(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Shirley Griffith. And I'm Sarah Long with the VOA Special English Program, People in America. Today, we tell about one of the leaders of the birth control movement, Margaret Sanger. Many women today have the freedom to decide when they will have children, if they want them. Until about fifty years ago, women spent most of their adult lives having children, year after year. This changed because of efforts by activists like Margaret Sanger. She believed that a safe and sure method of preventing pregnancy was a necessary condition for women's freedom. She also believed birth control was necessary for human progress. Margaret Sanger was considered a rebel in the early nineteen hundreds. The woman who changed other women's lives was born in eighteen eighty-three in the eastern state of New York. Her parents were Michael and Anne Higgins.
Margaret wrote several books about her life. She wrote that her father taught her to question everything. She said he taught her to be an independent thinker. Margaret said that watching her mother suffer from having too many children made her feel strongly about birth control. Her mother died at forty-eight years of age after eighteen pregnancies. She was always tired and sick. Margaret had to care for her mother and her ten surviving brothers and sisters. This experience led her to become a nurse.
Margaret Higgins worked in the poor areas of New York City. Most people there had recently arrived in the United States from Europe. Margaret saw the suffering of hundreds of women who tried to end their pregnancies in illegal and harmful ways. She realized that this was not just a health problem. These women suffered because of their low position in society. Margaret saw that not having control over one's body led to problems that were passed on from mother to daughter and through the family for years. She said she became tired of cures that did not solve the real problem. Instead, she wanted to change the whole life of a mother. In nineteen-oh-two, Margaret married William Sanger. They had three children. Margaret compared her own middle-class life to that of the poor people she worked among. This increased her desire to deal with economic and social issues. At this time, Margaret Sanger became involved in the liberal political culture of an area of New York City known as Greenwich Village. Sanger became a labor union organizer. She learned methods of protest and propaganda, which she used in her birth control activism.
Sanger traveled to Paris, France, in nineteen thirteen, to research European methods of birth control. She also met with members of Socialist political groups who influenced her birth control policies. She returned to the United States prepared to change women's lives. At first, Margaret Sanger sought the support of leaders of the women's movement, members of the Socialist party, and the medical profession. But she wrote that they told her to wait until women were permitted to vote. She decided to continue working alone. One of Margaret Sanger's first important political acts was to publish a monthly newspaper called The Woman Rebel. She designed it. She wrote for it. And she paid for it. The newspaper called for women to reject the traditional woman's position. The first copy was published in March, nineteen fourteen. The Woman Rebel was an angry paper that discussed disputed and sometimes illegal subjects. These included labor problems, marriage, the sex business, and revolution. Sanger had an immediate goal. She wanted to change laws that prevented birth control education and sending birth control devices through the mail.
The Woman Rebel became well known in New York and elsewhere. Laws at that time banned the mailing of materials considered morally bad. This included any form of birth control information. The law was known as the Comstock Act. Officials ordered Sanger to stop sending out her newspaper. Sanger instead wrote another birth control document called Family Limitation. The document included detailed descriptions of birth control methods. In August, nineteen fourteen, Margaret Sanger was charged with violating the Comstock Act. Margaret faced a prison sentence of as many as forty-five years if found guilty. She fled to Europe to escape the trial. She asked friends to release thousands of copies of Family Limitation. The document quickly spread among women across the United States. It started a public debate about birth control. The charges against Sanger also increased public interest in her and in women's issues. Once again, Margaret Sanger used her time in Europe to research birth control methods. After about a year, she decided to return to the United States to face trial. She wanted to use the trial to speak out about the need for reproductive freedom for women.
While Sanger was preparing for her trial, her five-year-old daughter, Peggy, died of pneumonia. The death made Sanger feel very weak and guilty. However, the death greatly increased public support for Sanger and the issue of birth control. The many reports in the media caused the United States government to dismiss charges against her. Margaret Sanger continued to oppose the Comstock Act by opening the first birth control center in the United States. It opened in Brownsville, New York in nineteen sixteen. Sanger's sister, Ethel Byrne, and a language expert helped her. One hundred women came to the birth control center on the first day. After about a week, police arrested the three women, but later released them. Sanger immediately re-opened the health center, and was arrested again. The women were tried the next year. Sanger was sentenced to thirty days in jail.
With some support from women's groups, Sanger started a new magazine, the Birth Control Review. In nineteen twenty-one, she organized the first American birth control conference. The conference led to the creation of the American Birth Control League. It was established to provide education, legal reform and research for better birth control. The group opened a birth control center in the United States in nineteen twenty-three. Many centers that opened later across the country copied this one. Sanger was president of the American Birth Control League until nineteen twenty-eight. In the nineteen thirties she helped win a judicial decision that permitted American doctors to give out information about birth control. Historians say Margaret Sanger changed her methods of political action during and after the nineteen twenties. She stopped using direct opposition and illegal acts. She even sought support from her former opponents. Later, Sanger joined supporters of eugenics. This is the study of human improvement by genetic control. Extremists among that group believe that disabled, weak or "undesirable" human beings should not be born. Historians say Sanger supported eugenicists only as a way to gain her birth control goals. She later said she was wrong in supporting eugenics. But she still is criticized for these statements.
Even though Margaret Sanger changed her methods, she continued her efforts for birth control. In nineteen forty-two, she helped form the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. It became a major national health organization after World War Two. Margaret Sanger moved into areas of international activism. Her efforts led to the creation of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. It was formed in nineteen fifty-two after an international conference in Bombay, India. Sanger was one of its first presidents. The organization was aimed at increasing the acceptance of family planning around the world. Almost every country in the world is now a member of the international group. Margaret Sanger lived to see the end of the Comstock Act and the invention of birth control medicine. She died in nineteen sixty-six in Tucson, Arizona. She was an important part of what has been called one of the most life-changing political movements of the Twentieth Century.
重点解析
1.surviving 继续存在的；未死的；依然健在的
The giant panda is one of the surviving ancient animals.
大熊猫是一种残存的古动物。
2.control over 控制
The first aim of his government would be to establish control over the republic's territory.
他这届政府的首要目标是确立对共和国领土的控制权。
3.become involved in 使卷入，使陷入
A number of people have become involved in the matter.
这事牵扯了不少人。
4.reject 拒绝；排斥；抵制
The prime minister rejected any idea of reforming the system.
首相对任何改革体制的想法都不予考虑。
5.escape 逃避，避开
They were glad to have escaped the clutches of winter for another year.
他们很高兴又一年躲过了寒冬的魔爪。
6.speak out 大胆地说；大声地说
He has the courage to speak out what he thinks right.
他敢于说出他认为正确的东西。
参考译文
我是雪莉·格里菲斯。我是莎拉·朗。这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们将讲述妇女节育运动领袖之一，玛格丽特·桑格。如今很多妇女都有权决定何时要孩子。直到50多年前，女性的大部分成人时光都在生孩子，年复一年。因为有着像玛格丽特·桑格这样的活动分子，这一现象才得以改变。她认为安全有效的避孕方法是女性自由的必要条件。她还认为节育对人类进程而言很有必要。玛格丽特·桑格被认为是上世纪早期的一位反叛者。这位改变其他妇女生活的女性出生于1883年的纽约东部。她的父母是迈克尔以及安妮·希金斯。玛格丽特写了几本关于她生平的书籍。她写到她的父亲教会她去质疑一切。她说父亲教她成为一名独立的思想者。玛格丽特说母亲养育这么多孩子的经历让她对节育产生强烈情绪。经历第18次怀孕后，她的母亲在48岁的时候去世了。她的母亲总是觉得疲惫且经常生病。玛格丽特不得不去照顾她的母亲和她的10个兄弟姐妹。这种经历让她成为了一名护士。
玛格丽特·希金斯在纽约穷困地区工作。那里的大部分人是最近才从欧洲抵达美国的。玛格丽特看到数百名妇女试图以非法且伤害具大的方式终止妊娠的遭遇。她意识到这不仅仅是健康问题。这些妇女由于她们的社会地位不高才遭遇这种经历。玛格丽特发现由于对自己的身体缺乏管控从而产生了很多问题，而这些问题又从母亲转接至她们的女儿。她说她变得疲于那些无法解决问题的治疗方法。相反她想改变一个母亲的一生。1902年，玛格丽特嫁给威廉·桑格并养育了三个孩子。玛格丽特将自己的中产生活与那些她照顾的穷人相比。这增加了她要想解决经济社会问题的意愿。那时，玛格丽特·桑格参与到了纽约格林威治村的自由政治文化中。桑格成为了工会组织者。她学到了抗议和宣传的方法，并运用于她的节育活动中。1913年桑格来到法国巴黎研究欧洲节育的方法。她还和社会主义政治团体成员会面，这些成员对她的节育政策有很大的影响。她返回美国准备改变女性生活。
起初，玛格丽特·桑格寻求妇女运动领袖、社会党成员以及医疗职业的支持。但是她写到他们告诉她要等到女性获得投票权为止。她决定单枪匹马。玛格丽特·桑格首次重要政治行动之一就是出版月报《The Woman Rebel》。她设计、编写并出钱出版这个报纸。该报呼吁女性拒绝传统女性的地位。1914年3月第一批报纸出版。《The Woman Rebel》比较激进，其中讨论的都是颇具争议，甚至是违法的问题。其中包括工人问题、婚姻问题、色情产业以及革命。桑格有一个近期目标。她希望改变阻止计划生育以及禁止邮寄节育设备的法律。《The Woman Rebel》在纽约和各地变得非常知名。那时的法律禁止邮递那些道德上败坏的材料，其中便包括任何形式的节育信息。这项法律是《康斯托克法案》。官方命令桑格停止发放她的报纸。
桑格又写了另一个节育文件《Family Limitation》。这份文件中包含节育方法的详细描述。1914年8月，玛格丽特·桑格被起诉违反《康斯托克法案》。一旦定罪，玛格丽特便要面临长达45年的刑期。她逃到欧洲躲避审判。她让朋友发放数千份《Family Limitation》。该文件很快便在美国妇女中传开，还引发了对节育的公开辩论。针对桑格的指控也增加了公众对她以及女性问题的兴趣。玛格丽特在欧洲再一次花时间研究节育方法。
约一年后，她决定返回美国面对审判。她想利用审判公开说出女性生育自由的需求。在桑格准备审判的时候，她五岁的女儿佩吉死于肺炎。女儿的死亡让桑格感受脆弱且充满负罪感。但是女儿的死亡也极大提升了公众对桑格和节育问题的支持。媒体的众多报道让美国政府取消了对她的指控。玛格丽特·桑格在美国开设了首家节育中心以此反对《康斯托克法案》。1916年，首家中心开设在了纽约布朗斯维尔。桑格的姐妹，语言专家埃塞尔·伯恩帮助她。开业第一天，一百名女性来到节育中心。约一个星期后，警察逮捕了三名女性，但之后又放了她们。
桑格立即重开了一家健康中心，警察又逮捕了她们。第二年这些女性又试了一次。桑格被判入狱30天。在一些女性团体的支持下，桑格办了一个新杂志《Birth Control Review》。1921年，她组织了首次美国节育会议。该次会议导致了美国节育联盟的诞生。该联盟的创建是为了为更好的节育提供教育、合法改革以及研究。1923年，该组织在美国开设了一家节育中心。之后很多全国开设的很多中心都是在模仿它。桑格是美国节育联盟的领导人，1928年卸任。十九世纪三十年代，她帮助赢得了一次司法裁决允许美国医生宣传节育信息。历史学家表示玛格丽特·桑格在上世纪20年代及后期改变了她的政治行动方式。她停止使用直接反对和非法行动的方法，她甚至开始寻求前对手的支持。之后，桑格加入优生学支持者之中。这是一项通过基因控制改善人类的研究。组织中的极端分子认为身体有缺陷、虚弱或是“不受欢迎的”人类不应该出生。
历史学家表示桑格支持优生学家只是实现节育目标的一种方式。之后她说自己支持优生学是错误的。但是她仍受这些陈述的批评。虽然玛格丽特·桑格改变了她的方法，但是她还在继续节育的努力。1942年，她帮助组建了美国计划生育联合会。二战后，联合会成为了主要国家健康组织。玛格丽特·桑格进入国际行动主义领域。在她的努力下，国际计划生育联合会得以诞生。国际计划生育联合会成立于1952年印度孟买国际会议后。桑格是该组织首批领导人之一。该组织致力于增加全球家庭生育计划的接受度。世界几乎所有国家都是该国际组织的成员。玛格丽特·桑格活着看到了《康斯托克法案》的终结，以及避孕药的发明。1966年，她在美国亚利桑那州图森去世。在二十世纪最能改变人生的政治运动中，节育运动便是其中之一，而她是这项运动中的重要一篇。
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