(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December of nineteen forty-one was one of the most successful surprise attacks in the history of modern warfare. Japanese warships, including several aircraft carriers, crossed the western Pacific to Hawaii without being seen. They launched their planes a quiet Sunday morning and attacked the huge American naval and air base at Pearl Harbor. "We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin: The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by air, President Roosevelt has just announced." "The attack apparently was made on all naval and military activities on the principal island of Oahu. A Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor naturally would mean war." Many of the American sailors were asleep or at church. They were unprepared for the attack. In fact, some people outside the base thought the Japanese planes must be new types of American aircraft on training flights. The sounds of guns and bombs soon showed how wrong they were.
The Japanese planes sank or seriously damaged six powerful American battleships in just a few minutes. They killed more than three thousand sailors. They destroyed or damaged half the American airplanes in Hawaii. American forces, caught by surprise, were unable to offer much of a fight. Japanese losses were very low. There was so much destruction at Pearl Harbor that officials in Washington did not immediately reveal the full details to the public. They were afraid that Americans might panic if they learned the truth about the loss of so much military power. The following day, President Franklin Roosevelt went to Congress to ask for a declaration of war against Japan. "Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate, and of the House of Representatives: "Yesterday, December seventh, nineteen forty-one -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan. The United States was at peace with that nation and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its emperor, looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific ... "No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory... "We will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us ...
"I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December seventh, nineteen forty-one, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire." The Senate approved President Roosevelt's request without any opposition. In the House of Representatives, only one congressman objected to the declaration of war against Japan. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. Congress reacted by declaring war on those two countries. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ended the long American debate over whether to become involved in the Second World War. American politicians and citizens had argued for years about whether to remain neutral or to fight to help Britain and France and other friends. Japan's aggressive attack at Pearl Harbor united Americans in a common desire for military victory. It made Americans willing to do whatever was necessary to win the war. And it pushed America into a kind of world leadership that its people had never known before. President Franklin Roosevelt and his advisers had to make an important decision about how to fight the war. Would the United States fight Japan first, or Germany, or both at the same time?
Japan's attack had brought America into the war. And it had severely damaged American military power. But Roosevelt decided not to strike back at Japan immediately. He would use most of his forces to fight Germany. There were several reasons for Roosevelt's decision. First, Germany already controlled much of Europe, as well as much of the Atlantic Ocean. Roosevelt considered this a direct threat. And he worried about possible German intervention in Latin America. Second, Germany was an advanced industrial nation. It had many scientists and engineers. Its factories were modern. Roosevelt was concerned that Germany might be able to develop deadly new weapons, such as an atomic bomb, if it was not stopped quickly. Third, Britain historically was one of America's closest allies. And the British people were united and fighting for their lives against Germany. This was not true in Asia. Japan's most important opponent was China. But China's fighting forces were weak and divided, and could not offer strong opposition to the Japanese.
Adolf Hitler's decision to break his treaty with Soviet leader Josef Stalin and attack the Soviet Union made Roosevelt's choice final. The American leader recognized that the Germans would have to fight on two fronts: in the west against Britain and in the east against Russia. He decided it was best to attack Germany while its forces were divided. So the United States sent most of its troops and supplies to Britain to join the fight against Germany. American military leaders hoped to attack Germany quickly by launching an attack across the English Channel. Stalin also supported this plan. Soviet forces were suffering terrible losses from the Nazi attack and wanted the British and Americans to fight the Germans on the west. However, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and other leaders opposed launching an invasion across the English Channel too quickly. They worried that such an invasion might fail, while the Germans were still so strong. And they knew this would mean disaster. For this reason, British and American forces decided instead to attack the Italian and German troops occupying North Africa.
British forces had been fighting the Italians and Germans in North Africa since late nineteen forty. They fought the Italians first in Egypt and Libya. British forces had successfully pushed the Italians across Libya. They killed more than ten thousand Italian troops and captured more than one hundred thirty thousand prisoners. But the British success did not last long. Hitler sent one of his best commanders, General Erwin Rommel, to take command of the Italians. Rommel was brave and smart. He pushed the British back from Libya to the border with Egypt. And in a giant battle at Tobruk, he destroyed or captured more than eight hundred of Britain's nine hundred tanks. Rommel's progress threatened Egypt and the Suez Canal. So Britain and the United States moved quickly to send more troops and supplies to stop him. Slowly, British forces led by General Bernard Montgomery pushed Rommel and the Germans back to Tripoli in Libya. In November nineteen forty-two, American and British forces commanded by General Dwight Eisenhower landed in northwest Africa. They planned to attack Rommel from the west, while Montgomery attacked him from the east.
But Rommel knew Eisenhower's troops had done little fighting before. So he attacked them quickly before they could launch their own attack. A major battle took place at Kasserine Pass in western Tunisia. American forces suffered heavy losses. But in the end Rommel's attack failed. Three months later, American forces joined with Montgomery's British troops to force the Germans in North Africa to surrender. The battle of North Africa was over. The allied forces of Britain and the United States had regained control of the southern Mediterranean Sea. They could now attack Hitler's forces in Europe from the south. The Allies wasted no time. They landed on the Italian island of Sicily in July of nineteen forty-three. German tanks fought back. But the British and American forces moved ahead. Soon they captured Sicily's capital, Palermo. And within weeks, they forced the German forces to leave Sicily for the Italian mainland. In late July, Italy's dictator, Benito Mussolini, was overthrown and placed in prison. The Germans rescued him and helped him establish a new government, protected by German troops. But still the Allies attacked.
They crossed to the Italian mainland. The Germans fought hard. And for some time, they prevented the allied troops from breaking out of the coastal areas. The fighting grew bloodier. A fierce battle took place at Monte Cassino. Thousands and thousands of soldiers lost their lives. But slowly the allies advanced north through Italy. They captured Rome in June of nineteen forty-four. And they forced the Germans back into the mountains of northern Italy. The allies would not gain complete control of Italy until the end of the war. But they had succeeded in increasing their control of the Mediterranean and pushing back the Germans. One reason Hitler's forces were not stronger in Africa and Italy was because German armies also were fighting in Russia. That will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.be unable to 不会；不能做某事
She was frightened that she would be unable to bear up under the pain of childbirth.
她害怕自己无法承受生孩子的痛苦。
2.ask for 请求；要求
Continue to ask for feedback on your work.
继续征求对你的工作的反馈意见。
3.no matter 无论；不管
No matter how well you know Paris, it is easy to get lost.
不管你对巴黎多么熟悉，也很容易迷路。
4.plan to 计划；打算
They plan to relaunch it as a stand-alone company.
他们计划让它作为一个独立公司重新上市。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目，我是史蒂夫·恩伯。1941年12月，日本对珍珠港的袭击是现代战争史上最成功的突然袭击之一。日军军舰，包括几艘航空母舰，悄无声息地越过西太平洋到达夏威夷。他们在一个安静的周日清晨，出动飞机袭击了珍珠港的美国海军和空军基地。“我们中断节目，而要为你们带来一则特别的新闻简报：罗斯福总统刚刚宣布，日军已经空袭了夏威夷珍珠港。”“这次袭击显然是针对瓦胡岛上的所有海军和军事活动，日军进攻珍珠港意味着开战。”许多美国船员当时在睡觉或是在教堂，他们对此次攻击毫无准备。事实上，基地外的一些人认为，日军飞机一定是美国训练飞行的新型飞机，而枪声和炸弹声很快就表明他们错了。
日军战机在短短几分钟内击沉或严重损坏了六艘强大的美国战舰，杀死了三千多名船员，摧毁或损坏了夏威夷岛上一半的美军飞机。美军措手不及，无力还击，日军伤亡极低。珍珠港遭到重创，华盛顿的官员未立即向公众透露全部细节。他们担心，如果美国国民得知丧失如此巨大的军事实力的真相后，会感到恐慌。第二天，富兰克林·罗斯福总统前往国会要求对日本宣战。“副总统先生、议长先生、参议院和众议院议员：“昨天，也就是1941年12月7日，将成为我们的国耻日，美利坚合众国突然遭到日本帝国海军和空军的攻击。美国当时与日本处于和平状态，应日方的请求，仍在与日本政府和天皇进行对话，以期维持太平洋地区的和平……“无论我们要花多长时间才能战胜这场早有预谋的侵略，美国人民都将以正义的力量取得胜利，直至取得绝对的胜利......“我们不仅要全力保卫自己，还要确保这样的背叛永远不再危及我们......
“我请求国会宣布，自1941年12月7日周日，日军无端卑鄙地发动攻击起，美国和日本帝国之间已处于战争状态。”参议院未经任何反对，就批准了罗斯福总统的请求。在众议院，只有一名国会议员反对对日宣战。三天后，德国和意大利向美国宣战，国会的反应是向这两个国家宣战。日本对珍珠港的袭击，结束了美国关于是否参与二战的长期争论。美国政界人士和公民多年来一直在争论是保持中立，还是为帮助英法和其他友国作战。日本对珍珠港的侵略性袭击使美国人团结起来，共同渴望军事胜利。它让美国人愿意做出一切努力来赢得战争，它把美国推到了一种前所未有的世界领导地位。富兰克林·罗斯福总统及其顾问们必须就如何作战作出重要决定，美国先攻打日本，还是先攻打德国，或是同时进攻两国？
日本的进攻使美国卷入战争，严重损害了美方的军事力量。但罗斯福决定不立即反击日本，他将动用大部分兵力与德国作战。罗斯福作出这样的决定基于几个原因。首先，德国已经控制了欧洲以及大西洋的大部分地区。罗斯福认为，这是一个直接性的威胁。他还担心德国可能干预拉丁美洲。其次，德国是一个先进的工业国家，拥有许多科学家和工程师，其工厂非常现代化。罗斯福担心，如果德国不迅速停止如原子弹等核试验，可能会研制出致命的新武器。第三，英国历来是美国最亲密的盟友之一。英国人民团结起来，为自己的生命与德国抗争。而在亚洲，情况并非如此。日本最重要的对手是中国，但中国的战斗力量弱小又分散，无法强烈反击日军的进攻。
阿道夫·希特勒决定与苏联领导人约瑟夫·斯大林打破条约并进攻苏联，这使得罗斯福做出了最终的决定。罗斯福意识到，德军将不得不在两条战线上作战：西部与英国作战，东部与俄国作战。他认为，在德军兵力分散的情况下，最好是进攻德国。因此，美国向英国派遣了大部分军队和补给，加入了对德作战。美国军方领导人希望通过在英吉利海峡对岸发动攻击，迅速进攻德国。斯大林也支持该计划。苏军在纳粹的袭击中损失惨重，他们希望英美在西侧与德军开战。然而，英国首相丘吉尔和其他领导人反对过快跨过英吉利海峡发起进攻。他们担心这样做可能会失败，而德军仍然如此强大。他们知道这意味着灾难。为此，英美两军决定转而攻击占领北非的意大利和德国军队。
自1940年底以来，英军一直在北非与意大利和德国作战。他们首先在埃及和利比亚与意大利军队开战，英军成功地把意大利人推进利比亚。他们杀害了一万多名意大利士兵，俘虏了超过十三万名囚犯。但英军取得的成功并未持续太久。希特勒派出最好的指挥官之一，埃尔文·隆美尔将军来指挥意大利军队。隆美尔智勇双全，他把英军从利比亚赶到埃及边境。在托布鲁克的一场大战中，他摧毁并俘获了英军九百辆坦克中的八百多辆。隆美尔的进攻威胁到埃及和苏伊士运河，于是英美两国迅速采取行动，增派军队和物资以阻止其进攻。慢慢地，伯纳德·蒙哥马利将军率领的英军将隆美尔和德军推回利比亚的黎波里。1942年11月，德怀特·艾森豪威尔将军指挥的英美盟军登陆非洲西北部。他们计划从西侧进攻隆美尔，而蒙哥马利则从东侧出击。
但隆美尔知道艾森豪威尔的军队以前很少作战，所以他在其发动进攻前很快进行攻击。突尼斯西部的卡塞林山口发生了一场大战役，美军损失惨重，但最终隆美尔的进攻失败。三个月后，美军与蒙哥马利的英军联手，迫使北非的德军投降。北非战役就此结束，英美盟军重新控制了地中海南部。现在，他们可以从南部进攻希特勒驻扎在欧洲的军队。盟军没有浪费时间，他们于1943年7月登陆意大利西西里岛。德国坦克进行反击，但是英美盟军向前推进。不久，他们占领了西西里岛的首都巴勒莫。几周内，他们迫使德军离开西西里岛前往意大利内陆地区。7月下旬，意大利独裁者贝尼托·墨索里尼倒台后入狱。德方救助他，帮助他建立了一个由德军保护的新政府。但是，盟军仍在进攻。
他们横渡意大利内陆，德军一直在奋战。有段时间，德军阻止了盟军从沿海地区突围。战斗变得更加血腥。卡西诺山发生了一场激烈的战斗，成千上万名士兵丧生。但是，盟军慢慢地从北侧穿过意大利，于1944年6月占领了罗马，强迫德军返回意大利北部的山区。盟国在战争结束前无法完全控制意大利，但他们成功地加强了对地中海地区的控制，并击退了德军。希特勒的军队在非洲和意大利攻势并非很强的一个原因是，德军还在俄国作战。那将是我们下期节目要讲述的故事。
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