VOA慢速英語:80年后，仍然有數(shù)百萬人逃離惡魔島（雙語)

80 Years Later, Millions Still Escape from Alcatraz

80年后，仍然有數(shù)百萬人逃離惡魔島

In 1934, U.S. officials wondered where to put the country’s most dangerous prisoners. They found a place on an island in the harbor of the city of San Francisco, California. It was officially called Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, but everyone called it “The Rock.”

1934年，美國官員思考著把美國最危險(xiǎn)的那些犯人們放在哪。然后他們發(fā)現(xiàn)在加利福尼亞州的港口城市舊金山地區(qū)的一個(gè)島。這個(gè)地方被正式稱為“惡魔島聯(lián)邦監(jiān)獄”，但是大家都叫它“奪命島”。

Alcatraz was a military prison from the late 1850s until the 1930s. When the first group of federal prisoners arrived on August 11, 1934, “The Rock” opened for business. The prisoners were considered the country’s worst criminals. They included murderers, bank robbers and kidnappers. One of the main reasons federal officials chose Alcatraz Island to detain these prisoners was because they thought it would be impossible for the prisoners to escape.

從19世紀(jì)50年代一直到20世紀(jì)30年代，惡魔島一直是一個(gè)軍事監(jiān)獄。當(dāng)1934年，8月11日，第一批聯(lián)邦囚犯到達(dá)那里，“奪命島”正式開業(yè)。這些被送到這里的囚犯都被認(rèn)為是這個(gè)國家罪行最嚴(yán)重的罪犯，他們中有殺人犯，搶劫銀行的和綁架者。聯(lián)邦官員選擇惡魔島來拘留這些囚犯的主要原因之一，是因?yàn)樗麄冋J(rèn)為囚犯們不可能逃出這里。

Cold, deep and dangerous waters surround the island. Also, the distance between the island and San Francisco is too far for most humans to swim. No prisoner was ever officially reported to have successfully escaped.

這里的海水既冰冷又深，這片危險(xiǎn)水域環(huán)繞著這個(gè)島。此外，島和舊金山之間的距離太遠(yuǎn)，以至于大多數(shù)人都不可能平安游到舊金山。也沒有正式報(bào)道稱有人成功逃脫。

However, in 1962, three men broke out of the prison. Each man worked very hard at night for many months to cut through the stone wall of his cell. They made false heads out of paper, paint and hair. On the night of June 11th, the men placed the heads in their beds to make it look as if they were sleeping. Then, the prisoners escaped through the holes in their cells to get to the water. The men were never seen or heard from again. It is believed that they drowned while trying to swim to San Francisco.

然而，在1962年，卻有3個(gè)人逃出了監(jiān)獄。他們3個(gè)每個(gè)人在晚上都在辛苦努力鑿他所在牢房的墻，這樣堅(jiān)持了數(shù)月。他們用紙、顏料和頭發(fā)，做了假頭。6月11日晚上，他們把假頭擺放在他們的床上，讓人看起來他們是在睡覺的樣子。然后，他們通過牢房上已經(jīng)鑿好的洞逃出牢房，逃到海水中。從那時(shí)起，人們?cè)僖矝]有看到過他們或聽說過他們的事。人們認(rèn)為，他們?cè)谠噲D游回舊金山的途中淹死了。

The prison closed in 1963 because of the high cost of keeping prisoners there and the need for major repairs. The last prisoners were moved to other jails.

該監(jiān)獄在1963年，因?yàn)榭垂芊溉说母叱杀竞托枰卮缶S修而被關(guān)閉。最后的一批犯人被轉(zhuǎn)移到其他監(jiān)獄。

In 1972, the United States Congress passed a bill creating the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Alcatraz Island and the old prison are part of this area.

在1972年，美國國會(huì)通過一項(xiàng)法案，要?jiǎng)?chuàng)建金門國家娛樂區(qū)，而惡魔島和老監(jiān)獄就是其中一部分。

Each year, more than one million people visit Alcatraz to see the prisoners’ cells and listen to stories about the jail’s history. But unlike the prisoners who once lived there, visitors can escape from the prison whenever they want and return back across the harbor to San Francisco.

每年，有100多萬人參觀惡魔島，來參觀囚犯們的牢房。并聽該監(jiān)獄的歷史故事。但是與曾經(jīng)住在那里的囚犯不同，只要游客們想逃離監(jiān)獄，他們隨時(shí)可以穿過港口返回舊金山。

Today, the U.S. government houses the country’s most dangerous criminals in a “super max” prison at Florence, Colorado. Its unofficial name is “Alcatraz of the Rockies.”

今天，美國政府把國家最危險(xiǎn)的那些罪犯安置在科羅拉多州佛羅倫薩的“超級(jí)大”監(jiān)獄，該監(jiān)獄的非官方名字是“洛磯山脈的惡魔島”。