A statue of Christopher Columbus in Virginia has been torn down by protesters, who then set it on fire and threw it into a lake, in the latest action against monuments in the wake of George Floyd’s death. The statue, in the city of Richmond, was toppled on Tuesday night less than two hours after protesters gathered in the city’s Byrd Park were chanting for it to be taken down, according to reports.
維吉尼亞州一座克里斯多福·哥倫布的雕像被抗議者推倒，他們隨後將雕像點燃並扔進湖中，這是喬治·弗洛伊德去世後針對紀念雕像採取的最新行動。報導稱，周二晚上，那些聚集在城市伯德公園的抗議者們叫喊著要把它推倒，不到兩個小時，矗立於里奇蒙的這座雕像就被毀壞了。
Columbus is venerated in several statues in the US for his exploration of the Americas but has also provoked more recent controversy over his role in killing, kidnapping and looting around the Caribbean islands and the American mainland in the 15th century.
在美國，哥倫布對美洲的探索被人們立像以表敬意，但也因哥倫布在15世紀在加勒比海島嶼和美洲大陸周圍的殺戮、綁架和掠奪中發揮的作用而在最近引發了更多爭議。
Native American advocates have also long pressed states to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Columbus spurred centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas.
考慮到哥倫布引發了對美洲原住民數百年的種族滅絕，美國原住民的擁護者們也長期向各州施壓，要求將哥倫布日改為土著人民日。
The Columbus statue was dedicated in Richmond in December 1927, and had been the first statue of Christopher Columbus erected in the south. Its toppling comes amid national protests over the death of George Floyd and several days after a statue of the Confederate Gen Williams Carter Wickham was pulled from its pedestal in Monroe Park by demonstrators who also used ropes to tear it down.
哥倫布雕像於1927年12月在里奇蒙落成，是哥倫布在南方豎立的第一個雕像。該雕像的倒塌與喬治·弗洛伊德之死引發的全國抗議活動有關，而就在幾天前，在夢露公園，示威者將南部聯盟將軍威廉士·卡特·威克姆的雕像從基座上拉了下來，還用繩子將其損毀。
The toppling of the statue came as the US navy announced its own symbolic change by not flying the Confederate battle flag any more. The navy joins the US marines, which also said it will not be using the flag. Meanwhile, the leadership of the US army has said it is open to renaming military bases that were named after Confederate generals.
雕像的倒塌正發生在美國海軍宣布做出象徵性的改變，不再懸掛邦聯戰旗之後。海軍與美國海軍陸戰隊一樣，也表示將不再使用該旗幟。與此同時，美國軍方領導人表示，對以南部邦聯軍事領導人命名的軍事基地重新命名持開放態度。
本文節選自：Guardian（衛報）
發布時間：2020.06.11
作者：Guardian
原文標題：Christopher Columbus statues toppled in Virginia and beheaded in Boston
1.topple
英 /'tɒp(ə)l/美/'tɑpl/
vi. 傾倒；倒塌；搖搖欲墜
vt. 顛覆；推翻；使倒塌
2.chant
英/tʃɑːnt/美/tʃænt/
n. 聖歌；讚美詩
vt. 唱；誦揚
vi. 唱歌；反覆地唱歌
3.venerate
英/'venəreɪt/美/'vɛnəret/
vt. 崇敬，尊敬
4.loot
英/luːt/美/lut/
n. 掠奪品；戰利品；搶劫
vt. 搶劫，洗劫；強奪
vi. 洗劫，掠奪；搶劫
5.Indigenous
6.genocide
7.pedestal
1.tear sth down 拆毀，拆除（建築物、牆等）
2.set it on fire 點燃
Native American advocates have also long pressed states to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day over concerns that Columbus spurred centuries of genocide against indigenous populations in the Americas.
結構:sb. pressed sb. to do sth.
XX向XX施壓XX
例句:Protesters pressed the government to build a more equal society.