VOA慢速英语:Websites Cut Service to Protest US Antipiracy Bills

aim at (以…)瞄准; 针对, 以…为目标
例句：The visit was aimed at expanding the relations between the two countries.
访问的目的是扩展两国的关系。

2. Wednesday, Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, blacked out its English language website for twenty-four hours.

black out (使)变黑，(使)变暗，变得一片漆黑, 熄灯,停止,中断
例句：The electricity failed and the whole city was blacked out.
电一停，全市陷入一片黑暗。

3. The blogging site Boing Boing and Social news website Reddit also went black.

go black变成一片昏黑
例句：Suddenly everything went black and that's the last thing I could remember.
突然眼前一片漆黑, 这就是我记得的最后情景。

4. The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect Intellectual Property Act are known as SOPA and PIPA for short.

be known as被认为是
例句：Radio, television, newspapers and magazines are known as the mass media.
广播、电视、报纸和杂志被称为大众传媒。

5. He says the proposed laws would hurt Wikipedia and other sites that depend on material provided by people who use the sites.

depend on依赖, 依靠
例句：All living things depend on the sun for their growth.
万物靠太阳生长。

6. It creates a legal situation in which a complainant can go before a judge and get an order, and it then makes the various Internet companies, the Internet service providers, responsible for what they're carrying.

responsible for是...的原由
例句：The bad weather is responsible for the small attendance.
出席率低是由于天气不佳。

7. And, this is where the rub (problem) comes, because it basically turns the Internet service provider into a monitor.

turn into (使)变成
例句：Her bitter experience has turned her into a stronger person.
痛苦的经历使她变得更坚强了。

8. The House and Senate are expected to work on the bills in the coming weeks.

work on致力于…
例句：He has been working on a new novel for over a year now.
近一年多来, 他一直在写一部新小说。