say can be deeply destabilizing for young children. Researchers say a high proportion of juvenile crimes in cities are committed by children of migrant workers, who often face widespread discrimination in terms of access to schools, health care and employment, and are pushed into petty crime.

學者們表示驱入，這種經(jīng)歷可能會給幼兒帶來嚴重的不安定感。研究人員表示氯析，在城市中，青少年犯罪中有很大比例是由民工子女犯下的莺褒，他們往往在入學掩缓、醫(yī)療和就業(yè)方面受到普遍歧視，被迫輕微犯罪遵岩。

對比上文：

犯有輕微罪行 commit minor offenses

被迫輕微犯罪 be pushed into petty crime

“It has become one of the most serious social problems right now,” Mr. Zhang said. “The family support social mechanism for children of migrant workers is very underdeveloped.”

“這已經(jīng)成為目前最嚴重的社會問題之一你辣，”張鴻巍說〕局矗“農(nóng)民工子女的家庭支持社會機制非常不完善舍哄。”

The day after the boy's release, his father, a migrant worker in Guangdong Province who goes back home twice a year, tried to send the boy back to school. But parents protested, citing concerns about their children's safety.

男孩獲釋后的第二天誊锭，他的父親表悬，一位在廣東工作、每年回家兩次的民工丧靡，試圖把男孩送回學校蟆沫。但家長們表示抗議籽暇，理由是擔心自己孩子的安全。

Shunned by locals, the boy and his family fled to a $11.50-per-night hotel in a nearby town. On Thursday, the boy's grandfather told reporters that local officials had agreed to pay for the boy to be sent to an asylum in the provincial capital of Changsha.

當?shù)鼐用駥δ泻⒁患冶芏h之饭庞，他們逃到附近城鎮(zhèn)戒悠，住進一家每晚80元的旅館。周四舟山，男孩的祖父告訴記者绸狐，當?shù)毓賳T已經(jīng)同意支付將男孩送往省會長沙一家收容所的費用。

shun

/??n/

表示“（故意）避開累盗，躲開（某人或某物）”寒矿，英文解釋為“to deliberately avoid someone or something”，舉個??：

From that time forward everybody shunned him.

從那時起幅骄，人人都有意回避他劫窒。

The family could not be reached for more details. The boy's father has already gone back to Guangdong.

記者無法聯(lián)系到其家人以獲得更多信息。男孩的父親已經(jīng)回了廣東拆座。

- END -

LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2018年12月17日

第1409天

每天持續(xù)行動學外語