(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Today, we tell the story about some social and cultural issues of the nineteen seventies and nineteen eighties. An economics professor from the United States was teaching in Britain in the early Nineteen-Eighties. One of his students asked this question: "What is most important to Americans these days?" He said: "Earning money." Clearly, his answer was far too simple. Still, many observers would agree that great numbers of Americans in the Nineteen-Eighties were concerned with money. These people wanted the good life that they believed money could buy. In some ways, the Nineteen-Eighties were the opposite of the Nineteen-Sixties. The Nineteen-Sixties were years of protest and reform. Young Americans demonstrated against the Vietnam War. African Americans demonstrated for civil rights. Women demonstrated for equal treatment. For many, society's hero was the person who helped others. For many in the Nineteen-Eighties, society's hero was the person who helped himself. Success seemed to be measured only by how much money a person made.
The period of change came during the Nineteen-Seventies. For a while, these years remained tied to the social experiments and struggles of the Nineteen-Sixties. Then they showed signs of what American would be like in the Nineteen-Eighties. There were a number of reasons for the change. One reason was that the United States ended its military involvement in Vietnam. Another was that the civil rights movement and women's movements reached many of their goals. A third reason was the economy. During the Nineteen-Seventies, the United States suffered an economic recession. Interest rates and inflation were high. There was a shortage of imported oil. As the Nineteen-Seventies moved toward the Nineteen-Eighties, Americans became tired of social struggle. They became tired of losing money. They had been working together for common interests. Now, many wanted to spend more time on their own personal interests. This change appeared in many parts of American society. It affected popular culture, education, and politics. For example, one of the most popular television programs of that time was about serious social issues. It was called "All in the Family".
It was about a factory worker who hates black people and opposes equal rights for women. His family slowly helps him to accept and value different kinds of people. Other television programs, however, were beginning to present an escape from serious issues. These included "Happy Days" and "Three's Company." Music showed the change, too. In the Nineteen-Sixties, folk music was very popular. Many folk songs were about social problems. In the Nineteen-Seventies, groups played hard rock and punk music, instead. Self-help books were another sign that Americans were becoming more concerned about their own lives. These books described ways to make people happier with themselves. One of the most popular was called I'm Okay, You're Okay. It was published in Nineteen-Sixty-Nine. It led the way for many similar books throughout the Nineteen-Seventies. The Nineteen-Seventies also saw a change in education. In the Nineteen-Sixties, many young people expressed little interest in continuing their education after four years of study in college.
They were busy working for social reforms. Many believed that more education only created unequal classes of people. By the middle Nineteen-Seventies, however, more young people decided it was acceptable to make a lot of money. Higher education was a way to get the skills to do this. Law schools and medical schools soon had long lists of students waiting to get in. Politically, the United States went through several changes during the Nineteen-Seventies. There were liberal Democratic administrations for most of the Nineteen-Sixties. Then a conservative Republican, Richard Nixon, was elected. During his second term, President Nixon was forced to resign because of the Watergate case. Vice President Gerald Ford became president after Nixon's resignation. About two years later, he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter. The election showed that Americans were angry with the Republican Party because of the Watergate case. But they soon became unhappy with President Carter, too.
They blamed him for failing to improve the economy. He lost his campaign for re-election to conservative Republican Ronald Reagan. The Nineteen-Eighties were called the Reagan years, because he was president foreight of them. During his first term, the recession ended. Inflation was controlled. He reduced taxes. Americans felt hopeful that they could make money again. Observers created several expressions to describe some groups of people at that time. One expression was "the 'me' generation". This described Americans who were only concerned about themselves. Another expression was "yuppie". It meant "young urban professional". Both these groups seemed as if they lived just to make and spend money, money, and more money. Entertainment in the Nineteen-Eighties showed the interest society placed on financial success. The characters in a number of television programs, for example, lived in costly homes, wore costly clothes, and drove costly automobiles. They were not at all like average Americans. They lived lives that required huge amounts of money.
Two of these television programs became extremely popular in the United States and in other countries. They were called "Dallas" and "Dynasty". At the movie theater, a very popular film was called "Wall Street". It was about a young, wealthy, dishonest -- powerful -- man who traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Power was a popular program idea in action films, too. The most successful action films were about a man called "Rambo". Rambo was impossibly heroic. Naturally, he always won. The films showed good winning over evil. But Rambo rejected established rules and was extremely violent. Another form of entertainment became popular in the Nineteen-Eighties. It was the television talk show. People appeared on these shows mostly to talk about themselves: their politics, their families, their sexual relations. They talked in public about things that were once considered private. Much of the popular music of the time also showed this new openness. Heavy metal rock groups sang about sex and drugs. And then there was the new form of music called "rap". In this form, words are spoken, not sung, over a heavy beat. Many Americans found all these kinds of music to be too shocking, too violent, too lawless, and too damaging to the human spirit.
People may have talked and sung openly about sex and drugs in the Nineteen-Eighties. But as the years went by, many became increasingly careful about their own activities. This was because sex and drugs became deadly. A new disease appeared at that time. It was called AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. The disease spread in several ways. One was through sexual relations. Another was through sharing the needles used to take illegal drugs. A big change in American life during the Nineteen-Eighties came as a result of the computer. Computers were invented forty years earlier. They were large machines and were used only at universities, big companies, and in the military. By the Nineteen-Eighties, computers had become much smaller. Anyone could learn how to use them, even children. Millions of Americans soon had a 'personal' computer in their home. They could use it to read newspaper stories, buy things, do schoolwork, and play games. Such technological improvement -- and a bright economy -- filled Americans of the early and middle Nineteen-Eighties with hope. Many felt there were almost no limits on the good life they could lead.
重点解析
1.talk show 脱口秀；访谈节目
Many years ago, I was all set to appear six times on a daytime-TV talk show.
许多年前，有天我要在一天之内录六档白天的电视访谈节目。
2.illegal drug 非法药物
Finally, their product was seized by the FDA and taken off the shelf for being an illegal drug.
最后，他们的产品以非法药物的名义被美国食品及药物管理局要求撤下货架，并没收。
3.me generation 自我的一代；唯我的一代
Yet the Me Generation is beginning to show its teeth.
不过“自我的一代”正开始发威。
4.New York Stock Exchange 纽约证券交易所
But the current crisis has put a new emotional load on this department, much like that on the floor traders at the New York Stock Exchange.
然而，这次的金融危机却给人力资源部背上了一个新的情感负担，很像是在纽约证交所交易大厅的交易员。
5.military involvement 军事介入
In the final analysis, however, the most significant challenge for Barack Obama is to keep America’s military involvement limited.
最后我认为，奥巴马面对的最大的挑战是保证美国军队在利比亚的行动是有限的！
参考译文
今天，我们为您讲述七十年代和八十年代美国的一些社会和文化问题。20世纪80年代初，美国的一位经济学教授在英国教书。他的一个学生问了这样一个问题：“如今，美国人最重要的是什么？”他说：“挣钱。”显然，他的回答太简略了。尽管如此，许多观察人士还是认为，80年代的很多美国人关心钱，他们相信金钱可以买到美好的生活。在某些方面，六十年代与八十年代的美国截然相反。20世纪60年代是抗议和改革的年代，年轻的美国人为反对越战抗议示威。黑人为争取民权奔走呼号，妇女也为平权大声疾呼。对许多人来说，帮助他人的人才是民族英雄。20世纪80年代，很多人重新把目光转向自我，成功与否的主要衡量标准是挣钱的能力。20世纪70年代，变革的时期到来了，这段时间仍然延续着60年代的社会实验和斗争。但是与此同时，80年代的美国显露苗头。改变的原因有很多。原因之一是美国结束了对越南的军事介入。另一个原因是民权运动和妇女运动取得了长足进展。第三个原因是经济。
20世纪70年代，美国经历了一次经济衰退。利率和通货膨胀高居不下，进口石油短缺。随着70年代进入80年代，美国人对争取社会权益感到疲惫。他们厌倦了赔钱，长期以来，他们一直在争取共同利益。如今该花更多的时间来关心自身利益了。这种变化体现在美国社会的方方面面，流行文化、教育和政治都受到了影响。例如，当时最受欢迎的电视节目之一是涉及严重的社会问题，叫《全家福》这部电影讲述了一个工人憎恨黑人，反对妇女平等的故事，他的家人慢慢帮助他接受并重视各色人等。然而，其他电视节目在严肃的问题上逃避。这其中包括《快乐时光》和《三人行》。音乐也发生了变化，20世纪60年代，民谣非常流行。许多民谣都涉及社会问题。70年代，乐队转而演奏硬摇滚和朋克音乐。各大书店里励志书籍的增加也是美国人越来越关心自己的生活的一种体现。这些书讲述了让人们更快乐的方法。其中最受欢迎的一本书是1969年出版的I'm Okay, You're Okay。整个70年代，这本书带起了大量类似书籍的出现。70年代，教育也发生了变化。20世纪60年代，许多年轻人在大学四年的之后对继续教育没有什么兴趣。他们忙于社会改革。许多人认为更多的教育只会产生阶级的不平等。
然而到了70年代中期，越来越多的年轻人认为赚大钱是可以接受的。接受高等教育，获得技能是赚钱的一种方法。许多学生等着入学法学院和医学院。20世纪70年代，美国在政治上也经历了一系列变化。20世纪60年代的大部分时间里，自由民主党政府都存在着。后来，保守派共和党人理查德·尼克松当选。尼克松在第二个任期内因为水门事件被迫辞职。尼克松辞职后，副总统杰拉尔德·福特继任。大约两年后，福特输给了民主党人吉米·卡特。这次大选显示，美国民众因为水门事件对共和党深恶痛绝，但他们很快也对卡特总统不满，民众指责卡特总统未能改善经济。卡特在连任竞选中输给了保守派共和党人罗纳德·里根。八十年代被称为里根年，因为他连任两届。在他的第一个任期内，经济好转，通货膨胀率得到控制。他减少了税收。美国人对发财致富充满希望。观察者创造了一些表达来描述当时的一些人群。其中一个是“自我一代”，他们以自我为中心。另一个是“雅皮士”，指的是“年轻的城市专业人士”。这两个群体似乎都在赚钱，赚更多的钱。
20世纪80年代，很多娱乐节目都是关于财富的。例如，许多电视节目中的人物住着豪华的大房子，穿着昂贵的衣服，开着价格不菲的汽车。和美国普通民众不同的是他们需要大量的金钱。其中两个电视节目在美国和其他国家颇受欢迎。分别是《达拉斯》和《王朝》。在电影院，一部风靡一时的电影叫《华尔街》。影片讲述了一位年轻、富有、不诚实、有权势的人在纽约证券交易所交易的故事。权力理念在动作片中很受欢迎。最成功的动作片是关于一个叫“兰博”的人。兰博是个不可思议的英雄，自然而然，他总是会赢。电影表达的是正义战胜邪恶。但是兰博拒绝接受既定的规则，并且极端暴力。20世纪80年代，另一种娱乐形式——电视访谈节目流行起来，这些节目中，人们主要谈论的是自己的：政治、家庭和性关系。他们在公共场合谈论私密的事情。当时，许多流行音乐也呈现出一种新的开放。重金属摇滚乐队演唱关于性和毒品的歌曲。还有一种新的音乐形式叫做“说唱”。伴随着沉重的节拍，演唱者对歌词的演绎是说而非唱。许多美国人觉得所有这些音乐都太震撼，太暴力，太无法纪，对人类精神的伤害太大。
20世纪80年代，人们可能公开谈论和歌唱性和毒品。但随着时间的流逝，许多人越来越小心。一种通过性交和血液传染的疾病开始成为人们的梦魇，这就是艾滋病——获得性免疫缺陷综合症。这种疾病有几种传播方式。一个是通过性关系，另一个是共用非法毒品的针头。20世纪80年代美国生活的一个重大变化是计算机的出现。计算机是四十年前发明的。机器很大，只在大学、大公司和军队中使用。到20世纪80年代，电脑变得越来越小，任何人甚至是孩子都可以学会怎么使用。数以百万计的美国人很快在家里拥有了一台“个人”电脑。他们可以用它来读报纸故事，买东西，做作业，玩游戏。二十世纪八十年代早期和中期的美国人对这样的技术进步，以及光明的经济未来充满了希望。许多人觉得生活会越来越好。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
