(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Faith Lapidus. And I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Betty Friedan. She was a powerful activist for the rights of women. Betty Friedan is often called "the mother of the modern women's liberation movement." Her famous book, "The Feminine Mystique," changed America. Some people say it changed the world. It has been called one of the most influential nonfiction books of the twentieth century. Friedan re-awakened the feminist movement in the United States. That movement had helped women gain the right to vote in the nineteen twenties. Modern feminists disagree about how to describe themselves and their movement. But activists say men and women should have equal chances for economic, social and intellectual satisfaction in life. Fifty years ago, life for women in the United States was very different from today. Very few parents urged their daughters to become lawyers or doctors or professors. Female workers doing the same jobs as men earned much less money. Women often lost their jobs when they had a baby. There were few child-care centers for working parents. Betty Friedan once spoke to ABC television about her support for sharing responsibility for the care of children. "If child-rearing was considered the responsibility of women and men or women and en and society, then we really could pull up our skirts and declare victory and move on."
Betty Friedan was born Betty Goldstein in nineteen twenty-one in Peoria, Illinois. Her immigrant father worked as a jeweler. Her mother left her job with a local newspaper to stay home with her family. Betty attended Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts. It was one of the country's best colleges for women. She finished her studies in psychology in nineteen forty-two. After college she attended the University of California at Berkeley to continue her studies. But her boyfriend at the time did not want her to get an advanced degree in psychology. He apparently felt threatened by her success. So Betty left California and her boyfriend. She moved to New York City and worked as a reporter and editor for labor union newspapers.
Betty FriedanIn nineteen forty-seven, Betty Goldstein married Carl Friedan, a theater director who later became an advertising executive. They had a child, the first of three. The Friedans were to remain married until nineteen sixty-nine. When Betty Friedan became pregnant for the second time, she was dismissed from her job at the newspaper. After that she worked as an independent reporter for magazines. But her editors often rejected her attempts to write about subjects outside the traditional interests of women. In nineteen fifty-seven, Friedan started research that was to have far-reaching results. Her class at Smith College was to gather for the fifteenth anniversary of women about their lives. Most who took part in the study did not work outside their homes. Friedan was not completely satisfied with her life. She thought that her former college classmates might also be dissatisfied. She was right. Friedan thought these intelligent women could give a lot to society if they had another identity besides being homemakers. Friedan completed more studies. She talked to other women across the country. She met with experts about the questions and answers. She combined this research with observations and examples from her own life. The result was her book, "The Feminine Mystique," published in nineteen sixty-three.
The book attacked the popular idea of the time that women could only find satisfaction through being married, having children and taking care of their home. Friedan believed that women wanted more from life than just to please their husbands and children. The book said women suffered from feelings of lack of worth. Friedan said this was because the women depended on their husbands for economic, emotional and intellectual support. "The Feminine Mystique" was a huge success. It has sold more than three millions of copies. It was reprinted in a number of other languages. The book helped change the lives of women in America. More women began working outside the home. More women also began studying traditionally male subjects like law, medicine and engineering.
Betty Friedan expressed the dissatisfaction of some American women during the middle of the twentieth century. But she also made many men feel threatened. Later, critics said her book only dealt with the problems of white, educated, wealthy, married women. It did not study the problems of poor white women, single women or minorities.
In nineteen sixty-six, Betty Friedan helped establish NOW, the National Organization for Women. She served as its first president. She led campaigns to end unfair treatment of women seeking jobs.
Friedan also worked on other issues. She wanted women to have the choice to end their pregnancies. She wanted to create child-care centers for working parents. She wanted women to take part in social and political change. Betty Friedan once spoke about her great hopes for women in the nineteen seventies. "Liberating ourselves, we will then become a major political force, perhaps the biggest political force for basic social and political change in America in the seventies."
Betty Friedan led a huge demonstration in New York City for women's rights. Demonstrations were also held in other cities. A half-million women took part in the Women's Strike for Equality on August twenty-sixth, nineteen seventy. The day marked the fiftieth anniversary of American women gaining the right to vote. A year after the march, Friedan helped establish the National Women's Political Caucus. She said the group got started "to make policy, not coffee." She said America needed more women in public office if women were to gain equal treatment. Friedan wanted a national guarantee of that equal treatment. She worked tirelessly to get Congress and the states to approve an amendment to the United States Constitution that would provide equal rights for women. The House of Representatives approved this Equal Rights Amendment in nineteen seventy-one. The Senate approved it the following year. Thirty-eight of the fifty state legislatures were required to approve the amendment. Congress set a time limit of seven years for the states to approve it. This was extended to June thirtieth, nineteen eighty-two. However, only thirty-five states approved the amendment by the deadline so it never went into effect. The defeat of the E.R.A. was a sad event for Betty Friedan, NOW, and other activists.
In nineteen eighty-one, Betty Friedan wrote about the condition of the women's movement. Her book was called "The Second Stage." Friedan wrote that the time for huge demonstrations and other such events had passed. She urged the movement to try to increase its influence on American political life. Some younger members of the movement denounced her as too conservative. As she grew older, Friedan studied conditions for older Americans. She wrote a book called "The Fountain of Age" in nineteen ninety-three. She wrote that society often dismisses old people as no longer important or useful. Friedan's last book was published in two thousand. She was almost eighty years old at the time. Its title was "Life So Far." Betty Friedan died on February fourth, two thousand six. It was her eighty-fifth birthday. Betty Friedan once told a television reporter how she wanted to be remembered. "She helps make it better for women to feel good about being women, and therefore she helped make it possible for women to more freely love men."
重点解析
1.influential 有很大影响的,有权势的，有支配力的
He is a very influential man in the government.
他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。
2.gain 获得, 赢得
Without political independence, you can't begin to talk about economic independence.
没有政治上的独立，就谈不到经济上的独立。
3.intellectual 智力的; 理智的, 善于思维的
Maths is an intellectual exercise.
数学是一种智力训练。
4.The book said women suffered from feelings of lack of worth. Friedan said this was because the women depended on their husbands for economic, emotional and intellectual support.
suffer from 因…而受罚（苦, 损）; 因...而更糟; 受...之苦
Sometimes I still suffer from these weaknesses.
有时我还是在吃这些弱点的苦头。
5.But she also made many men feel threatened. Later, critics said her book only dealt with the problems of white, educated, wealthy, married women.
deal with 惠顾; 与…交易, 和…做买卖,关于
We have dealt with that firm for many years.
我们与那家公司有多年的生意往来。
6.However, only thirty-five states approved the amendment by the deadline so it never went into effect.
go into effect 生效
The standard is slated to go into effect next year.
此标准内定明年实施。
参考译文
我是菲丝·拉伯蒂斯。我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天，我们将讲述贝蒂·弗里丹的故事。她是一名强大的妇女权利积极分子。贝蒂·弗里丹常被称为“现代女性解放运动之母”。她的著作《女性的奥秘》改变了美国。一些人表示这本书也改变了世界。这被称为20世纪最具影响力的非小说散文文学之一。弗里丹再度唤醒了美国的女权运动。1920年代，该运动帮助女性争取到了投票权。现代女权运动者对她们和她们这项运动的描述有不同看法。但是积极分子表示，在生活中，男性和女性对于经济、社会和智力的满足应该有着相同的机会。50年前，美国女性的生活和如今非常不同。很少有父母会希望他们的女儿成为律师、医生或教授。和男性做一样工作的女性，工资却挣得比他们少。有孩子的女性还常常会丢工作。那时还没有什么儿童看护中心。贝蒂·弗里丹曾在ABC电视台讲述她支持分摊照顾孩子的责任。“如果抚养子女被认为是女性、男性或女性以及任一方和社会的责任，那么我们真的能够卷起我们的裙子，宣布胜利，并继续前进。”
1921年，贝蒂·弗里丹出生于伊利诺斯州皮奥瑞亚。她的移民父亲是一名珠宝商。她的母亲辞去了当地报社的工作，在家照顾家庭。贝蒂在马萨诸塞州北安普敦的史密斯学院上学。这是美国最好的女性学院之一。1942年，她毕业于该学院的心理学专业。大学毕业后，她去伯克利的加利福尼亚大学继续学业。但是那时她的男朋友并不希望她继续读书。显然，他被她的成功威胁到了。所以贝蒂离开了加利福尼亚和她男朋友，她搬到纽约并称为一名记者，编辑工会报纸。1947年，贝蒂嫁给了卡尔·弗里丹，他是一名戏剧导演，之后成为了一名广告总监。他们有三个子女，他们的婚姻持续到1969年。当贝蒂·弗里丹第二次怀孕时，她被报社解雇了。之后，她成为了一名杂志独立记者。但是她的编辑常拒绝让她写传统女性兴趣之外的事物。
1957年，弗里丹开始研究那些有深远结果的事物。她在史密斯学院的同学相聚庆祝她们毕业15周年。弗里丹为女性准备了一项民意调查，向女性提出关于她们生活的问题。参与的同学都没有家庭之外的工作。弗里丹对自己的生活并不满意。她认为她的同学们或许也很不满意。她想的没错。弗里丹认为这些聪明的女性能为社会做出贡献，如果她们不仅仅被当成家庭主妇的话。弗里丹完成了更多的学业。她和其他国家的女性交谈，和专家交流这些问题，寻求答案。她将研究和观察以及生活中的实例相结合。所得出的结果被编排成了一本书《女性的奥秘》，1963年出版。该书抨击了那时最流行的思想—女性只能通过婚姻、孩子和照料家庭得到满足。弗里丹认为女性想获得的更多，而非取悦丈夫和孩子。这本书称女性遭受了价值的缺失感。弗里丹说这是因为女性在经济、情感和智力上依赖于丈夫。《女性的奥秘》取得了巨大的成功，销售超过三百万本，还被译为不同语种。这本书帮助改变了美国女性的生活。多数女性开始在外工作。更多的女性还开始学习传统意义上的男性科目，比如法律、医药和工程。
贝蒂·弗里丹表达了20世纪中期一些美国女性的不满。但是她还让很多男性感觉受到了威胁。之后，评论家说她的书只是处理了受过教育、富有且已婚的白人女性的问题。而并没研究贫困白人女性、单身女性或少数种族的问题。1966年，贝蒂·弗里丹帮助建立了NOW—全国妇女组织。她成为了首位主席。她领导的运动结束了女性寻求工作时的不平等对待。弗里丹还致力于其他问题。她希望女性有选择结束妊娠的权利。她希望为上班的父母建立儿童看护中心。她希望女性参与到社会和政治变革之中。1970年代，贝蒂·弗里丹曾说过她对女性的期望。“解放我们自己，我们就将变成执政的主要力量，或许是美国70年代基础社会和政治变革最庞大的政治力量。”贝蒂·弗里丹在纽约举行了盛大的女性权利游行活动。其他城市也举行了游行活动。1970年8月26日，五十万女性参加了女性平等罢工。这一天是美国女性获得投票权15周年。
一年后，弗里丹帮助建立了全国妇女政治党团会议。她说这个团队是为了政治而非咖啡。她表示美国公职中需要更多的女性，如果女性获得平等对待的话。弗里丹希望国家保证那样的平等对待。她不知疲倦的工作，希望国会和州同意通过美国宪法修正案，为女性提供平等的权利。1971年，众议院通过这项平等权利修正案。第二年，参议院通过该修正案。50个州的立法机关中有38个被要求通过该修正案。议会设定了7年期限，要求这些州通过修正案。该日期一直到1982年6月30日截止。但是日期截止时只有35个州通过了该修正案，所以这条修正案没有生效。平等权利修正案的失败对弗里丹、NOW以及其他积极分子都是件悲伤的事情。1981年，贝蒂·弗里丹写下了女性运动的状况。这本书被称为《第二阶段》。书中写到，那个大型游行和其他类似事件的时代已经过去了。她希望女权运动可以尝试提高该运动在美国政治上的影响力。该运动中的一些年轻成员抨击她太保守。老年时，弗里丹研究了美国老年人的现状。
1993年，她写了一本书—《时代的源泉》。她写到那个时候常常解雇一些老人，因为他们已无足轻重。弗里丹最后一本书出版于2000年，那个时候她将近80岁，这本书是《此前一生》。2006年2月4日，贝蒂·弗里丹去世。那天是她85岁的生日。贝蒂·弗里丹曾对已经记者说过自己希望如何被世人记住。“她帮助让女性感觉到成为一名女性是一件好事，因此，她让女性可以更加自由的爱着喜欢的人。”
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