(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. This week in our series, we continue the story of the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Soon after his presidency began, there was an attempt on his life. A gunman shot President Reagan in March nineteen eighty-one. Doctors removed the bullet. He rested, regained his strength and returned to the White House in twelve days. The new president wanted to reduce the size of the federal government. He and other conservative Republicans wanted less government interference in the lives of Americans. President Reagan won congressional approval for his plan to reduce income tax rates. Many Americans welcomed the plan. Others were concerned about its effects on the national debt. They saw taxes go down while defense spending went up.
To save money, the Reagan administration decided to cut spending for some social programs. This pleased conservatives. Liberals, however, said it limited poor peoples' chances for good housing, health care, and education. President Reagan also had to make decisions about using military force in other countries. In nineteen eighty-three, he sent Marines to Lebanon. They joined other peacekeeping troops to help stop fighting among competing groups. On October twenty-third, a truck carrying explosives bombed Marine housing at Beirut International Airport. "There was nothing in its appearance to suggest it was any different than the trucks or cars that were normally seen on and around the airport. But this one was different. At the wheel was a young man on a suicide mission. "The truck carried some two thousand pounds of explosives, but there was no way our Marine guards could know this. Their first warning that something was wrong came when the truck crashed through a series of barriers. The guards opened fire, but it was too late. The truck smashed through the doors of the headquarters building in which our marines were sleeping and instantly exploded." Two hundred forty-one Americans were killed.
Two days later, Marines led an invasion of the Caribbean island nation of Grenada. Communist forces were rebelling against the government there. Cuban soldiers were guarding the streets. President Reagan said he feared for the safety of American students at a medical school in Grenada. He sent the Marines to get them out safely. The Marines quickly defeated the communist forces. Many Americans were pleased. Others were angry. They said Grenada was invaded only to make people forget about what happened in Lebanon. The next year, nineteen eighty-four, was a presidential election year. It looked like no one could stop President Reagan. His warm way with people had made him hugely popular. He gained support with the military victory in Grenada. And, by the time the campaign started, inflation was under control. The Republican Party renominated Ronald Reagan for president and George Bush for vice president. There were several candidates for the Democratic Party's nomination. One was the first African-American to seek the presidency, Jesse Jackson. He was a Protestant clergyman and a longtime human rights activist.
The candidate who finally won the nomination was Walter Mondale. He had been a senator and had served as vice president under President Jimmy Carter. The vice presidential candidate was Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro. It was the first time a major party in the United States had nominated a woman for national office. "Tonight, the daughter of working Americans tells all Americans that the future is within our reach if we're willing to reach for it." One issue in the election campaign was taxes. Political candidates often try to avoid talking about taxes with voters. But former Vice President Mondale did talk about the issue. He said taxes would have to be raised to pay for new government programs. "The American people will have to pay Mr. Reagan's bills. The budget will be squeezed. Taxes will go up. And anyone who says they won't is not telling the truth to the American people." This was a serious political mistake. President Reagan gained even more support as a result. The two candidates agreed to debate on television. During one debate, President Reagan looked old and tired. He did not seem sure of his answers. Yet his popularity was not damaged. On Election Day, he won fifty-nine percent of the popular vote.
On Inauguration Day, the weather was bitterly cold in Washington. All inaugural activities, including the swearing-in ceremony, were held inside. President Reagan's first term began with an attempt on his life. Six months after his second term began, he faced another threat. Doctors discovered and removed a large growth from his colon. The growth was cancerous. The president was seventy-four years old. Yet, once again, he quickly regained his strength and returned to work. For years, the United States had accused Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi of supporting international terrorist groups. It said he provided them with weapons and a safe place for their headquarters. In January nineteen eighty-six, the United States announced economic actions against Libya. Then it began military training exercises near the Libyan coast. Libya said the Americans were violating its territory and fired missiles at them. The Americans fired back, sinking two ships. On April fifth, a bomb destroyed a dance club in West Berlin. An American soldier and another person were killed. The United States said Libya was responsible. President Reagan ordered a bombing raid on the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. Muammar Gadhafi escaped unharmed but said his adopted daughter was killed.
Some Americans said the raid was cruel. Others praised it. President Reagan said the United States did what it had to do. The president also wanted to intervene in Nicaragua. About fifteen thousand rebel troops, called contras, were fighting the country's communist government. President Reagan asked for military aid for the contras. Congress rejected the request. In fact, it banned all aid to the contras. At that same time, Muslim extremists in Lebanon seized several Americans. The Reagan administration looked for ways to gain the release of the hostages. It decided to sell missiles and missile parts to Iran in exchange for Iran's help. After the sale, Iran told the extremists in Lebanon to release a few American hostages. Not long after, serious charges became public. Reports said that money from the sale of arms to Iran was used to aid the contra rebels in Nicaragua. Several members of the Reagan administration resigned. It appeared that some had violated the law. President Reagan said he regretted what had happened. But he said he had not known about it. Investigations and court trials of those involved continued into the nineteen nineties. Several people were found guilty of illegal activities or of lying to Congress. No one went to jail.
Most Americans did not blame the president for the actions of others in his administration. They still supported him and his policies. They especially supported his efforts to deal with the Soviet Union. At the beginning of his first term, President Reagan called the Soviet Union an "evil empire." To protect the United States against the Soviets, he increased military spending to the highest level in American history. Then, in nineteen eighty-five, Mikhail Gorbachev became the leader of the Soviet Union. Reagan and Gorbachev held four summit meetings, in Geneva, Switzerland; Reykjavic, Iceland; Washington and Moscow. Each leader agreed to destroy hundreds of nuclear missiles. President Reagan also urged General Secretary Gorbachev to become more democratic. He spoke about the Berlin Wall, which communists had built to prevent citizens from crossing between East and West Berlin. "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."
About this time, a new sense of glasnost, or openness, was beginning in the Soviet Union. It was also a time of perestroika, or restructuring. The American economy grew rapidly during Ronald Reagan's presidency. Yet, at the end of his presidency, many Americans were concerned by what he left behind. Increased military spending, together with tax cuts, had made the national debt huge. The United States owed thousands of millions of dollars. The debt would be a political issue for presidents to come. Yet, Ronald Reagan will be remembered as one of America's most popular presidents. Above his burial place at the Reagan Library in California are these words, which speak to Reagan's belief in humanity: "I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life." Next week in our series, we'll look at life in the United States in the nineteen seventies and eighties.
重点解析
1.be concerned about 关心；关注
It's a teacher's duty to be concerned about the students'study.
关心学生的学习是教师分内的事。
2.a series of 一连串；一系列
The students have put forward a series of questions.
学生们提出了一系列问题。
3.under control 在控制中；受到控制
Firemen said they had the blaze under control.
消防队员说他们已经控制住了火势。
4.once again 再次；又一次
Once again I breathed as a free man.
我又能像个自由人一样呼吸了。
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。在本周的系列节目中，我们继续讲述罗纳德·里根总统的故事。他开始担任总统后不久，有人企图谋杀他。1981年3月，一名枪手向里根总统开枪，医生取出了那颗子弹。他经过修养，恢复了体力，于12天后返回白宫。新总统想缩小联邦政府的规模，他和其他保守的共和党人希望政府减少对美国民众生活的干预。里根总统降低所得税税率的计划，获得了国会的批准。许多美国人欢迎这个计划，其他人则担心其对国债的影响，他们看到税收下降而国防开支在增加。
为了节省开支，里根政府决定削减一些社会项目的开支，这让保守派感到高兴。然而，自由派人士表示，这限制了穷人获得良好住房、医疗保健和教育的机会。里根总统还必须决定在其他国家使用武力。在1983年，他派遣海军陆战队进驻黎巴嫩，加入其他维和部队，帮助停止竞争团体之间的战斗。10月23日，一辆载有炸药的卡车轰炸了贝鲁特国际机场的海军陆战队的住处。“从外观上看，没有任何迹象表明它与通常在机场内外看到的卡车或汽车有任何不同，但这辆车并非普通的车辆，其司机是一个正在执行自杀任务的年轻人。“卡车上装载了大约两千磅炸药，但我们的海军陆战队士兵不可能知道这一点。这辆卡车撞毁一系列障碍物时，士兵们第一次警告说情况不对。警卫开枪，但为时已晚。卡车撞开了海军陆战队正在休息的总部大楼的门，瞬间发生爆炸。”241名美国人丧生。
两天后，海军陆战队率领入侵加勒比岛国格林纳达。共产党军队正在那里反抗政府。古巴士兵守卫着街道。里根总统说，他担心格林纳达一所医学院的美国学生的安全，派海军陆战队把他们安全营救出来。海军陆战队很快打败了共产党军队，许多美国人都很高兴。其他人则很气愤。他们说，格林纳达被入侵只是为了让人们忘记在黎巴嫩发生的事情。第二年1984年，是总统选举年，看起来没人能阻止里根总统。他对人热情的态度使他很受欢迎，他在格林纳达的军事胜利中获得了支持。而且，竞选活动开始时，通货膨胀已经得到控制。共和党再次提名罗纳德·里根为总统，乔治·布什为副总统。民主党提名了好几位候选人，其中一人是第一位谋求总统职位的非洲裔美国人，杰西·杰克逊，他是一个新教牧师，也是一位资深的人权活动家。
最终赢得提名的候选人是沃尔特·蒙代尔，他曾是参议员，并在吉米·卡特总统执政期间担任副总统。副总统候选人是女议员杰拉尔丁·费拉罗，这是美国主要政党首次提名女性担任国家公职。“今晚，美国劳动人民的女儿告诉所有美国人，只要我们愿意去争取，未来就触手可及。”竞选活动中的一个问题是税收。政治候选人常常尽量避免与选民谈论税收问题，但前副总统蒙代尔确实谈到这个问题。他说，必须提高税收来支付新的政府项目。“美国人民将不得不为里根先生买单，预算将被压缩，税收会增加。任何说不会的人，都没有告诉美国人民真相。”这是一个严重的政治错误，里根总统因此获得了更多的支持。两位候选人同意在电视上辩论。在一次辩论中，里根总统看上去显得衰老又疲惫。他似乎对自己的答案感到不确定。然而，他的声望并没有受到损害。在选举日，他赢得了59%的选票。
就职典礼当天，华盛顿的天气非常寒冷。包括宣誓仪式等所有就职活动，都在室外举行。里根总统的第一个任期开始时，有人试图刺杀他。第二个任期开始六个月后，他又面临另一个威胁。医生在他的结肠中发现了一大块生长物，并将之切除。这个生长物是恶性肿瘤。总统当时74岁。然而，他又一次很快恢复体力，重新开始工作。多年来，美国一直指责利比亚领导人卡扎菲支持国际恐怖组织。据说，他为他们提供了武器，并为他们的总部提供安全之地。1986年1月，美国宣布对利比亚采取经济制裁措施。随后，它开始在利比亚海岸附近进行军事训练演习。利比亚表示，美国人侵犯了利比亚领土，并向他们发射导弹。美国人还击，击沉了两艘船只。4月5日，一枚炸弹炸毁了西柏林的一家舞蹈俱乐部，一名美国士兵和另一人丧生。美国表示，利比亚要对此负责。里根总统下令轰炸利比亚的黎波里和班加西。穆阿迈尔卡扎菲安然无恙地逃脱，但他说其养女遇害。
一些美国人说这次突袭很残忍，其他人却对其大加赞扬。里根总统说，美国做了必须做的事情。总统还希望对尼加拉瓜进行干预。大约一万五千名称为“反政府武装”的叛军正在与这个国家的共产主义政府作战。里根总统要求为反政府武装提供军事援助，国会拒绝了这一请求。事实上，国会禁止对反对派提供一切援助。与此同时，黎巴嫩的穆斯林极端分子抓获了几名美国人。里根政府想方设法让人质获释，决定向伊朗出售导弹和导弹部件，以换取伊朗的帮助。买卖结束后，伊朗让黎巴嫩极端分子释放几名美国人质。不久之后，严重的指控公之于众。报道说，向伊朗出售武器所得款项被用来援助尼加拉瓜的反政府武装。里根政府的几位成员辞职了，看来有些人触犯了法律。里根总统说，他对所发生的一切感到遗憾。但他表示，并不知道此事。对涉案人员的调查和法庭审判一直持续到20世纪90年代。有几个人因非法活动或向国会撒谎而被判有罪。没人被判入狱。
大多数美国人并未将政府中其它人的行为归咎于总统，他们仍然对总统及其政策表示支持。他们特别支持他在与苏联交涉中做出的努力。第一个任期开始时，里根总统称苏联是“邪恶的帝国”，为了保护美国不受苏联攻击，他把军费增加到美国历史上的最高水平。随后在1985年，米哈伊尔·戈尔巴乔夫成为苏联领导人。里根和戈尔巴乔夫在瑞士日内瓦、冰岛雷克雅未克、华盛顿和莫斯科举行了四次首脑会议。每位领导人都同意销毁数百枚核导弹，里根总统还敦促苏共中央总书记戈尔巴乔夫更加民主。他谈到了柏林墙，共产主义者修建柏林墙是以防止公民穿越东西柏林。“戈尔巴乔夫总书记，如果你寻求和平，如果你寻求苏联和东欧的繁荣，如果你寻求自由主义化，请来到这扇门前。戈尔巴乔夫先生，打开这扇门。戈尔巴乔夫先生，拆掉这堵墙。”
大约在此时，一种新的开放意识开始在苏联出现，这也是一个改革或重组的时期。美国经济在里根总统任期内迅速增长。然而，在他任期结束时，许多美国人对他留下的局面感到担忧。军费增加，以及税收削减，使国家债务数额巨大。美国欠款达上千万美元，债务将是未来总统面临的政治问题。然而，人们将罗纳德·里根铭记为美国最受欢迎的总统之一。在他位于加利福尼亚州里根图书馆的墓穴上方，撰写着这样的话语，表达了里根对人性的信念：“我心里很清楚，人是善良的，正义终将胜利，每个生命都有其存在的目的和价值。”我们下期系列节目中，将回顾20世纪70年代和80年代的美国生活。
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