在电视上用摩斯密码眨眼拼出“酷刑”的战俘：英语精读讲义

Imagine, you're a prisoner of war. 講解

想象一下，你是一名战俘。

Your plane was shot down 短語動詞

你的飞机被击落，

and you've been held for so long 語法

而你已经被关押了很久，

that the days and the nights

久到白天和黑夜

begin to blur together. 短語搭配

都开始变得模糊不清。

You're kept in a small cell

你被关在一间狭小的牢房里，

in solitary confinement 用詞

遭到单独监禁，

and the only times you see the sun 語法

而你唯一能见到阳光的时候，

are when you're taken out

就是被带出去

to be beaten and tortured

遭受殴打和折磨时，

by your captors.

下手的正是俘虏你的人。

You don't even know

你甚至不知道

if your government knows

你的政府是否知道

that you're still alive.

你还活着。

Now your captors have

现在，俘虏你的人

a mission for you.

给了你一项任务。

They want to make

他们想制作

a propaganda broadcast 用詞

一段宣传广播，

telling your country

让你告诉自己的国家，

that you're being treated well

你受到了善待，

and condemning the war.

并谴责这场战争。

You need to get the message out 短語動詞

你必须把消息传出去，

about the truth,

告诉外界真相，

but you know that one wrong step 習語

但你知道，只要走错一步，

could mean torture or worse.

就可能遭到酷刑，甚至面临更糟的下场。

For naval aviator Jeremiah Denton

对海军飞行员Jeremiah Denton来说，

during the Vietnam War,

在越南战争期间，

this was reality

这就是他的现实，

and he found an incredible way

而他找到了一个不可思议的方法

to communicate the truth.

来传达真相。

Jeremiah Denton was not 短語搭配

Jeremiah Denton可不是

your average prisoner of war.

普通的战俘。

While many were young privates, 用詞

许多战俘都是年轻的列兵，

often draftees,

而且往往是应征入伍的，

he was a seasoned Navy man

他却是一名久经沙场的海军军人，

with over 20 years of experience

背后已有20多年的

behind him.

丰富经验。

He had enlisted in the Navy

他在海军入伍时，

with World War II still raging

第二次世界大战仍在激烈进行，

and went on to serve as a test pilot, 語法

后来又担任过试飞员、

a flight instructor,

飞行教官，

and a commanding officer

以及一支攻击中队的

of an attack squadron.

指挥官。

He even revolutionized

他甚至彻底革新了

the Navy's nuclear war tactics

海军的核战争战术。

at the height of the Cold War 短語搭配

当时正值冷战最紧张的时期，

in 1957,

那是1957年，

pioneering the haystack concept

他率先提出了“干草堆”概念，

that made it easier to hide

让航空母舰更容易

aircraft carriers from enemy planes.

躲过敌机的侦察。

But none of that prepared him 短語搭配

但这些经历都没能让他

for the harrowing ordeal 短語搭配

为那场可怕的磨难做好准备；

that awaited him when he was shot down

当他的飞机在

over North Vietnam.

北越上空被击落时，磨难便开始了。

It was July 18th, 1965

那是1965年7月18日，

and Commander Denton was leading

Denton中校正率领

the US 6th Fleet into battle.

美国第六舰队投入战斗。

They launched from the USS Independence

他们从“独立号”航空母舰起飞，

in the South China Sea

当时该舰位于南海，

and flew into North Vietnam.

随后他们飞入北越。

By his side was his navigator,

和他并肩作战的是领航员

Lieutenant Bill Tschudy.

Bill Tschudy上尉。

Their bombing raid quickly

他们的轰炸突袭很快

spiraled out of control. 習語

就陷入失控。

As anti-aircraft guns fired on them,

防空炮向他们开火，

hit multiple times

飞机多次中弹，

their plane began spiraling down

开始盘旋着向下坠落，

toward the guns below.

朝下方的炮位冲去。

With only seconds to react, 語法

他们只有几秒钟可以反应，

they hit the eject buttons on their seats

于是按下座椅上的弹射按钮，

and parachuted into enemy territory.

跳伞落入敌方领土。

They landed in the village of Thanh Hoa,

他们降落在Thanh Hoa村，

near Hanoi,

那里靠近河内，

and soon found himself surrounded

很快，Denton便发现自己被

by enemy soldiers.

敌军包围。

Outmanned and outgunned, 用詞

对方人多、火力也更强，

they had no choice but to surrender 語法

他们别无选择，只能投降，

and Jeremiah Denton became one

Jeremiah Denton也由此成为

of the highest ranking prisoners of war

越南战争中军衔最高的战俘

in the Vietnam War.

之一。

Denton and Tschudy were held

Denton和Tschudy被关押在

in the notorious prison camp

一座恶名昭彰的战俘营，

known as the Zoo, 文化背景

人称“动物园”，

one of the most feared prisons

那是战区里

in the war zone.

最令人恐惧的监狱之一。

From the beginning,

从一开始，

conditions were designed to break them down 短語動詞

里面的环境就是为了摧毁他们的意志，

and get the prisoners to share information 語法

逼迫战俘交代

on US military operations.

美国的军事行动。

Denton was held in solitary confinement,

Denton被单独监禁，

often in darkness.

常常身处黑暗之中。

Prisoners were regularly shackled

战俘经常被

with leg irons

戴上脚镣，

and beaten with bamboo poles

还会遭到竹竿

and rubber whips.

和橡胶鞭的抽打。

Denton would be frequently interrogated

Denton频频受到

by his captors,

俘虏者的审讯，

but stayed steadfast. 短語搭配

但他始终坚定不屈。

He'd give them nothing but his name, 語法

除了自己的姓名、

rank, and serial number,

军衔和编号之外，他什么都不说，

as he'd been taught in military training.

正如军事训练中教他的那样。

Denton's resistance in the face of the abuse 習語

面对虐待，Denton坚决抵抗，

gave courage to his fellow captives.

给了其他战俘勇气。

And he quickly became a leader

他也很快成为

among the other American POWs.

其他美国战俘中的领袖。

Increasingly frustrated,

看守们越来越恼火，

the North Vietnamese prison guards

这些北越监狱看守

decided on a show of force 短語搭配

决定来一次武力示威，

to break their captives down.

以击垮俘虏们的意志。

They would hold a press conference 短語搭配

他们要举行一场新闻发布会，

where the captured soldiers would be used

利用被俘士兵

as propaganda against their own country

对其祖国进行反向宣传，

and the stubborn Commander Denton

而顽强不屈的Denton中校

would be the star attraction. 習語

将成为全场焦点。

It was May 2nd, 1966

那是1966年5月2日，

when Denton and several of his fellow soldiers

Denton和几名战友

were hauled out of their cells 短語動詞

被拖出牢房，

and brought before a visiting Japanese reporter

带到一名来访的日本记者面前，

who asked them questions about their treatment.

对方询问他们受到的待遇。

The North Vietnamese soldiers were on-site,

北越士兵就在现场，

watching their every word. 習語

监视着他们说的每一个字。

The reporter prodded Denton to give his opinion 語氣意圖

记者不断追问Denton，

on his government's actions,

要他评价自己政府的行动，

but Denton defied his captors

但Denton公然反抗俘虏者，

and stated that he stood with United States.

表示自己坚定地站在美国一边。

He knew the interview was drawing to a close 短語搭配

他知道采访就要结束了，

and would likely face more torture

而自己很可能因为这次反抗

for his defiance.

遭受更多折磨。

This might be his last chance 短語搭配

这也许是他最后的机会，

to get a message out to US command,

可以向美军指挥部传出消息，

but saying the wrong word

可一旦说错一个字，

would end the interview and risk his life. 短語搭配

采访就会终止，他的生命也会陷入危险。

But the North Vietnamese didn't know

但北越方面并不知道，

Denton had a secret weapon. 習語

Denton还有一件秘密武器。

He knew Morse code. 文化背景

他懂摩尔斯电码。

Thinking fast,

他迅速开动脑筋，

Denton remembered the rudimentary system

想起了那套简单的编码系统，

of dots and dashes

也就是用点和划

used to encode text characters.

来编码文字符号。

Without missing a beat in the interview, 習語

在采访中，他没有露出丝毫破绽，

he translated that code into a series of blinks. 短語搭配

而是把电码化成一连串眨眼。

Quick blinks for dots,

快速眨眼代表点，

long blinks for dashes,

长时间眨眼代表划，

and sent out a one-word message

他就这样发出一个单词的信息，

he hoped someone back home would figure out. 短語動詞

希望国内有人能够破解。

A long blink, T.

一次长眨眼，代表T。

Three long blinks, O.

三次长眨眼，代表O。

A short blink, a long blink,

一次短眨眼、一次长眨眼，

and a short blink, R.

再加一次短眨眼，代表R。

A long blink, T.

一次长眨眼，代表T。

Two short blinks followed by a long blink, U. 短語搭配

两次短眨眼后接一次长眨眼，代表U。

A short blink, a long blink,

一次短眨眼、一次长眨眼，

and a short blink, R.

再加一次短眨眼，代表R。

A short blink, E.

一次短眨眼，代表E。

Torture.

酷刑。

This was the first communication

这是战俘第一次

from the prisoners of war to the world

向全世界传出信息，

that they were being tortured.

告诉人们他们正在遭受酷刑。

And Denton was lucky that his captors

Denton很幸运，他的俘虏者

did not figure out what he was doing.

并未看穿他在做什么。

The message was broadcast across the world

这段信息传遍了全世界，

and US Navy personnel quickly figured it out.

美国海军人员很快就破解了它。

The word was out 習語

消息终于传了出去，

and pressure was mounting around the world 習語

全球要求释放战俘

for the release or better treatment

或改善其待遇的压力

of the prisoners of war.

也越来越大。

But the hard times were just beginning

但艰难的日子才刚刚开始，

for Jeremiah Denton.

Jeremiah Denton还要继续承受。

His defiance during the interviews

他在采访中的反抗

was harshly punished,

受到了严厉惩罚，

but he remained steadfast

但他仍坚定抵抗

against the abuse by the guards.

看守的虐待。

Extended sessions of solitary confinement

长时间的单独监禁

became more common

变得更加频繁，

and he was transferred

他还被不断转移，

from one notorious prison to another. 語法

从一座恶名昭彰的监狱送到另一座。

Two months after his interview,

采访两个月后，

he and his men were forced to participate

他和手下被迫参加

in the infamous Hanoi March, 文化背景

臭名昭著的“河内游街”，

where dozens of POWs were marched

数十名战俘被押着

through the streets of Hanoi.

走过河内街头。

They were met with thousands

迎接他们的是成千上万名

of enraged Vietnamese civilians

愤怒的越南平民，

who pelted them with bottles and stones 用詞

人们向他们投掷瓶子和石块，

and beat them with sticks.

还用棍棒殴打他们。

Denton and his men barely escaped 習語

Denton和手下勉强

with their lives.

保住了性命。

The Hanoi March was filmed

“河内游街”被

by European journalists

欧洲记者拍了下来，

and added to the mounting outrage 短語搭配

进一步加剧了外界对

against the North Vietnamese.

北越的强烈愤怒。

Under global pressure,

在全球压力下，

the torture stopped.

酷刑停止了。

Denton spent years more in prison,

Denton又在狱中度过了多年，

but he and his fellow men

但他和同伴们

didn't have to fear extreme abuse every day. 語法

不必再每天担心遭受严重虐待。

He didn't know his blinked message

他一直不知道自己用眨眼发出的信息

had gotten out

已经传到外界，

until February 12th, 1973.

直到1973年2月12日才得知。

After almost eight years in prison,

在被囚禁近八年后，

Denton and Tschudy were released

Denton和Tschudy获释，

as part of Operation Homecoming, 文化背景

这是“归乡行动”的一部分；

the release of POWs

这次释放战俘的行动

that ended the Vietnam War.

标志着越南战争结束。

As a reward for his heroic conduct

为了表彰他的英勇表现，

during years in captivity,

那是他在多年囚禁期间展现的，

he was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. 短語搭配

他被晋升为海军少将。

Jeremiah Denton would go on to wear many hats 講解

获释后，Jeremiah Denton又身兼多职，

in his post-captivity career.

开启了丰富多彩的事业。

He would be the commandant

他曾担任

of the Armed Forces Staff College

武装部队参谋学院院长，

and a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Education.

以及海军教育总监的特别助理。

He would serve a term as senator 短語搭配

他还担任过一届

from Alabama and write a memoir,

阿拉巴马州联邦参议员，并撰写回忆录

When Hell Was in Session,

《When Hell Was in Session》，

that would be turned into a TV movie.

后来这本书被改编成电视电影。

But he would always be remembered best 短語搭配

但人们最铭记的，

as the iron-clad prisoner of war 用詞

永远是这位有着钢铁意志的战俘：

who with seven letters and 15 blinks 表達脈絡

他只用七个字母和15次眨眼，

exposed the truth about the torture

就向全世界揭露了

of American captives to the world.

美国战俘遭受酷刑的真相。

For more about the Vietnam War,

想了解更多越南战争的内容，

check out this video.

请点击这段视频。

And for more about prisoners of war,

想了解更多战俘的故事，

watch that video.

请观看那段视频。

Thanks for watching

感谢观看，

and don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

别忘了点赞、分享和订阅。

See you next time.

下次再见。