Occupy Wall Street Protests Go Global

Demonstrators worldwide shouted their rage on October 15, 2011 against the bankers and politicians they accused of ruining economies and forcing millions into hardship through greed and bad government. Provoked by the Occupy Wall Street movement, the protests spread across the rest of the US to Canada and New Zealand, rippled around the world to Europe, and returned to their starting point in New York City.

The worldwide protests were a response in part to calls by the New York demonstrators for more people to join them. Several hundred people marched up the main street in Auckland, New Zealand's biggest city, joining a rally where 3,000 chanted and banged drums, condemning corporate greed. About 200 gathered in the capital, Wellington, and 50 in a park in the earthquake-hit city of Christchurch. In Sydney, about 2,000 people, including representatives of Indigenous Australians, communists, and trade unionists, protested outside the central Reserve Bank of Australia.

The biggest anticipated rally was in Rome, where an estimated 200,000 to 500,000 protesters took part. The demonstrators included the unemployed, students, and retirees, who marched through the city center and past the Colosseum before finishing in the Piazza San Giovanni. Some 2,000 police officers were present to keep the demonstrators peaceful and to avoid a repeat of the violence from last year when students protesting against the education policy clashed with the police. Unfortunately, a smaller group of protesters started smashing windows and setting cars on fire as things got very ugly in Rome.

1.  Why were protests held around the world?

(A) To celebrate the killing of an evil politician.

(B) To put an end to all banks and other financial regulators.

(C) To show support to the protesters in New York City.

(D) To show the people in New York City the right way to protest.

2.  Who did NOT show up for the protests in Australia?

(A) People on the welfare system.

(B) People that are native to Australia.

(C) People that believe in communism.

(D) People in groups that regulate the exchange of goods.

3.  What is true about the protests in Rome?

(A) Many more elderly people showed up for them than in other places.

(B) The protesters got out of hand and destroyed property.

(C) The protesters weren't worried about the banking system.

(D) All of the protesters were students.

『占领华尔街』抗议活动在全球延烧

2011年 10 月 15 日，全世界的示威人士愤怒地吶喊出对银行家和政治家的不满，指控他们破坏经济，并由于自身贪婪和腐败的政府，迫使百万人民生活困顿。受到『占领华尔街』运动的激发，抗议活动蔓延至美国其他地区、加拿大和纽西兰，并远播至欧洲，而后再传回抗议事件的起始点纽约市。

　　全世界展开的抗议活动有部分是响应纽约示威者号召更多民众加入他们的呼吁。数百位人民在纽西兰最大城奥克兰的主要街道上游行抗议，参与一场 3 千人的集会，一同击鼓齐声吶喊，谴责企业的贪婪。约有 200 人聚集在首都威灵顿，还有 50人来到先前受地震袭击的基督城的一座公园。在雪梨，大约有 2 千名澳洲原住民、共产主义者和工会会员等代表在澳洲央行外面抗议。

　　预期规模最大的抗议集会发生在罗马，估计有 20 到 50 万名抗议人士参与。示威者包括失业民众、学生和退休人士，他们的游行队伍行经市中心、罗马竞技场，最后到 San Giovanni 广场。约有 2千名警察在场维持示威群众的秩序，避免去年的暴力事件再度上演，当时学生抗议教育政策并和警方爆发冲突。不幸的是，当抗议事件在罗马越演越烈时，有少部分的抗议者开始砸毁窗户并放火烧车。

答案：1. (C)2. (A)3. (B)

为了响应美国『占领华尔街』活动，许多台湾网友也在脸书上发起『占领台北』行动，在 10 月 15 日下午 1 点 1 分，在台北 101 大楼的开放广场上进行占领台北行动。『青年要好野』组织执行委员陈方隅表示，去年国内劳动生产力上升 16%，但劳动成本却减少 11%；企业一直在赚钱，而劳工薪水却一直在倒退，政府与企业利益共生，无法维护劳工权利。『占领台北」行动主要讨伐的对象，即在于那些躲在政府背后操弄金钱游戏的黑手。（数据源：今日新闻网）