78 International Workers Day

 A: Alright everyone settle down. Let’s get started. As you know, an important aspect of becoming a good citizen is understanding the genesis of our legal system. It is not enough to simply memorize our laws, it is necessary that we comprehend why and how they were        
 formed. This brings me to our topic for today. Does anyone know what we  celebrate on May first?                                                                                                                                                                                
 B: Cinco de mayo? /ˌsɪŋ.koʊ ðeɪ ˈmaɪ.oʊ/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 A: No, that’s May fifth in Spanish, James, no wonder you are failing my Spanish class. No, May first is International Workers’ Day.                                                                                                                                             
 B: Do we get a day off from school then?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 A: No! It is not considered to be a national holiday here in the US, but in other countries it is.                                                                                                                                                                              
 B: Aww, man!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
 A: In the nineteenth century, working conditions were appalling, with workers being forced to work ten, twelve, and fourteen hours a day.  Support for the eight-hour work day movement was growing rapidly, despite the indifference and hostility of many union leaders, and  
 by April 1886, 250,000 workers were involved in the May Day movement. Previous legislative attempts to improve working                                                                                                                                                          
 conditions had failed, so labor organizers took drastic measures. They passed a resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a legal day’s work. And, on May First 1886, the resolution took effect.                                                                    
 B: Cool! Is that why we only work eight hours now?                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
 A: Yes! But the happy ending came at a high price. On May third, 1886, police fired into a crowd of strikers at the McCormick Reaper Works Factory, killing four and wounding many. A mass meeting was called for the next day to protest the brutality.                        
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 B:And then what happened?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 A:Well, as we say, the rest is history...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 aspect    US: [ˈæspekt]    n.方面；层面                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
 genesis 起源 ; 创始 ; 开端    /ˈdʒenəsɪs                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 comprehend 理解 ; 领悟 ; 懂  /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhend                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
 appalling    US: [əˈpɔlɪŋ]    adj.令人震惊的；使人惊骇的                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 involved    US: [ɪnˈvɑlvd]    adj.参与；作为一部分；有关联                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
 hostility    US: [hɑˈstɪləti]     n.敌意；对抗                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 despite    US: [dɪˈspaɪt]    prep.尽管；即使；                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 labor /ˈleɪ.bɚ/                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 legislative    US: [ˈledʒɪˌsleɪtɪv]    n.立法权；立法机关                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 attempt    US: [əˈtempt]    v.企图；意欲夺取；袭击；〈古〉诱惑    n.企图                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 failed  [feɪld]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 drastic    US: [ˈdræstɪk]    adj.极端的；急剧的                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
 measure    US: [ˈmeʒər]    n.措施；量；议案；量具    v.计量                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
 state    US: [steɪt]    n.国家；美国；状况；政府    v.陈述；规定                                                                                                                                                                                                                
 resolution    US: [ˌrezəˈluʃ(ə)n]    n.解决；分辨；                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
 constitute    US: [ˈkɑnstɪˌtut]    linkv.构成；组成；（被认为或看作）是；被算作    v.设立                                                                                                                                                                                       
 force  [fɔːrs]                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 striker    US: [ˈstraɪkər]    n.罢工者；打击者                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 Reaper 收割者 ; 死神 ; 恶魔猎人 /ˈriːpər                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
 wound     US: [waʊnd]     v.伤；伤害；“wind”的过去分词和过去式；打伤     n.伤                                                                                                                                                                                                   
  mass meeting 群众大会；群众集会  /mæs ˈmiːtɪŋ                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
 protest    US: [prəˈtest, ˈproʊˌtest]     n.抗议；反对；抗议书（或行动）     v.抗议                                                                                                                                                                                             
 brutality    US: [bruˈtæləti]    n.残忍