VOA常速英语:Real-life Vigilantes Come to the Rescue

短语讲解：

1. You’ve probably heard of “superheroes” - crime fighters possessed of incredible powers, their identities masked behind colorful costumes.

hear of得悉, 听说
例句：We don't know the singer, but we have heard of her.
我们不认识那位歌唱家, 但我们听说过她。
possess of持有, 为…之主人
例句：She is possessed of health and wealth.
她拥有健康和财富。

2. These days, all over the country, masked vigilantes are leaping out of the shadows to rescue potential victims of violent crime.

leap out跃出；跳出来; 引人注意
例句：The banner headline leaped out at me from the newspaper.
报纸上的通栏标题跃然映入我的眼帘。

3. Indeed, law-enforcement agencies take a dim view of vigilantes.

take a dim view of不赞成; 对……不乐观，对……不以为然
例句：Her parents took a dim view of her staying out so late.
她父母不赞成她在外边呆到深更半夜才回家。

4. And they’ve been known to go overboard with their righteous zeal, beating citizens for littering or damaging cars whose drivers are thought to be speeding through school zones.

be known to为…所熟知
例句：He is known to everyone in this university.
在这所大学里, 人人都知道他。

5. “If you want to dress up and walk around, knock yourself out,” said Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson.

dress up打扮, 梳理, 粉饰, 伪装; 穿上特殊服装
例句：They all dressed up to take part in the New Year's party.
他们都穿上盛装, 去参加除夕晚会。
knock out使筋疲力尽; 使竭尽全力
例句：He actually knocked himself out with excessive work.
实际上他是由于工作过度而把自己累得筋疲力尽的。

6. But inserting yourself into situations without knowing the facts is just not a smart thing to do.

insert into插入;嵌入
例句：He inserted the wooden peg into the hole.
他将木栓嵌入洞中。