双语：美国枪击频发学生“防弹书包”热销

　　国近期接连发生多起严重的枪击事件，导致数十人死伤。开学季在即，不少美国家长因担忧孩子的安全，纷纷购买“防弹书包”。

　　With every mass shooting in the United States comes renewed fear of another.

　　随着美国每一起大规模枪击事件的发生，人们接着就会恐惧下一次枪击事件的到来。

　　mass shooting：大规模枪击案

　　It's a fear particularly potent among parents of young children and especially now, days away from the start of the school year. It's not unwarranted -- CNN examined 10 years of shootings on K-12 campuses and found two sobering truths: School shootings are increasing, and no type of community is spared.

　　年幼孩子的父母对枪击事件的恐惧尤其强烈，尤其是如今开学在即。这有据可循——美国有线新闻网调查了10年来发生在幼儿园到高中的校园枪击事件，发现了两个发人深省的事实：校园枪击事件在增加，没有哪种类型的社区能够幸免。

　　potent ['pəʊt(ə)nt]：adj.有效的;强有力的

　　sobering ['səʊbərɪŋ]：adj.使清醒的;使冷静的;严重的

　　Instead of letting their children choose a plastic backpack covered in Hello Kitty or Spider-Man, some parents are purchasing bags that double as shields in case kids get caught in gunfire.

　　一些家长不再让孩子们选择带有凯蒂猫或蜘蛛侠图案的塑料书包，而是购买了可以同时充当盾牌的书包，以防孩子被枪击中。

　　double as：兼饰两角

　　Companies like Guard Dog Security, Bullet Blocker and TuffyPacks designed bulletproof backpacks to quell those concerns.

　　警卫犬安全公司、子弹拦截器公司和泰菲背包等公司都设计了防弹书包来消除这些担忧。

　　quell [kwel]：vt.平息;镇压;减轻;消除

　　The retailers said backpack sales spike during the back-to-school season, and all three said they saw a significant uptick in the aftermath of mass shootings.

　　零售商表示，防弹书包的销量在返校季期间激增。以上三家公司都表示，在大规模枪击事件发生后，其书包销量明显上升。

　　uptick ['ʌptɪk]：n.小幅增加，微升;报升

　　防弹书包是消费者的最爱

　　Joe Curran founded Bullet Blocker 12 years ago after a shooting at Virginia Tech killed 33 people.To protect his two school-aged children, the former sheriff's deputy inserted body armor into their backpacks, he said. Classmates' parents asked for inserts for their children's bags, and it grew into a business.

　　12年前，在弗吉尼亚理工大学发生导致33人死亡的枪击案后，乔·柯伦创建了子弹拦截器公司。为了保护他的两个学龄孩子，这位前任副警长把防弹衣塞进了他们的书包里。同学们的父母找他要防弹衣塞进自己孩子的书包，这之后发展成了一门生意。