(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Today, Harry Monroe and Kay Gallant tell the story of America's first president, George Washington. Many historians believe there would never have been a United States without George Washington. He led the American people to victory in their war for independence from Britain. He kept the new nation united in the dangerous first years of its life. Washington had a strange power over the American people. His name still does. During his lifetime, he was honored for his courage and wisdom. After his death in seventeen ninety-nine, he became almost god-like. People forgot that he was human, that he had faults and made mistakes. For well over one hundred years, Americans found it difficult to criticize George Washington. He represented the spirit of America -- what was best about the country. Recent historians have painted a more realistic picture of Washington. They write about his weaknesses, as well as his strengths. But this has not reduced his greatness and importance in the making of the nation. The force of Washington's personality, and his influence, was extremely important at the Philadelphia convention that wrote the new Constitution.
Had he not agreed to attend, some say, the convention would not have been held. Later, as the first president, he gave the new nation a good start in life. Washington was able to control political disputes among officials of the new government. He would not let such disputes damage the nation's unity. Washington often thought of the future. He wanted the first government to take the right steps. He said, some things may not seem important in the beginning, but later, they may have bad permanent results. It would be better, he felt, to start his administration right than to try to correct mistakes later...when it might be too late to do so. He hoped to act in such a way that future presidents could continue to build on what he began. Washington had clear, firm ideas about what was right and what was wrong. He loved justice. He also loved the republican form of government. Some people had difficulty seeing this part of the man. For Washington looked like an aristocrat. And, at times, he seemed to act like one. He attended many ceremonies. He often rode through the streets in a carriage pulled by six horses. His critics called him "king." Washington opposed rule by kings and dictators.
He was shocked that some good people talked of having a monarchy in America. He was even more shocked that they did not understand the harm they were doing. Washington warned that this loose talk could lead to an attempt to establish a monarchy in the United States. A monarchy, he said, would be a great victory for the enemies of the United States. It would prove that Americans could not govern themselves. As president, Washington decided to do everything in his power to prevent the country from ever being ruled by a king or dictator. He wanted the people to have as much self-government as possible. Such government, Washington felt, meant a life of personal freedom and equal justice for the people. The eighteenth century has been described as the age of reason and understanding for the rights of people. Washington was a man of his times. He said no one could feel a greater interest in the happiness of mankind than he did. He said it was his greatest hope that the policies of that time would bring to everyone those blessings which should be theirs. Washington was especially happy and proud that the United States would protect people against oppression for their religious beliefs.
He did not care which god people worshipped. He felt that religious freedom was a right of every person. Good men, he said, are found all over the world. They can be followers of any religion...or no religion at all. Washington's feelings about racial oppression were as strong as his feelings about religious oppression. True, he owned Negro slaves. But he hated slavery. "There is not a man alive," he once said, "who wishes more truly than I to see a plan approved to end slavery." By his order, all his slaves were freed when he died. From the beginning, George Washington was careful to establish a good working relationship with the Congress. He did not attempt to take away any powers given to the Congress by the Constitution. By his actions, he confirmed the separation of powers of the three branches of the government, as proposed in the Constitution. The Congress, too, was ready to cooperate. It did not attempt to take away any powers given to the president by the Constitution.
The Congress, for example, agreed that President Washington had the right to appoint his assistants. But Congress kept the right to approve them. Washington asked some of the nation's wisest and most able men to serve in the new government. For Secretary of State, he chose Thomas Jefferson. At the time, Jefferson was America's representative to France. While Congress was considering Jefferson's nomination, Washington heard of threatening events in France. He learned that a mob had captured the old prison called the Bastille. Washington was worried. The United States had depended on France for help during its war for independence. And it still needed French help. A crisis in France could be bad for America. The information Jefferson brought home would prove valuable if the situation in France got worse. Washington also thought Jefferson's advice would be useful in general, not just on French developments. For Secretary of the Treasury, Washington chose Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton had served as one of Washington's assistants during the Revolutionary War. For Chief Justice of the United States, he chose John Jay. Jay helped write the Federalist Papers, which are considered the best explanation of the Constitution ever written.
Two delegates to the Constitutional convention were named associate justices of the Supreme Court: James Wilson and John Rutledge. For Attorney General, Washington wanted a good lawyer and someone who supported the Constitution. He chose Edmund Randolph of Virginia. It was Randolph who proposed the Virginia Plan to the Philadelphia convention. The plan became the basis for the national Constitution. Randolph refused to sign the document, because he did not believe it could be approved. But he worked later to help win Virginia's approval of the Constitution. President Washington named his assistants, and the Congress approved them. The president was ready to begin work on the nation's urgent problems. And there were many. One problem was Spain's control of the lower part of the Mississippi River. American farmers needed to use the river to transport their crops to market. But the Spanish governor in Louisiana closed the Mississippi to American boats. There also were problems with Britain. The United States had no commercial treaty with Britain. And Britain had sent no representative to the new American government. Equally urgent were the new nation's economic problems. Two major issues had to be settled. One was repayment of loans made to support the American army in the war for independence. The other was creation of a national money system. Both issues needed quick action. Finding solutions would be the job of President Washington's treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton. Alexander Hamilton will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.From the beginning 从开始到现在；从一开始；从开始一直
They should all know what your expectations are from the beginning.
这样他们就可以知道从开始就知道你的期盼。
2.take away 带走，拿走，取走
Take away the glasses and the tray.
把这些玻璃杯和托盘拿走。
3.ready to 准备好
All ready to go out.
我全准备好了，要走就走。
4.as strong as 像……一样强
With compound movements, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.
所以，在混合运动下，你最多只是跟最弱的一环那样强壮。
5.seemed to 似乎是
The evidence seemed to incriminate him.
证据似乎显示他有罪。
参考译文
今天，哈里·门罗和凯·格兰特为您讲述美国第一任总统乔治·华盛顿的故事。许多历史学家认为，如果没有乔治·华盛顿，就不会有今天的美国。华盛顿领导美国人民在独立战争中取得了胜利。他使这个新生的国家在最初岌岌可危的几年里团结一心。华盛顿对美国人民有一种奇怪的力量，他的名字也是。华盛顿的一生因他的勇气和智慧而受人尊敬。1799年去世后，他几乎像神一样。人们忘记了他是人，忘记了他有缺点，也忘记了他犯过错误。一百多年来，美国人很难对乔治·华盛顿有所苛责。他是美国这个国家最优秀精神的体现。最近，历史学家描绘了更为真实的华盛顿，包括他的优点和缺点。但这并没有削弱华盛顿对于美国建国的伟大意义。在制定新宪法的费城会议上，华盛顿的人格魅力及其影响力极其重要。有人说，如果华盛顿不同意参加的话，大会将不会召开。之后，华盛顿担任第一任总统，给这个新国家开了个好头。华盛顿控制了新政府官员之间的政治争端。他不会让这样的争议损害国家的团结。华盛顿经常想到未来。他希望第一届政府采取正确的措施。他说，有些事情一开始可能看起来没什么，但之后可能会带来不好的永久性结果。
他认为，一开始就做好比以后试图纠正错误（可能为时已晚）要好得多。他希望这样做以便未来的总统能够在他的基础上继续建设美国。华盛顿对于什么是对的和什么是错的有着清晰而坚定的想法，他喜欢正义，也喜欢共和政体。有些人很难看到华盛顿的这一部分，因为华盛顿看起来像个贵族。有时，他表现得就像一个贵族，他参加了许多仪式。他经常乘坐六匹马拉的马车穿过街道，批评人士称呼他为“国王”。华盛顿反对国王和独裁者的统治。他对一些优秀的人谈论在美国实行君主制感到震惊。令他更感到震惊的是，这些人不明白他们的所作所为造成的伤害。华盛顿警告说，这种闲谈可能会导致有些人企图在美国建立君主制。他说，君主制的设立将是美国敌人的重大胜利。将证明美国人无法管理自己。作为总统，华盛顿决定尽其所能防止国家被国王或独裁者统治。他希望人民尽可能多的自治。华盛顿认为，这样的政府意味着个人自由和平等正义的生活。18世纪被描述为理性以及理解人民权利的时代。华盛顿是他那个时代的人。他说，没有人比他更关心人类的幸福。他说，他最大的希望是那个时代的政策能够给每个人带来本应属于他们的福祉。
华盛顿特别高兴和自豪的是，美国将保护人民免受宗教信仰压迫。他不在乎人们崇拜哪一个神。他认为宗教自由是每个人的权利。他说，世界各地都能找到好人。他们可以追随任何宗教……或者根本没有宗教信仰。华盛顿对种族压迫和宗教压迫的感受一样强烈。的确，他拥有黑奴，但他憎恨奴隶制。他曾经说：“没有人比我更希望看到结束奴隶制的方案获得通过。”他下令，他死后所有的奴隶都被释放。从一开始，乔治·华盛顿就小心翼翼地与国会建立良好的工作关系。他没有试图剥夺宪法赋予国会的任何权力。他用行动证实了《宪法》所提议的三权分立。国会也准备合作。它没有试图剥夺宪法赋予总统的任何权力。例如，国会同意华盛顿总统有权任命他的助手。但国会保留了批准的权利。华盛顿邀请美国最聪明、最有能力的一些人在新政府任职。他选择托马斯·杰斐逊担任国务卿。当时，杰斐逊是美国驻法国的代表。正当国会考虑提名杰佛逊时，华盛顿听说法国发生了威胁事件。他听说一群暴徒占领了巴士底狱。华盛顿甚是担心。美国在独立战争期间有赖法国的帮助，美国仍然需要法国，法国出现危机可能会对美国不利。如果法国的情况恶化，杰斐逊带回的信息将被证明是有价值的。华盛顿还认为杰佛逊的建议总体上是有用的，而不仅仅是在法国的发展上。
华盛顿选择亚历山大·汉密尔顿担任财政部长。汉密尔顿在独立战争期间曾担任华盛顿的助手之一。华盛顿选择约翰·杰伊担任美国首席大法官。杰伊帮助撰写的《联邦党人文集》被认为是有史以来对宪法最好的解释。参加制宪会议的两名代表分别是最高法院的副大法官詹姆斯·威尔逊和约翰·拉特里奇。对于司法部长来说，华盛顿需要一个好的律师和一个支持宪法的人。他选择了弗吉尼亚州的埃德蒙·伦道夫，是伦道夫向费城大会提出了弗吉尼亚方案。该方案成为美国宪法的基础。伦道夫拒绝在这份文件上签字，因为他认为这份文件不会被批准。但他后来努力帮助赢得弗吉尼亚州对宪法的支持。华盛顿总统任命了他的助手，国会批准了他们。总统已经准备好开始处理国家的紧急问题，问题有许多。其中一个问题是西班牙对密西西比河下游的控制。美国农民需要利用这条河把庄稼运到市场上去。但是路易斯安那州的西班牙州长禁止美国船只进入密西西比河。与英国也有问题，美国与英国没有签订商业条约。而英国并没有向美国新政府派出代表。同样紧迫的是新生国家的经济问题，有两大问题必须解决。一个是偿还美国军队在独立战争中的贷款。另一个是建立国家货币体系。这两个问题都需要迅速采取行动。找到解决办法将是华盛顿总统的财政部长亚历山大·汉密尔顿的工作。亚历山大·汉密尔顿将是我们下周的故事。
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