(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
After John Kennedy was murdered, Vice President Lyndon Johnson served the last fourteen months of Kennedy's term. He then was elected to his own full term. It began in January, nineteen sixty-five. Much of his time and energy would be taken up by the war in Vietnam. By early nineteen sixty-four, America had about seventeen thousand troops in Vietnam. The troops were there to advise and train the South Vietnamese military. Vietnam had gained its independence from France in nineteen fifty-four. The country was divided into North and South. The North had a Communist government led by Ho Chi Minh. The South had an anti-Communist government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. In nineteen fifty-seven, Communist rebels -- Vietcong -- began a campaign of terrorism in South Vietnam.
They were supported by the government of North Vietnam and later by North Vietnamese troops. Their goal was to overthrow the anti-Communist government in the South. President Johnson believed that the United States had to support South Vietnam. Many other Americans agreed. They believed that without American help, South Vietnam would become Communist. Then, all of Southeast Asia would become Communist, too. As Johnson's term began, his military advisers told him the Communists were losing the war. They told him that North Vietnamese troops and Vietcong forces would soon stop fighting. On February sixth, however, the Vietcong attacked American camps at Pleiku and Qui Phon. The Johnson administration immediately ordered air attacks against military targets in the North. Some observers in the United States questioned the administration's policy. For example, a leading newspaper writer, James Reston, said President Johnson was carrying out an undeclared and unexplained war in Vietnam. Johnson defended his policies. He said withdrawal would not bring an end to the conflict.
He said the battle would continue in one country, and then another. In March, nineteen sixty-five, the first American ground troops arrived in South Vietnam. Congress supported the president's actions at that time. However, the number of Americans who opposed the war began to grow. These people said the war was a civil war. They said the United States had no right, or reason, to intervene. For six days in May, the United States halted air attacks on North Vietnam. The administration hoped this would help get the North Vietnamese government to begin negotiations. The North refused. And the United States began to build up its forces in the South. By July, one hundred twenty-five thousand Americans were fighting in Vietnam. Some Americans became angry. Anti-war demonstrations took place in the cities of San Francisco and Chicago. More and more students began to protest. They wanted the war to end quickly. Writer James Reston commented that the anti-war demonstrations were not helping to bring peace to Vietnam. He said they were postponing it.
He believed the demonstrations would make Ho Chi Minh think America did not support its troops. And that, he said, would make president Ho continue the war. In December, nineteen sixty-five, the United States again halted air attacks against North Vietnam. Again, it invited the North Vietnamese government to negotiate an end to the fighting. And again, the North refused. Ho Chi Minh's conditions for peace were firm. He demanded an end to the bombing and a complete American withdrawal. Withdrawal would mean defeat for the South. It would mean that all of Vietnam would become Communist. President Johnson would not accept these terms. So he offered his own proposals. The most important was an immediate ceasefire. Neither side would compromise, however. And the fighting went on. In nineteen sixty-six, President Johnson renewed the bombing attacks in North Vietnam. He also increased the number of American troops in South Vietnam. He condemned those who opposed his policies. He said: "The American people will stand united until every soldier is brought home safely. They will stand united until the people of South Vietnam can choose their own government."Local and state elections were held in the United States that year.
The war in Vietnam had an effect on those elections. The opposition Republican Party generally supported the president's war efforts. Yet it criticized him and other Democrats for economic problems linked to the war. The war cost two thousand million dollars every month. The price of many goods in the United States began to rise. The value of the dollar began to drop. The result was inflation. Then economic activity slowed, and the result was recession. To answer the criticism, administration officials said progress was being made in Vietnam. But some Americans began to suspect that the government was not telling the truth about the war. Several news writers, for example, said the number of enemy soldiers killed was much lower than the government reported. Opposition to the war and to the administration's war policies led to bigger and bigger anti-war demonstrations.
Studies were done to measure Americans' opinion on the issue. In a study in July, nineteen sixty-seven, a little more than half the people questioned said they did not approve of the president's policies. Yet most Americans believed he would run again for president the next year. Johnson strongly defended the use of American soldiers in Vietnam. In a speech to a group of lawmakers he said: "Since World War Two, this nation has met and has mastered many challenges -- challenges in Greece and Turkey, in Berlin, in Korea, in Cuba. We met them because brave men were willing to risk their lives for their nation's security. And braver men have never lived than those who carry our colors in Vietnam this very hour."Then came Tet -- the Vietnamese lunar new year -- in January nineteen-sixty-eight. The Communists launched a major military campaign. They attacked thirty-one of the forty-four provinces of South Vietnam. They even struck at the American embassy in the capital, Saigon. Fifty thousand Communist soldiers were killed during the Tet offensive. Fourteen thousand South Vietnamese soldiers were killed. And two thousand American soldiers were killed.
Thousands of Vietnamese civilians were killed, too. Many Americans were surprised, even shocked, that the Communists could launch such a major attack against South Vietnam. For several years, they had been told that Communist forces were small and were losing badly. As a result, popular support for the administration fell even more. Democrats who opposed President Johnson seized this chance. Several ran against him in the primary elections held before the party's presidential nominating convention. These included Senator Robert Kennedy of New York and Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. Kennedy and McCarthy did well in the early primary elections. Johnson did poorly. At the end of March, nineteen sixty-eight, the president spoke to the American people on television. He told of his proposal to end American bombing of North Vietnam. He told of the appointment of a special ambassador to start peace negotiations. And he told of his decision about his own future: LYNDON JOHNSON: "I do not believe that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes or to any duties other than the awesome duties of this office -- the presidency of your country. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president."
重点解析
1.air attacks 空袭
Pakistani officials said the air attack hit a militant hideout near the Afghan border.
巴基斯坦官员表示，这次空袭击中了阿富汗边境附近一个好战分子藏身之处。
2. primary elections 初选；预选
Palmer wins the Super Tuesday Primary election, sweeping California and all eleven other states.
帕默在总统竞选初选日获胜，在加州和其它11个州以大比数胜选。
3. South Vietnamese
South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians gathered at the site, some to help, others to loot the dead.
南越士兵和百姓们汇集到现场，有些人投入救援，另一些人则掠夺死者的财物。
4. immediate ceasefire 立即停火
A Libyan military spokesman says the armed forces have been ordered to implement an immediate ceasefire.
利比亚军方一名发言人表示，武装部队已经被勒令立即停火。
5. Vice President 副总统
The part of the greatest value of this book is the account of the indictment of the vice president and his unpersoning.
这本书中最有价值的部分就是那段叙述副总统控告以及他因政治上失宠而遭清洗的故事。
参考译文
约翰·肯尼迪被杀后，副总统林登·约翰逊在肯尼迪任期的最后14个月接替了其总统职位。1965年1月，约翰逊开始在自己的任期内任职。约翰逊把大部分时间和精力都放在了越南战争上。1964年初，美国在越南大约有一万七千名士兵。美军为南越军队提供军事建议和训练。1954年，越南从法国独立。越南被分为南北两部分，北越的共产党政府由胡志明领导。南越的反共政府由吴廷琰领导。1957年，共产主义叛军——越共——在南越发动了一场恐怖主义运动。这场恐怖主义运动得到了北越政府以及后来北越军队的支持。他们的目标是推翻南越的反共政府。约翰逊总统认为美国必须支持南越，许多其他美国人对此也表示同意。他们认为，如果美国不加以援助，南越将走向共产主义。到那时，整个东南亚也会成为共产主义国家。随着约翰逊任职的开始，军事顾问告诉他，共产党正在输掉这场战争。他们告诉约翰逊，北越军队和越共部队将很快停止战斗。
然而，2月6日，越共袭击了美军在昴宿和奎丰的营地。约翰逊政府当即下令对北越实行空袭。美国的一些观察员质疑政府政策。例如，著名的报纸作家詹姆斯·莱斯顿说道，约翰逊总统正在越南进行一场未公开和原因不明的战争。约翰逊为自己的政策辩护，他声称，冲突不会因为撤军而结束。战争将会从一个国家延续至另一个国家。1965年3月，美国首批地面部队抵达南越。当时，国会对约翰逊总统的行动表示支持。然而，越来越多的美国人开始反对战争，并且说道，这场战争属于内战，美国没有权利或理由进行干预。5月的6天时间里，美国停止了对北越的空袭。美国政府希望此举能助力北越政府的谈判。北越政府拒绝了，美国开始在南越集结兵力。时至七月，在越南作战的美军人数有12.5万。一些美国人恼火起来，在旧金山和芝加哥发动反战示威游行。越来越多的学生开始抗议，他们希望尽快结束战争。作家詹姆斯·莱斯顿评论说道，反战示威无济于事，不过是起着推迟的作用罢了他认为示威游行将会使得胡志明相信美国不支持其军队，这将使得胡志明继续战争。1965年12月，美国再次停止对北越的空袭。美国再次邀请北越政府进行谈判，结束战争，结果朝鲜再次拒绝。胡志明的和平条件很坚定，他要求停止轰炸，并要求美国全军撤退。撤军将意味着南越战败，意味着整个越南都将走向共产主义。约翰逊总统不愿接受这些条款，所以他提出了自己的建议。最重要的是立即停火，然而，双方都不愿妥协，战争还在继续。
1966年，约翰逊总统在北越重新发动了轰炸袭击，增加了驻南越美军的数量，谴责了那些反对政策的人，约翰逊说道：“美国人民将团结一致，直到每个士兵安全回家。他们将团结起来，直至南越人民能够选择自己的政府。”那年美国在地方和州举行了选举。越南战争影响了美国地方和州选举。反对派共和党普遍支持总统的战争政策，然而就战争经济问题对总统和其他民主党人给予了批评。这场战争每月耗资20亿美元。美国的许多商品价格开始上涨。美元开始贬值，通货膨胀产生。随后，经济活动放缓，经济出现衰退。政府官员回应道，越南取得了进步。但一些美国人开始怀疑政府没有说实话。例如，几位新闻记者说，敌军阵亡人数远低于政府公布的数字。反对战争和政府的政策使得反战示威游行声势更加浩大。为了解美国人对该问题的看法，还专门进行了调查1967年7月的一项调查显示，略多于一半的受访者表示，他们不赞成总统的政策。然而大多数美国人相信约翰逊会在第二年再次竞选总统。约翰逊为驻越美军进行了强有力的辩护，他在对一群立法委员的演讲中说道：“自二战以来，美国已经迎接并且完成了诸多挑战——挑战来自希腊和土耳其、柏林、韩国和古巴。我们迎接挑战是因为勇敢的美国人民愿意为国家安全冒生命危险。没有人比那些在越南时刻扛着我们的旗帜的人更勇敢。”
1968年1月，越南迎来了春节——越南农历新年。共产党发动了一次重大军事行动，共产党袭击了南越44个省中的31个省，甚至包括首都西贡的美国大使馆。5万名共产党士兵在新年攻势中牺牲。14000名南越士兵被杀，2000名美国士兵阵亡。数以千计的越南平民也被杀害。许多美国人对共产党向南越发动如此大规模的袭击感到惊讶甚至震惊。多年来，他们一直被告知，共产党的军队规模很小，损失惨重。结果，民众对政府的支持率急剧下降。反对约翰逊总统的民主党人抓住此次机会。党内总统提名大会前的初选上，约翰逊遇到几个竞争对手，包括纽约州参议员罗伯特·肯尼迪和明尼苏达州参议员尤金·麦卡锡。肯尼迪和麦卡锡在早期的初选中表现出色，约翰逊表现很差。1968年3月底，总统通过电视对美国人民发表了讲话，他建议美国结束对北越的轰炸，他谈到任命一名特别大使进行和平谈判，还讲述了自己的未来：“我认为我不应该花一小时或一天的时间去进行任何个人党派之争，或者履行任何职责，除了令人敬畏的职务——国家总统。因此，我不会强求也不会接受政党的总统连任提名。”
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
