01 美国高考爆出最大舞弊，他们的手法好熟悉【精讲版】

Actresses, Business Leaders and Other Wealthy Parents Charged in U.S. College Entry Fraud

In a major college admissions scandal that laid bare the elaborate lengths some wealthy parents will go to get their children into competitive American universities, federal prosecutors charged 50 people on Tuesday in a brazen scheme to buy spots in the freshman classes at Yale, Stanford and other big-name schools.

Thirty-three well-heeled parents were charged in the case, including Hollywood celebrities and prominent business leaders, and prosecutors said there could be additional indictments to come.

The scheme unveiled Tuesday was stunning in its breadth and audacity. It was the Justice Department’s largest-ever college admissions prosecution, a sprawling investigation that involved 200 agents nationwide and resulted in charges against 50 people in six states.

【参考译文】

影星、商界领袖及其他一些富豪家长因涉嫌美国高校招生舞弊被起诉

3月中旬，美国爆出史上最大规模高校招生丑闻。为了让自己的孩子进入有竞争力的美国名校，一些财力雄厚的家长费尽心思，甚至不惜通过行贿“购买”耶鲁、斯坦福以及其它名校新生入学资格。周二，联邦检察官起诉了涉案的50人。

本案中，有33名富豪家长被起诉，其中包括好莱坞名人以及知名商界领袖。检察官透露，之后可能还会有更多的起诉。

这起招生舞弊涉及的范围以及涉案人员的胆量令人震惊。这是美国司法部迄今接手的最大规模高校入学舞弊起诉，全国有200名联邦探员参与了这起调查，6个州有50人受到指控。

【课文注释】

fraud /frɔːd/ n. 欺诈，诈骗

the crime of deceiving people in order to gain something such as money or goods

• She was found guilty of fraud. 她被判犯有诈骗罪。

scandal /'skændl/ n. 丑闻，丑事

an event in which someone, especially someone important, behaves in a bad way that shocks people

• The college has recently been involved in a drugs scandal. 这所大学最近卷入了毒品丑闻。

lay sth bare 揭露，揭发

to make known something that was secret 

• historical writing which seeks to lay bare the true nature of an event 力求揭示事件真相的历史著作

go to some/great/any lengths 千方百计 / 竭尽全力 ( 做某事 )

to try very hard or to do whatever is necessary to achieve something that is important to you

• He went to great lengths to keep their name out of the papers. 他想方设法不让他们的名字见报。

elaborate /ɪˈlæbərət/ adj. 复杂的；详尽的；精心制作的

very complicated and detailed; carefully prepared and organized

• elaborate designs 精心的设计

federal prosecutor 联邦检察官

brazen/ˈbreɪzən/ adj. 厚颜无耻的

used to describe a person, or the actions of a person, who is not embarrassed about behaving in a wrong or immoral way

• her brazen admission that she was cheating on him 她恬不知耻地承认自己对他不忠

spot/spɒt/ n. 位置；名次

a position in a list of things or in a competition

• The budget has a regular spot on the agenda. 预算是一项常规议程。

freshman /ˈfreʃmən/ n.（大学）一年级新生；（中学）九年级学生

• during my freshman year 在我一年级期间

big-name adj. 大名鼎鼎的

well-heeled adj. 富有的

someone who is well-heeled is wealthy

• a well-heeled businessman 有钱的生意人

prominent /ˈprɒmɪnənt/ adj. 重要的；著名的；杰出的

important or well known

• a prominent politician 杰出的政治家

indictment/ɪn'daɪtmənt/ n. 起诉，指控，控告

the act of officially charging someone with a criminal offence

•This led to his indictment on allegations of conspiracy. 这件事最终使他被控犯有共谋罪。

unveil /ʌn'veɪl/ v.（首次）透露（新计划），展示（新产品）

to show or tell people about a new product or plan for the first time

• The club has unveiled plans to build a new stadium. 俱乐部首次披露了要建造一座新体育馆的计划。

stunning/'stʌnɪŋ/ adj. 令人惊奇的；令人震惊的

very surprising or shocking

• stunning news 令人震惊的新闻

breadth/bredθ/ n. 广泛性，广度

the quality of including a lot of different people, things, or ideas

• We need to provide more breadth in the college curriculum. 我们需要扩大学院课程的范围。

audacity/ɔːˈdæsɪti/ n. 大胆；冒昧，放肆

the quality of having enough courage to take risks or say impolite things

• I can’t believe he had the audacity to ask me for more money! 我真不敢相信，他竟敢还向我要钱！

prosecution/.prɒsɪ'kjuːʃ(ə)n/ n. 刑事起诉

when a charge is made against someone for a crime, or when someone is judged for a crime in a court of law

• a criminal prosecution 刑事诉讼

sprawling/'sprɔːlɪŋ/ adj. 杂乱延伸的，无计划扩展的

spreading over a wide area in an untidy or unattractive way

• a vast, sprawling city 一座无计划扩展的巨大城市