(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 look back at some of the social issues and cultural changes in America in the nineteen seventies and eighties. In some ways, the nineteen eighties seemed like the opposite of the nineteen sixties. The sixties were years of protest for social justice and change. Many Americans demonstrated against the Vietnam War. Blacks demonstrated for civil rights. Women demonstrated for equality. Many people welcomed new social programs created by the government. By the nineteen eighties, however, many people seemed more concerned with themselves than with helping society. To them, success was measured mainly by how much money a person made. People wanted to live the good life, and that took money. The changes started to become evident during the nineteen seventies. For a while, these years brought a continuation of the social experiments and struggles of the sixties.
But then people began to see signs of what society would be like in the eighties. There were a number of reasons for this change. One reason was the end to America's military involvement in Vietnam after years of war. Another was the progress of civil rights activists and the women's movement toward many of their goals. A third reason was the economy. During the nineteen seventies, the United States suffered a recession. Interest rates and inflation were high. A shortage of imported oil as a result of tensions in the Middle East only added to the problems. As the nineteen seventies went on, many Americans became tired of economic struggle. They also became tired of social struggle. They had been working together for common interests. Now, many wanted to spend more time on their own interests. This change appeared in many parts of society. It affected popular culture, education and politics. "Let me hear your idea again." "OK, I want us to watch Jack Lemmon and a group of famous scientists discuss pollution and ecology on channel thirteen." "Good. And I wanna watch football highlights on channel two. Now guess what's gonna happen."
One of the most popular television programs of that time was a comedy series that often dealt with politics and serious social issues. The show was called "All in the Family." The family was led by a factory worker named Archie Bunker. Carroll O'Connor played Archie, and Jean Stapleton played his wife, Edith. The Bunkers lived in a working-class neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York City. Archie represented the struggles of the blue-collar working man against the social changes in America. He loved his country and was socially conservative -- in the extreme. "What about John Wayne? And before you say anything, let me warn you –- when you're talking about ‘The Duke,' you ain't just talking about an actor; you're talking about the spirit that made America great." "Are you kidding?" His opinions on subjects like race and women's equality were always good for an argument with his liberal daughter and even more liberal son-in-law. "Good. I can mail my letter today and it'll get to Washington by Monday." "Washington – Are you writing to Washington? "That's right. Michael wrote the president." "Write to the president, about what?" "All the things we've been talking about – the pollution of our air, the pollution of our water, the way us housewives have no protection from foods without nutrition, how they make products with harmful things in ‘em. Like you saw what happened to Michael from that shirt."
"You, Michael Stivic, Meathead, you have the nerve to write to the president of the United States about your rash?" Edith would always try to make peace. "Maybe he knows a good skin man dermatologist." Another popular program, "Happy Days," about family life in the nineteen fifties, offered an escape from the social issues of the day. Music also changed. In the nineteen sixties, folk music was popular. Many of those folk songs were about social issues. But in the nineteen seventies, there was hard rock and punk. "Here is Wonder Mike, Hank, and Master G, The Sugarhill Gang." And in nineteen seventy-nine a group called the Sugarhill Gang brought rap music to national attention with a hit called "Rapper's Delight." In bookstores, the growing number of self-help books offered another sign of social change. These books advised people about ways to make themselves happier. One of the most popular self-help books was "I'm OK -- You're OK" by Doctor Thomas A. Harris. It was published in nineteen sixty-nine and led the way for many other popular psychology books throughout the seventies.
Politically, the United States went through several changes during the nineteen seventies. For most of the sixties the nation was governed by liberal Democratic administrations. Then in nineteen sixty-eight a conservative Republican, Richard Nixon, was elected president. Nixon won a second term four years later, but had to resign in nineteen seventy-four because of the Watergate scandal. Nixon's vice president, Gerald Ford, took his place. Two years later, Ford was defeated by Jimmy Carter, a Democrat who until then was little known nationally. The election showed that Americans were angry with the Republican Party because of Watergate. But they soon became unhappy with President Carter. They blamed him for failing to improve the economy and for failing to end a crisis involving American hostages in Iran. He lost his re-election campaign to Ronald Reagan. "Are you better off than you were four years ago?"
Reagan, a Republican, won two terms and led the nation during most of the nineteen eighties. For many people, the Reagan years offered a renewed sense of economic opportunity. Reagan reduced taxes, which increased his popularity. But the national debt grew as he raised military spending to put pressure on the Soviet Union. The self-centeredness of many people in the seventies and eighties gave rise to terms like the "me" generation." And there was the rise of "yuppies" -- young urban professionals remaking older neighborhoods in cities, often displacing poorer people. Popular entertainment at that time was often about financial success. "Premiering Sunday, April second, ‘Dallas,' where money buys power and passion breeds conflict..." "Dallas" was a TV drama about a Texas oil family with more money, and more problems, than they knew what to do with. It became a hit not just in the United States but around the world. Actor Larry Hagman played JR. "Your daddy lacked the killer instinct. He forgave those who transgressed against him. People just weren't afraid of him. And he overlooked ol' JR's golden rules. "And what might they be?"
"Don't forgive and don't forget. And do unto others, before they do unto you. And, most especially, keep your eye on your friends, ‘cause your enemies will take care of themselves. Oh, and one other thing – the oil business is a little bit like a poker game. It's good to get caught bluffing early on, ‘cause, after that, somebody's gonna call you when you've got a winning hand." "Dynasty" was another popular series about rich people behaving badly. One of its stars was veteran actor John Forsythe. "Those banks are going to find out that they've got more than they can handle. Denver Carrington is Blake Carrington, and they'll come begging to me to run the company again. I know they will. And I'll make them get down on their knees when they come begging." There was also "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," a series about real-life wealthy people, hosted by Robin Leach. "Our bustling capital city combines the chic with the freak, the ‘Oh, God' with the avant garde. So let's go ‘upper deck' with a couple of my good friends, and run away with the rich and famous..." And at the movie theater, there was the nineteen eighty-seven film "Wall Street." "The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works."
Michael Douglas played a character named Gordon Gecko, who earns his wealth by raiding companies and illegally trading on inside information. "Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms, greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed – you mark my words – will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A. Thank you very much." Good triumphed over evil in the "Rambo" action films starring Sylvester Stallone. He played a troubled hero who had fought in Vietnam. The films were violent. But they represented a more positive view than society had shown in the past toward veterans of that unpopular war. In the nineteen eighties people came to fear a new disease that could be spread by sex or blood. It was the rise of the AIDS epidemic. At the same time a new drug -- crack cocaine -- started a wave of violence in American cities.
Technology was also on the rise. "You don't have to be a genius to use a computer. Let Computer Land show you how easy it is to manage your own small business or home finances with the Atari Eight Hundred. Record keeping, information, communication, and a world of new ideas from Atari." Personal computers appeared in more and more offices, schools and homes. The nineteen eighties brought stardom to young entertainer Michael Jackson. And no history of the eighties would be complete without noting the rise of Music Television -- better known as MTV.
重点解析
1.be concerned with 关心；关怀
Don't be concerned with spelling and grammar.
不用关注拼写和语法。
2.as a result of 由于；作为……的结果
Millions of people are threatened with starvation as a result of drought and poor harvests.
几百万人因干旱和歉收而受到饥饿的威胁。
3.try to 设法；试图
A mistake is a mistake. Don't try to explain it away.
错了就错了，不要辩解。
4.be better off 境况好起来；更好
I'd be better off without you.
没有你我会更好。
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，我们要回顾一下70年代和80年代美国的一些社会问题和文化变化。在某些方面，20世纪80年代似乎与60年代相反。60年代是社会正义和变革的抗议之年。许多美国人示威反对越南战争，黑人为争取民权而示威，妇女为争取平等而示威。许多人欢迎政府制定的新的社会计划。然而，到了20世纪80年代，许多人似乎更关心自己而不是帮助社会。对他们来说，衡量成功的标准主要是一个人挣了多少钱，人们都想过上好日子，但这需要钱。这种变化在20世纪70年代开始变得明显。一段时间以来，这些年延续了60年代的社会实验和斗争。
但后来人们开始看到80年代社会形态的迹象，出现这种变化有很多原因。原因之一是经历了多年的战争，美国结束对越南的军事介入。另一个原因是民权活动家和女性运动朝着他们既定的许多目标前行。第三个原因是经济。在20世纪70年代，美国经历了经济衰退。利率和通货膨胀率居高不下，中东紧张局势导致的进口石油短缺只会使问题加剧。随着20世纪70年代的继续，许多美国人厌倦了经济斗争，他们也厌倦了社会斗争。他们为了共同的利益一起努力。现在，许多人想把更多的时间花在自己的兴趣上。这种变化出现在社会的许多方面，影响着大众文化、教育和政治。“让我再听一下你的想法。”“好吧，我想看杰克·莱蒙和一群著名科学家在频道13讨论污染和生态问题。”“好，我想看频道2的足球节目，猜猜会发生什么。”
当时最受欢迎的电视节目之一是一个喜剧剧集，经常涉及政治和严重的社会问题。这个节目叫做《欢乐一家亲》，这个家庭的一家之主是一个叫做阿奇·邦克的工厂工人。卡罗尔·奥康纳扮演阿奇，让·史泰普顿扮演他的妻子伊迪丝，邦克一家居住在纽约市皇后区的一个工人阶级聚居区。阿奇代表了美国蓝领工人反抗社会变革的斗争，他热爱祖国，是个社会保守派。“约翰·韦恩呢？在你说话之前，我要提醒你一下，你谈论‘公爵’时，不仅是在谈论一名演员，你在谈论使美国伟大的精神。”“你在开玩笑吗？”他在种族和妇女平等问题上的观点总是让他与政治上自由派的女儿，以及更加自由派的女婿争吵。“很好，我今天可以把信寄出去，周一就能送到华盛顿。”“华盛顿，你在给华盛顿政府写信吗？“没错，迈克尔在给总统写信。”“写信给总统，说什么？”“我们一直在谈论的所有事情，空气污染、水污染，我们这些家庭主妇没有保护自己不吃无营养的食物的方式，他们是如何制作含有有害物质的产品。就像你看到的，那件衬衫给迈克尔带来的遭遇。”
“你，迈克尔·斯蒂维克，笨头笨脑的家伙，你竟敢写信给美国总统，谈论你起的皮疹？”伊迪丝总是想和好。“也许他认识治疗男性皮肤病的好医生。”另一个受欢迎的节目《快乐的日子》，讲述的是20世纪50年代的家庭生活，它成了人们逃避当时社会问题的一个方法。音乐方面也发生了改变。在20世纪60年代，民乐很流行，许多民歌唱的都是社会问题。但是在20世纪70年代，出现了硬摇滚和朋克。“这是奇才麦克、汉克和G大师、糖山帮。”1979年，一个叫“糖山帮”的团体以一首名为《说唱者的喜悦》的热门歌曲，让说唱音乐成为全美的焦点。在书店里，自助类书籍的数量不断增加，这是社会变革的另一个迹象。这些书籍告诉人们怎样让自己更快乐。最受欢迎的自助类书籍之一是托马斯·A·哈里斯博士撰写的《我没事——你也没事儿》。这本书出版于1969年，在整个70年代引领了许多其他流行的心理学书籍。
在政治上，美国在20世纪70年代经历了几次变革。在60年代的大部分时间里，美国由自由的民主制所管理。在1968年，保守的共和党人理查德·尼克松当选为总统。尼克松在四年后赢得了第二个总统任期，但由于水门事件，他不得不在1974年辞职。尼克松的副总统杰拉尔德·福特接替了他的职位。两年后，福特被民主党人吉米·卡特击败。而在此之前，吉米·卡特在全国还鲜为人知。这次选举表明，美国人由于水门事件，对共和党人感到愤怒。但是，他们很快就对卡特总统不满了，指责他未能改善经济，未能结束涉及美国人质在伊朗的危机。卡特在连任竞选中输给了里根。“你的生活比四年前好吗？”
里根是一位共和党人，他赢得了两届总统任期，并在20世纪80年代的大部分时间里，领导美国民众。对许多人来说，里根时代提供了一种新的经济机遇感。里根减税，此举增加了其声望。但随着他增加军事开支以向苏联施加压力，国家债务增加了。在70、80年代，许多人以自我为中心，由此产生了“我”一代这样的称呼。还有“雅皮士”的兴起——“雅皮士”是指，住在城市里的年轻专业人士，他们改造城市中较老的社区，通常的做法是让穷人搬出该地区。当时流行的娱乐节目通常与经济上获得成功有关。“《达拉斯》的首映日为4月2日周日，该剧集描述的是金钱能买到权力，激情滋生冲突……”电视剧《达拉斯》，讲述了一个居住在德克萨斯州的石油家庭，他们家境富裕，不过碰到的问题也多，他们不知道该如何应对。这部剧集不仅在美国，而且在全世界广受欢迎。演员拉里·哈格曼扮演JR。“你爸爸缺少杀人本能，他原谅那些违背过他的人。人们就是不害怕他，他对JR的黄金法则视而不见。“他们可能会做什么呢？”
“不要原谅，也不要忘记。先待人，后待己，尤其要注意你的朋友，因为你的敌人能照顾好他们自己。哦，还有一件事，石油生意有点像玩扑克游戏。早点被抓到诈唬是件好事，因为在那之后，你有一把制胜牌时，会有人要求你摊牌。”《王朝》是另一部关于富人行为不端的流行电视剧，其中一位明星是资深演员约翰·福塞斯。“这些银行会发现，他们手头的钱超出了他们的处理能力。丹佛·卡林顿就是布莱克·卡林顿，他们会来求我，让我再次经营公司，我知道他们会这样做。他们来求我时，我会让他们下跪。”还有《富翁和名人的生活方式》，这是一个关于现实生活中富人生活的剧集，由罗宾·里奇主持。“繁华的首都融合了优雅时尚与怪异之事，把传统与前卫相结合。和我的几个好友一起到‘上层社会’去，与富翁、名人们厮混吧……”在电影方面，1987年出品了电影《华尔街》。“女士们、先生们，关键是贪婪个好词，因为没有更合适的了。贪婪没错，贪婪有用。”
迈克尔·道格拉斯扮演一位名叫戈登·盖克的角色，他通过搜查公司和非法交易内幕信息来赚取财富。“贪婪阐明、贯通并描述出进化精神的精髓。一切形式的贪婪，为了生命、金钱、爱情、知识的贪婪，标志着人类向上进步的浪潮。记住我的话，贪婪不仅能拯救泰达纸业公司，还能挽救机制失调的美国，非常感谢。”在西尔维斯特·史泰龙主演的《兰博》动作片中，善良战胜了邪恶。史泰龙扮演了一位参加过越战的有问题的英雄。这些电影充满暴力，但它们代表了一种比过去的社会所表现出的，对从那场不受欢迎的战争中退伍的军人更积极的看法。在20世纪80年代，人们开始害怕一种新疾病。这种疾病可能通过性或血液传播，这是艾滋病流行的兴起。与此同时，一种新的毒品——快克可卡因，在美国城市引发了暴力浪潮。
科技也在增长。“你不必是天才才能使用电脑，让电脑天地告诉你，如何借助Atari 800电脑轻松管理自己的小企业或家庭财务。保存记录、信息、交流，以及来自Atari的许多新理念。”个人电脑出现在越来越多的出现在办公室、学校和家庭中。20世纪80年代，年轻的艺人迈克尔·杰克逊成为明星。如果不提及音乐电视（MTV）的兴起，80年代的历史就不算完整。
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