电椅是如何工作的？：英语精读讲义

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As you might have seen in our Worst Punishment Show,

正如你可能在我们的《最残酷刑罚》节目中所看到的，

humanity has come up with some very gruesome forms of executing people throughout history. 短語動詞

纵观历史，人类想出了一些非常可怕的处决死囚的方式。

Ever hear the phrase thrown to the lions, 習語

听过“喂狮子”这个词吗，

which the Romans called damnatio ad bestias?

罗马人称之为 damnatio ad bestias？

Well,

那么，

not just lions,

不仅仅是狮子，

but all kinds of wild animals might have been called upon to execute people in the past, 語法

过去人们可能会召唤各种野生动物来处决死囚，

including being sat on by an elephant.

包括被大象活活坐死。

Or what about having your insides ripped out and your limbs torn off, 語法

或者把你的内脏挖出来，四肢扯断，

being literally broken with clubs when tied to a wheel,

被绑在轮子上用棍棒活活打碎，

having insects eat your insides,

让昆虫啃食你的内脏，

or having your ribs pulled through your back into the shape of the wings of an eagle.

或是把肋骨从背部拉出，做成老鹰翅膀的形状。

Yep,

是的，

humans have been brutal to one another throughout history.

纵观历史，人类对同类一直很残忍。

Maybe hanging, lethal injection,

相比之下，绞刑、注射死刑、

beheading, or firing squad don't seem so bad by comparison. 短語搭配

斩首或行刑队似乎也没那么糟糕了。

But today,

但今天，

we'll focus on one specific form of execution in this episode of the Infographics Show,

在这期《Infographics Show》中，我们将关注一种特定的处决方式，

how does the electric chair work?

电椅是如何工作的？

We'll start with a little bit of history before we get into the specifics of the apparatus. 表達脈絡

在深入了解这台设备的细节之前，我们先讲讲历史。

As the story goes, 表達脈絡

传说，

in the 1870s and 1880s,

在 19 世纪 70 年代和 80 年代，

many people in the United States were being electrocuted by high voltage street lighting.

美国的许多人因高压街灯而触电身亡。

This was a new phenomenon,

这是一个新现象，

and it got some people to thinking about execution. 語法

这让一些人想到了用它来执行死刑。

You see, 表達脈絡

你看，

public executions at the time didn't always go well,

当时的公开处决并不总是顺利，

and botched hangings often upset the more sensitive folks that came to watch the spectacle.

搞砸的绞刑经常让前来观看的人感到不适。

In fact,

事实上，

because of so many botched hangings,

由于发生了太多起搞砸的绞刑，

there was talk over the years about ending capital punishment altogether. 用詞

多年来一直有彻底废除死刑的讨论。

Then came along a New York dentist and engineer called Alfred P. Southwick, 語法

后来，纽约的一位牙医兼工程师 Alfred P. Southwick 挺身而出，

who led the charge, 習語

他带头——

excuse the pun, 語氣意圖

原谅我的双关语——

to create a more humane form of punishment in the electric chair.

创造了电椅这种更人道的惩罚方式。

He reached out to none other than Thomas Edison to fund his project. 短語搭配

他找到了托马斯·爱迪生来资助他的项目。

Apparently,

显然，

Edison was against capital punishment and was,

爱迪生反对死刑，并且，

at the time,

当时，

involved in a commercial battle with engineer Nikola Tesla.

他正与工程师尼古拉·特斯拉进行商业竞争。

Edison was a proponent of DC or direct current, 用詞

爱迪生是直流电（DC）的支持者，

and Tesla of AC or alternating current.

而特斯拉是交流电（AC）的支持者。

Some say Edison gave the electric chair project to Tesla because he was against capital punishment,

有人说爱迪生把电椅项目交给特斯拉是因为他反对死刑，

while others say he did that for selfish means because if AC was associated with the death chair, 短語搭配

也有人说他是出于私心，因为如果交流电与电椅联系在一起，

people wouldn't want that in their houses.

人们就不会想把它用在自己家里。

According to ABC Science, 表達脈絡

据 ABC Science 报道，

Edison created an advertisement that read,

爱迪生制作了一则广告，上面写着：

"Do you want electrocutioner's current in your children's bedroom wall?"

“你想在你孩子卧室的墙壁里使用处刑人的电流吗？”

It said Tesla and his backer,

报道称，特斯拉和他的支持者，

George Westinghouse,

乔治·威斯汀豪斯，

didn't want their generators to power the death chair,

不想让他们的发电机为死刑椅供电，

but Edison secretly funded a project for the electric chair that would use alternating current.

但爱迪生秘密资助了一个使用交流电的电椅项目。

The chair was built using AC and the first execution was of a William Kemmler,

这把椅子使用了交流电，第一个被处决的人是 William Kemmler，

who had been found guilty of killing his wife in a drunken rage with a hatchet. 用詞

他因酒后狂暴用斧头杀害妻子而被判有罪。

He was executed on August 6th,

1890 年 8 月 6 日，

1890 in Auburn Prison, New York.

他在纽约州奥本监狱被处决。

The victim is said to have spent 17 seconds with a 1,000 volts passing through his body. 語法

据说死囚在 1000 伏特的电压穿过身体时挣扎了 17 秒。

At that point,

就在那时，

as the story goes,

据传说，

someone shouted,

有人大喊：

"Great God, he's alive!"

“天哪，他还活着！”

Still conscious,

在他还有意识的时候，

the guards turned up the electricity to 2,000 volts. 短語動詞

警卫把电压调到了 2000 伏特。

According to History Today,

据 History Today 记载，

Kemmler's skin began bleeding,

Kemmler 的皮肤开始流血，

part of his body was seen to be singed,

可以看到他身体的一部分被烧焦了，

and a horrible smell spread through the death chamber.

死亡室内弥漫着可怕的气味。

At the time,

当时，

the New York Times wrote that the stench was unbearable.

《纽约时报》写道，那种恶臭让人难以忍受。

He died,

他死了，

and Edison carried on his campaign against AC after that. 短語動詞

在那之后爱迪生继续他反对交流电的运动。

Southwick,

Southwick，

who is credited with the invention of the chair, 短語搭配

他被誉为电椅的发明者，

though there were really many more people involved,

尽管实际上还有很多人参与，

is rumored to have said,

传闻他曾说：

"This is the culmination of 10 years work and study.

“这是 10 年工作和研究的顶峰。

We live in a higher civilization today."

我们今天生活在一个更高级的文明中。”

Hmm,

嗯，

if you look at botched executions throughout history,

如果你看看历史上那些搞砸的处决，

the chair wasn't exactly botched-proof. 語氣意圖

电椅也不完全是万无一失的。

The worst botched execution in what became known as Old Sparky was that of James W. on March 10th,

后来被称为 Old Sparky 的电椅最严重的一次处决失误，发生在 3 月 10 日对 James W. 的处决中，

1922 at Arkansas State Penitentiary in Little Rock.

1922 年在小石城的阿肯色州立监狱。

The poor black 18-year-old had been found guilty of killing a white person.

这名可怜的 18 岁黑人因杀害一名白人而被判有罪。

Apparently,

显然，

he had to be jolted 12 times before he died.

他被电击了 12 次才死去。

Then,

然后，

a year later,

一年后，

according to the book Gruesome Spectacles, Botched Executions, and America's Death Penalty,

根据《Gruesome Spectacles, Botched Executions, and America's Death Penalty》一书，

a man called F.G. Bullen was electrocuted,

一个名叫 F.G. Bullen 的男子被电击，

pronounced dead, 短語搭配

宣布死亡，

and after being placed in a coffin,

然而在被放入棺材后，

was found to be breathing.

人们发现他还在呼吸。

He was subsequently returned to the chair and shocked another five times for good measure. 習語

随后他被送回电椅，为了确保万无一失，又电击了五次。

And they said hanging was brutal. 語氣意圖

亏他们还说绞刑很残忍。

The last use of Old Sparky in the USA was on January 16th,

在美国，最后一次使用 Old Sparky 是在 1 月 16 日，

2013,

2013年，

although according to CNN,

尽管据 CNN 报道，

the following states still use the method:

以下各州仍在使用这种方法：

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

阿拉巴马州、阿肯色州、佛罗里达州、肯塔基州、俄克拉荷马州、南卡罗来纳州、田纳西州和弗吉尼亚州。

You can also still be gassed, shot, or hanged in some states,

在一些州，你仍然可能被毒气、枪毙或绞死，

although lethal injection is now the execution of choice. 短語搭配

尽管现在注射死刑是首选的处决方式。

So,

那么，

how does it work?

它是如何工作的？

Before the prisoner is sent to the chair,

在死囚被送上电椅之前，

he or she will have their head and calves shaved. 語法

他们的头部和小腿会被剃光。

This is so the electrodes that are fastened to the leg and head have better contact with the body. 語法

这是为了让绑在腿上和头上的电极能更好地与身体接触。

The prisoner is fastened into the chair by the wrists, waist, and ankles.

死囚的手腕、腰部和脚踝会被固定在椅子上。

They will usually be blindfolded and sometimes even be wearing a diaper.

他们通常会被蒙上双眼，有时甚至会穿上尿布。

One of course loses control of bodily functions when one is being fried by electricity. 講解

因为当人被高压电击时，肯定会失去对身体排泄机能的控制。

One witness to the execution in 2007 of former Gulf War veteran and convicted child killer Darryl Holton explained that the prisoner was wearing a cotton prison uniform all white.

2007 年，前海湾战争老兵、杀童犯 Darryl Holton 被处决时的一名目击者解释说，死囚穿着一套全白的棉质囚服。

He wrote,

他写道：

"The guards then performed the laborious process of placing the straps and belts about Darryl's body.

“然后，警卫们在 Darryl 身上费力地系上带子和皮带。

This took,

这大概花了，

in my estimation, 短語搭配

依我估计，

perhaps as long as 10 minutes. 語法

可能长达 10 分钟。

Wet sponges were then placed between the metal contacts and the prisoner's skin.

然后在金属触点和死囚皮肤之间放置湿海绵。

This is to better conduct the charge.

这是为了更好地传导电荷。

The guards cleaned everything up,

警卫们清理好了一切，

and at about this time,

大约在这个时候，

Holton started to hyperventilate due to fear.

Holton 因为恐惧开始过度换气。

A metal headpiece was then put on Holton's head,

然后在 Holton 头上戴上一个金属头罩，

which also had a wet sponge underneath it.

头罩下面也有一块湿海绵。

Holton was asked if he wanted a blindfold,

有人问 Holton 是否想要蒙眼布，

but this turned out to be something large that more resembled a welder's mask. 短語動詞

但结果拿来的是一个大号的面罩，更像焊工面罩。

When everyone was out of the room,

当所有人都退出房间，

with witnesses watching, 語法

在目击者的注视下，

a loud electrical whirring was heard.

听到了一阵巨大的电流嗡嗡声。

The current was applied for 15 seconds,

电流施加了 15 秒，

discharging up to 2,000 volts,

释放出高达 2000 伏特的电压，

which should stop the heart of the prisoner.

这足以让死囚心脏停跳。

According to the writer,

据作者说，

Holton then slumped over, 短語動詞

Holton 然后瘫倒了，

but he was hit again with a lesser voltage for a further 20 seconds to damage all the remaining organs that might be working. 用詞

但他又被较低电压电击了 20 秒，以破坏可能还在运作的所有剩余器官。

At this point,

此时，

Holton's body convulsed.

Holton 的身体开始抽搐。

The writer concluded,

作者总结道：

"The state officials had acted with all the courtesy and care possible.

“州政府官员已经展现了最大的礼貌和谨慎。

I felt for those who had to participate in this electric ritual of death." 短語動詞

我对那些不得不参与这场死亡闪电仪式的人感到同情。”

He also said that lethal injection was still far more humane. 語法

他还说注射死刑仍然要人道得多。

So,

那么，

does it hurt?

这疼吗？

That's the million-dollar question. 習語

这是个至关重要的问题。

Most experts think,

大多数专家认为，

these days,

在如今，

it would not,

应该不疼，

but in the past,

但在过去，

when there was a malfunction,

当设备出现故障时，

it certainly could have hurt.

肯定会疼。

But anyway,

但无论如何，

who really knows except those who died, 表達脈絡

除了那些死去的人，谁能真正知道呢，

and they can't really tell their story.

而他们也无法讲述自己的经历了。

But what actually happens to the body when it's electrocuted like this?

但当身体被这样电击时，实际上会发生什么？

Electrocution leads to paralysis of the brain's respiratory centers and stops the muscles pumping the heart.

触电会导致大脑呼吸中枢瘫痪，并使肌肉停止泵血至心脏。

Sometimes the body will become very hot,

有时尸体会变得非常烫，

even burnt,

甚至被烧焦，

and the eyeballs can protrude.

眼球也会凸出。

The facial muscles will also contort,

脸部肌肉也会扭曲，

as you can well imagine. 語氣意圖

你完全可以想象得到。

When both shocks are finished,

两次电击结束后，

doctors examine the body,

医生会检查尸体，

while in the witness room the blinds are drawn. 短語搭配

同时证人室的百叶窗会被拉上。

Then you might hear an announcement such as this one in Tennessee:

然后你可能会听到类似田纳西州的这种宣布：

"Ladies and gentlemen,

“女士们，先生们，

this concludes the legal execution of Darryl Holton.

Darryl Holton 的合法死刑执行到此结束。

The time of death,

死亡时间，

1:25.

1点25分。

Please exit."

请离场。”

This is a pretty horrible way to end this video,

这是一种相当可怕的视频结尾方式，

so let's talk about something more fun for a second.

所以让我们谈点更有趣的事情吧。

Do you have an up-to-date website?

你有一个现代化的网站吗？

If not,

如果没有，

Wix is a super easy,

Wix 是一个超级简单，

yet professional and robust platform for creating,

却又专业且强大的平台，可以用于创建、

managing,

管理，

and hosting your website.

和托管你的网站。

You can use a custom domain for anything from a blog to a website for a restaurant.

你可以使用自定义域名，无论是做博客还是餐厅网站都可以。

Wix does all the heavy lifting. 習語

Wix 会包揽所有繁重的工作。

You can finally create that amazing website that you've been too afraid of making because maybe you just didn't know how,

你终于可以创建一个你一直不敢去做的令人惊叹的网站了，因为也许你只是不知道怎么做，

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只需前往 wix.com/go/infographics 或点击描述中的链接。

Don't wait until it's too late.

不要等到太晚。

Get a head start today with the amazing website you deserve.

今天就用你应得的惊人网站抢占先机吧。

So,

那么，

what do you think about this form of execution?

你对这种处决方式有什么看法？

Is it humane or not?

它人道还是不人道？

Do you believe we should have capital punishment altogether?

你认为我们究竟该不该保留死刑？

How would you be executed if you could have the choice?

如果可以选，你会选择如何被处决？

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

在评论区告诉我们你的想法吧。

Also,

此外，

be sure to check out our other video called How Does Lethal Injection Work?

务必看看我们另一期名为《注射死刑是如何工作的？》的视频。

Thanks for watching,

感谢观看，

and as always,

像往常一样，

don't forget to like,

别忘了点赞、

share,

分享，

and subscribe.

和订阅。

See you next time.

我们下次见。