恐怖小丑让一些美国人担忧

    Some Americans think it could be a joke, but people around the country are talking about a number of clown sightings.
    有些美国人认为这可能是一个笑话,但是全国各地的人们都在谈论一系列小丑目击事件。

    The first sighting took place a few months ago in South Carolina. People there reported seeing men wearing face paint and acting strangely. They told police the men were trying to get children to go into the woods.
    第一次目击事件发生在几个月前的南卡罗来纳州。这里的人们报告称看到有男子画着脸并且行为怪异。他们告诉警察,这些男子正试图让孩子们进入树林。

    Whether it was a true story or just a prank, local media reported on the incident. News of the clown sighting spread quickly across the United States through social media websites like Facebook.
    无论这是实事,还是只是恶作剧,当地媒体都报道了这起事件。小丑目击事件的新闻迅速通过Facebook等社交媒体网站传播到美国各地。

    Clowns are supposed to bring laughter and happiness to the people they meet. People made to look like clowns sometimes perform at birthday parties for children.
    小丑理应为他们遇到的人带来欢乐和幸福。人们有时候扮成小丑在生日聚会上为孩子表演。

    But since the stories from South Carolina first appeared, many people are admitting they think clowns are creepy. They say clowns often act strangely and can even frighten others.
    但是自南卡罗拉纳州的新闻首次曝光以来,很多人承认他们认为小丑令人毛骨悚然。他们说小丑通常行为怪异,甚至会吓到其他人。

    Now, two businesses are reacting to the news.
    现在,两家企业对该消息做出了回应。

    The fast-food restaurant McDonald's announced recently that it would be limiting appearances by the clown Ronald McDonald. Ronald McDonald represents the company, both at public events and in television ads. He has been a part of McDonald's since the 1960s.
    麦当劳快餐店最近宣布将会限制小丑“麦当劳大叔”的出现。“麦当劳大叔”在公开活动和电视广告中都代表着该公司,自上世纪60年代起他就成了麦当劳的一部分。

    The other company, Target, has almost 1,800 department stores nationwide. The company said on Monday its stores would remove the clown masks and costumes they have on sale for Halloween observances.
    另一家公司塔吉特在全国有近1800家百货店。该公司周一表示旗下百货店将会撤下在售的万圣节小丑面具和服装。

    Target made the decision based on the "current environment" related to clowns.
    塔吉特百货公司做出该决定是基于和小丑相关的现状。

    McDonald's said it is reacting to the "current climate around clown sightings in communities."
    麦当劳表示正对社区围绕小丑目击事件的现状做出回应。

    Clowns and people acting like them have been around for thousands of years. Harlequins, jesters and clowns entertained Europe's ruling families in the 16th and 17th century. They made appearances in the plays of William Shakespeare.
    小丑已经存在了几千年。在16和17世纪,小丑逗乐了欧洲统治家族。他们出现在了莎士比亚的戏剧中。

    Clowns performed for crowds at circuses in North America, starting in the early 1900s.
    从20世纪初开始,北美马戏团的小丑开始为观众表演。

    But they have also been used to frighten readers in scary stories.
    但是在恐怖故事中他们也被用于吓唬读者。

    In the 1980s, American writer Stephen King wrote about an evil clown in his best-selling book "It." The book was later made into a television movie.
    在20世纪80年代,美国作家斯蒂芬·金(Stephen King)在他最畅销的书《It》中描写了一个邪恶的小丑。这本书后来被拍成电视剧。

    John Wayne Gacy made news as a serial killer in the 1970s. He murdered over 30 young men. He liked clowns and made paintings of a clown named Pogo.
    约翰·韦恩·盖西(John Wayne Gacy)在20世纪70年代作为连环杀手登上新闻。他谋杀了30多个年轻人。他喜欢小丑,并且设计了小丑波戈这一形象。

    Psychologists have a name for a fear of clowns. They call it coulrophobia.
    心理学家对害怕小丑有一个术语,他们称之为小丑恐怖症(coulrophobia)。

    Some news organizations are reporting stories of clown attacks. In New York City, a man in a clown costume chased a person out of a train station. In Oklahoma, police accused a clown of flattening a man as he walked his dog.
    一些新闻机构正在报道小丑袭击的新闻。在纽约市,一位身着小丑服装的男子把一个人赶出了火车站。在俄克拉荷马州,警察指控一个小丑击倒了一名遛狗的男子。

    School officials in Arizona blamed clown-related threats made on social media for a large number of students missing classes. Three teenagers were arrested for their part in spreading a violent rumor.
    亚利桑那州学校官员指责社交媒体上制造的小丑相关威胁导致大量学生缺课。三名青少年因为参与传播暴力谣言而被捕。

    There have also been reports of possible copycat crimes. Individuals wearing clown masks robbed a bank and a restaurant.
    也有报道提到了可能的模仿犯罪。戴着小丑面具的人抢劫了一家银行和一家餐馆。

    Other cities reported pranks pulled by people dressed as clowns. The clowns were stopping traffic in the Long Island region of New York. In Detroit, someone posted a video of a clown hanging off the back of a bus.
    其它城市报道了打扮成小丑的人进行的恶作剧。这些小丑在纽约长岛地区阻断了交通。在底特律,有人发布了一则视频,视频中的小丑吊在公汽背后。

    Justin Kenlon likes to dress up as a clown named Stretcho. He is friendly.
    贾斯丁·肯龙(Justin Kenlon)喜欢装扮成Stretcho小丑。他很友好。

    "I'm sure that people still have a positive image of clowns," Kenlon said. "I think it's important for children and adults to like clowns and to not fear clowns."
    他说,“我相信人们对小丑仍然有着积极印象。我认为让大人小孩喜欢小丑,不要害怕小丑非常重要。”

    But this year, happy clowns are not getting the attention. Police are not pleased with violent threats and pranks. They want it to stop.
    但是今年,快乐小丑不受关注。警察不满意暴力威胁和恶作剧,他们希望它停止。

    James Berlin is a police chief near Detroit, where two women dressed as clowns chased two teenage girls.
    詹姆斯·柏林(James Berlin)是底特律附近的一位警察局长。这里有两名打扮成小丑的女人追逐两个十几岁的女孩。

    "This is going to lead to violence," Berlin said. "Someone is going to get hurt over these antics. And it needs to stop, now."
    柏林表示,“这将会引起暴力,有人会被这些荒唐行为伤害到,现在它必须停下来。”

    I'm Dan Friedell.
    我是丹·费里德尔。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)