(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Senator Edward Kennedy. He served in the United States Senate from the state of Massachusetts for almost forty-seven years. He was one of its longest-serving and most influential members. He was the Senate's leading liberal Democrat. But his life was filled with tragedy as well as success.
Edward Kennedy was a member of the most famous political family in America. He was born in nineteen thirty-two in Boston, Massachusetts. Known as Ted or Teddy, he was the youngest of nine children born to the Irish Catholic family of Joseph and Rose Kennedy. His father was a wealthy businessman with powerful connections. During his childhood, the future senator attended ten different schools in several cities before he started college. He attended Harvard University as had his father and brothers. He served two years in the Army in the nineteen fifties. Then he attended law school at the University of Virginia. Joseph Kennedy told his friends that his sons would one day run for president. The oldest son, Joseph Kennedy Junior, was expected to be the first to do so. But he was killed in nineteen forty-four during service as a Navy pilot in World War Two. The second oldest son, John Kennedy, became president in nineteen sixty-one. The next year, Edward Kennedy was elected to the Senate seat formerly held by his brother John. John Kennedy was killed in nineteen sixty-three after only two years as president.
In nineteen sixty-eight, Robert Kennedy, a senator from New York, sought the Democratic nomination for president. He was killed in Los Angeles after winning the primary election in California. Edward Kennedy spoke at his brother Robert's funeral: "My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it." After the death of Robert, the youngest Kennedy brother became the family's political leader. It first appeared that he might have a clear path to the White House. But those hopes ended in nineteen sixty-nine. Senator Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts. A passenger in his car, Mary Jo Kopechne, was killed. The car sank in the water but Ted Kennedy was able to escape. He left the accident and waited hours before he reported it to the police. A week later, he pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving an accident and was given a two-month suspended sentence. This incident greatly harmed his public image. Ted Kennedy asked voters in Massachusetts whether he should resign from the Senate. He received thousands of messages telling him not to quit.
In nineteen eighty, he sought the Democratic presidential nomination. But Democrats nominated President Jimmy Carter for a second term. Defeated for the nomination, Senator Kennedy spoke at the Democratic Convention. "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives and the dream shall never die." After the deaths of his brothers, Ted Kennedy became the head of his extended family. He acted like a father to his thirteen nieces and nephews, the children of his dead brothers. Through the years he dealt with many family problems. His son Teddy lost his leg to cancer at the age of twelve in nineteen seventy-three. His other children, Patrick and Kara, also had health problems. He and his wife Joan ended their marriage in nineteen eighty-two. Three of Mister Kennedy's nephews died young and tragically. Another was tried and found not guilty of rape charges in nineteen ninety-one. The senator was called to testify at the trial.
Edward Kennedy had his own problems with drinking and women. But his life became more steady after he remarried. He married Victoria Reggie in nineteen ninety-two.
In the Senate, Ted Kennedy wrote hundreds of bills and supported thousands of others. Early in his career, he continued President Kennedy's desire for social change by helping to pass the Civil Rights Act of Nineteen Sixty-four. The law banned racial discrimination in the workplace. Senator Kennedy worked for improved health care, education and immigration reform. He worked for civil rights, voting rights and workers' rights. He worked to end discrimination against people with physical and mental disabilities. His efforts resulted in the Americans with Disabilities Act in nineteen ninety. Senator Kennedy also helped create health and nutrition programs for pregnant women, babies and children in low-income families. He led efforts to increase aid for higher education and increase wages for the lowest-paid workers. He often worked with senators from the Republican Party to get laws passed. Republican Senator John McCain, the party's presidential candidate in two thousand eight, praised him for his ability to reach across party lines to pass important legislation. " When we agreed on an issue and worked together to make a little progress for the country on an important issue, he was the best ally you could have. You never even had a small doubt that once his word was given, and a course of action decided, he would honor the letter and the spirit of the agreement."
Senator Kennedy worked closely with President George W. Bush to pass an important education bill in two thousand one. But he was a critic of the Bush administration on many other issues, including the war in Iraq. He was one of only twenty-three senators who voted in two thousand two against supporting the invasion of Iraq. While he was best known for his legislative battles for America's poor and disabled people, Senator Kennedy was also a leader in foreign policy. He was a strong voice for ending America's war in Vietnam in the nineteen seventies. In nineteen eighty-five, he led the congressional effort to order economic restrictions on South Africa because of its racial separation policy.
His Refugee Act of Nineteen Eighty aided refugees around the world. He helped negotiate the peace agreement for Northern Ireland in nineteen ninety-eight. Ted Kennedy was well liked in the Senate because of his hard work, friendliness and sense of humor. In two thousand six, Time magazine chose him as one of "America's Ten Best Senators." The magazine noted that he had supported a huge amount of important legislation that affected the lives of just about every man, woman and child in the country. He became known as "the liberal lion of the Senate." In two thousand eight, Ted Kennedy was one of the first top Democrats to support a young senator seeking the party's nomination for president. "My friends, I ask you to join in this historic journey to have the courage to choose change. It is time again for a new generation of leadership. It is time now for Barack Obama." That same year, doctors discovered a deadly brain tumor, which limited his ability to work. He spent time with his family, sailing on his beloved boat. However, he made a surprise appearance at the Democratic National Convention to support Barack Obama's candidacy for president.
Senator Kennedy also asked for support for the cause of his life, "that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American ... will have decent quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege." Edward Kennedy died on August twenty-fifth, two thousand nine, at the age of seventy-seven. Three former American presidents were among the mourners who attended his funeral at a Catholic church in Boston. Ted Kennedy's children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews spoke at the funeral service. They included his son Patrick, a member of the House of Representatives from Rhode Island. The young people offered prayers for some of his beloved causes. President Obama was the last speaker at the funeral. He said Ted Kennedy has gone home to join the loved ones he had lost. "At last he is with them once more, leaving those of us who grieve his passing with the memories he gave, the good he did, the dream he kept alive, and a single, enduring image. The image of a man on a boat, white mane tousled, smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for what storms may come, carrying on toward some new and wondrous place just beyond the horizon." Edward Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia near his brothers, John and Robert.
重点解析
1.influential 有很大影响的,有权势的，有支配力的
Those facts were influential in solving the problem.
那些事实对解决问题有重大的影响。
2.enlarge 扩大,放大
This dictionary has been enlarged to 1500 pages.
这本字典已增加到1500页。
3.resign 辞职
After much cogitation I have decided to resign.
我经过再三考虑后决定辞职。
4.His efforts resulted in the Americans with Disabilities Act in nineteen ninety.
result in 导致,引起
Failure of crops often results in famine.
歉收常引起饥荒。
5.When we agreed on an issue and worked together to make a little progress for the country on an important issue, he was the best ally you could have.
make progress 前进,进步
We have made pleasing progress in our talks.
我们的会谈已经取得了令人满意的进展。
6.The image of a man on a boat, white mane tousled, smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for what storms may come, carrying on toward some new and wondrous place just beyond the horizon."
carry on 继续开展,坚持,举止失常
Carry on the revolutionary tradition
继续革命传统
参考译文
我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。我是芭芭拉·克莱恩。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们将讲述参议员爱德华·肯尼迪的故事。他在美国马萨诸塞州任职将近47年。他是任职时间最长的且最具影响力的成员之一。他是参议院的主要自由民主党人，但是他的一生悲剧和成功交织。爱德华·肯尼迪来自于美国最著名的政治家族。1932年，他在马萨诸塞州波士顿出生。爱德华·肯尼迪被称为泰德，是约瑟夫和罗斯·肯尼迪九个孩子中最小的那个，他们是天主教家庭。他的父亲是一名富裕的商人，关系网强大。童年时期，这名未来的参议院在上大学之前，上过几个城市的10所不同学校。他和自己的父亲和哥哥一样都去了哈佛大学，1950年代他在军队服役两年。然后，他去了美国弗吉尼亚大学的法学院。约瑟夫·肯尼迪告诉他的朋友，他的儿子们将来会竞选总统。最年长的儿子，小约瑟夫·肯尼迪有望成为第一个。但是1944年，小约瑟夫·肯尼迪在服役海军飞行员期间，在二战中战亡。1961年，二儿子约翰·肯尼迪成为总统。第二年，爱德华·肯尼迪接任哥哥约翰的职位入选参议院。1963年，约翰·肯尼迪当选总统两年后被杀。1968年，一名来自纽约的议员罗伯特·肯尼迪寻求获得民主党总统提名。在加利福尼亚赢得初选后，他在洛杉矶遭遇谋杀。爱德华·肯尼迪在他哥哥罗伯特的葬礼上发表演讲：“我的哥哥不需要被理想化或是在死后被吹捧；只要记住他是一个正派的人，一个能够发现错误并寻求修正的人，一个遭受挫折并试图修复的人，一个看见战争并试图阻止战争的人。”
罗伯特死后，年纪最小的肯尼迪成为了家族的政治领袖。起初，他通往白宫的路似乎并无障碍，但是那些希望在1969年都破灭了。肯尼迪议员驾车行驶在马萨诸塞州查帕奎迪克岛的一座桥上，汽车坠桥，造成车上的一名乘客玛丽·乔·科佩奇尼死亡。汽车沉入水中，但是泰德·肯尼迪得以逃生。他离开了事故现场，两小时后才报警。一周后，因被控离开事故现场，他对此认罪，并被判两个月的缓刑。此次事故极大地损害了他的政治形象。泰德·肯尼迪询问马萨诸塞州的选民自己是否应该辞去参议院职务。他收到了上千条讯息告诉他不要放弃。1980年，他向民主党寻求总统提名。但是民主党人提名吉米·卡特继续担任第二任期总统。提名受创，肯尼迪议员在民主党全国代表大会发表演讲。“对于所有我们关注并照料的人，努力将继续，事业将持久，希望永存，梦想永不灭。”泰德·肯尼迪的几个哥哥死后，他成为了这个大家族的顶梁柱。对于他的13个侄女和侄子，以及失去哥哥的孩子来说，他充当着一位父亲的角色。多年来，他处理了很多家庭问题。1973年，他的儿子泰迪因癌症失去了一条腿。他的另外两个孩子帕特里克和卡拉也患上了健康问题。他和妻子琼于1982年离婚。肯尼迪有三个侄子悲剧性的夭折。另一个在1991年被判强奸罪名不成立。议员被要求在审判中出庭作证。
爱德华·肯尼迪自己也有酗酒问题和花边新闻。但是他再婚后，生活变得稳定。1992年，他和维多利亚·雷吉结婚。在参议院，泰德·肯尼迪起草了上百份议案，支持过上千份他人的议案。在他职业生涯的早期，帮助通过1964公民权利法案，继续着肯尼迪总统改变社会的渴望。该法案禁止了工作场所的种族歧视。肯尼迪议员致力于改善医疗为生、教育和移民改革，为公民权利、投票权和工人权利而工作。他致力于终结对患有生理和心理缺陷之人的歧视。他的努力换回了1990年的美国残障法案，肯尼迪议员还帮助为低收入家庭的怀孕女性、婴儿和儿童创造健康和营养项目他领导提高高等教育资助并增加最低收入工人的工资。他常和共和党议员讨论如何让法案得以通过。共和党议员约翰·麦凯恩，2008年党内总统候选人，赞扬了他的能力，称他能够跨越政党路线让重要立法得以通过。“当我们就一个问题取得共识，并共同为国家重要问题取得进步时，他是我们所能拥有的最好的伙伴。一旦他做出承诺，你将不会有一丝的怀疑，他尊重文字和条约精神。”
肯尼迪议员和乔治·沃克·布什总统密切合作，于2001年通过一项重要的教育法案。但是在很多问题上，他都批评布什政府，包括伊拉克战争问题。2002年，仅有23名议员投票反对美军入侵伊拉克，他便是其中一名。而他最为人所知的还是他为美国底层人民和残疾人而进行的立法战争，肯尼迪议员也是外交政策的一名领袖。1970年代，他大力支持结束美国在越南的战争。1985年，由于南非种族隔离政策，他领导国会对南非进行经济约束。他的1980年难民法救助了世界各地的难民。1998年，帮助北爱尔兰进行和平协议谈判。泰德·肯尼迪在众议院很受喜爱，因为他刻苦工作、他的友好和幽默感。2006年，《时代》杂志将他入选“10名美国最佳议员”。杂志写到，他支持过很多重要法案，影响着国家每个男人、女人以及儿童的生命。他已成为众所周知的“参议员自由之狮”。
2008年，泰德·肯尼迪是首批支持一名年轻议员寻求党内总统提名的高层民主党人之一。“我的朋友们，我邀请大家加入这段历史性的旅程，拥有选择改变的勇气。是时候迎来新一代领导领袖了，现在是时候让巴拉克·奥巴马登场。”同年，医生在他的大脑里发现了一个致命的脑瘤，限制了他工作的能力。他将时间花在了和家人相处上，在他心爱的船只上航行。但是他在民主党全国代表大会上惊喜亮相，支持巴拉克·奥巴马的总统候选资格。肯尼迪议员还为他的事业而摇旗呐喊，“我们将打破传统僵局，确保每个美国人...都有高质量的医疗保障，都享有基础权利而非特权。”
2009年8月25日，77岁的爱德华·肯尼迪去世。哀悼者中有三名前任美国总统，他们来到波士顿在天主教堂里参加他的葬礼。泰德·肯尼迪的孩子、孙子、侄女和侄子都在丧礼仪式上讲话。他们包括他的儿子帕特里克、来自美国罗德岛州的一名众议院代表。年轻人为他心爱的事业祷告。奥巴马总统是葬礼上最后一个讲话的。他说泰德·肯尼迪已经回到故乡和自己失去的爱人相聚了。”最后，他又和他们相聚在了一起，留下我们怀念他带来我们的记忆、他所贡献的一切，他给我们点燃的梦想以及一个单纯不朽的形象。一位老人坐在船上，花白头发凌乱迎风满面笑容，不畏风暴，朝着美妙之地前行的画面逐渐消失在我们的视线里。”爱德华·肯尼迪被葬在弗吉尼亚阿灵顿国家公墓，葬在他的哥哥，约翰和罗伯特旁边。
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