VOA慢速英语:80年后，仍然有数百万人逃离恶魔岛（双语)

80 Years Later, Millions Still Escape from Alcatraz

80年后，仍然有数百万人逃离恶魔岛

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，美国官员思考着把美国最危险的那些犯人们放在哪。然后他们发现在加利福尼亚州的港口城市旧金山地区的一个岛。这个地方被正式称为“恶魔岛联邦监狱”，但是大家都叫它“夺命岛”。

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.

从19世纪50年代一直到20世纪30年代，恶魔岛一直是一个军事监狱。当1934年，8月11日，第一批联邦囚犯到达那里，“夺命岛”正式开业。这些被送到这里的囚犯都被认为是这个国家罪行最严重的罪犯，他们中有杀人犯，抢劫银行的和绑架者。联邦官员选择恶魔岛来拘留这些囚犯的主要原因之一，是因为他们认为囚犯们不可能逃出这里。

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.

这里的海水既冰冷又深，这片危险水域环绕着这个岛。此外，岛和旧金山之间的距离太远，以至于大多数人都不可能平安游到旧金山。也没有正式报道称有人成功逃脱。

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，却有3个人逃出了监狱。他们3个每个人在晚上都在辛苦努力凿他所在牢房的墙，这样坚持了数月。他们用纸、颜料和头发，做了假头。6月11日晚上，他们把假头摆放在他们的床上，让人看起来他们是在睡觉的样子。然后，他们通过牢房上已经凿好的洞逃出牢房，逃到海水中。从那时起，人们再也没有看到过他们或听说过他们的事。人们认为，他们在试图游回旧金山的途中淹死了。

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.

该监狱在1963年，因为看管犯人的高成本和需要重大维修而被关闭。最后的一批犯人被转移到其他监狱。

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，美国国会通过一项法案，要创建金门国家娱乐区，而恶魔岛和老监狱就是其中一部分。

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多万人参观恶魔岛，来参观囚犯们的牢房。并听该监狱的历史故事。但是与曾经住在那里的囚犯不同，只要游客们想逃离监狱，他们随时可以穿过港口返回旧金山。

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，美国政府把国家最危险的那些罪犯安置在科罗拉多州佛罗伦萨的“超级大”监狱，该监狱的非官方名字是“洛矶山脉的恶魔岛”。