(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to the MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. The election of eighteen forty put a new president in the White House: William Henry Harrison. The defeat of President Martin Van Buren had been expected. Still, it was a sharp loss for his Democratic Party. Harrison was a retired general and a member of the Whig Party. He became the ninth president of the United States. But he got sick and he died after just a month in office. His vice president, John Tyler, became president. Whig leaders, especially Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, tried to control the new president. Clay proposed detailed legislative programs for the new administration. Among them: the establishment of a national bank. This was high on Senator Clay's list of proposals. But Tyler soon showed his independence. He did not approve the plans as proposed by Clay. Tyler vetoed two bills calling for the creation of a national bank. Tyler wanted peace and party unity. But he also wanted to show that he -- not Clay -- was president. This week in our series, Bud Steele and Lew Roland continue the story of John Tyler.
Clay's supporters in the cabinet did their best to get Tyler to sign the bank bills. When the president refused to do so, Whig Party leaders urged the cabinet to resign. This would show that the president, alone, was responsible for the veto of the bills. All cabinet members, but one -- Daniel Webster -- resigned. Secretary of State Webster was with the president when one of the letters of resignation arrived. "What am I to do, Mr. President?" asked Webster. "You must decide that for yourself," Tyler said. "If you leave it to me, Mr. President, I will stay where I am." President Tyler stood up. "Give me your hand on that," he said, "and I will say to you that Henry Clay is a doomed man from this hour." Tyler named a new cabinet. And there was not one Clay supporter in it. The president's veto of the second bank bill brought strong public protests from those who wanted a national bank. A large group of Whig congressmen met and voted to expel Tyler from the party. During the struggle over the bank bills, the Whigs did not forget the other parts of Senator Clay's legislative program. Clay especially wanted approval of a bill to give the different states money from the sale of public land. Tyler liked this idea himself. Many of the states owed large amounts of money. The distribution bill, as it was called, would help them get out of debt.
The president was willing to support the bill. But he saw one danger in it. If all the money from land sales was given to the states, the federal government might not have enough money. Tyler feared that Congress then would raise import taxes to get more money for the federal government. As a southerner, the president opposed taxes on imports. He finally agreed to accept the distribution bill, but on one condition. The distribution of money to the states would be suspended if import taxes rose higher than twenty percent. Tyler signed the bill, and it became law. The next year, the government found itself short of money. It was spending more than it had. Congress decided that import taxes should be raised, some even higher than twenty percent. The bill was passed by close votes in the House and Senate. When it got to the White House, President Tyler vetoed it. He said it was wrong to raise the tax so high and, at the same time, continue to give the states the money from land sales. He said the federal government itself needed the land-sale money. The Whigs were angry. Still, they did not have enough votes to pass the bill over the president's veto. Then they approved a new bill. This one raised import taxes, but said nothing about distribution of federal money to the states. And President Tyler signed it.
While the Whigs made bitter speeches about the failure of the party's legislative program, Tyler worked to improve relations with Britain. The United States and Britain disputed the border that separated Canada from the northeastern United States. Both Canada and the state of Maine claimed the disputed area. Britain was also angry because Americans had helped Canadian rebels. Canadian soldiers had crossed the Niagara River and burned a boat that was used to carry supplies to the rebels. Secretary of State Daniel Webster wanted peace with Britain. And there was a new government in Britain. Its foreign minister, Lord Aberdeen, also wanted peace. Lord Aberdeen sent a special representative, Lord Ashburton, to the United States. Lord Ashburton had an American wife. And he was a friend of Daniel Webster. He arrived in Washington in the spring of eighteen hundred forty-two with the power to settle all disputes with the United States. Lord Ashburton said Britain regretted that it had not made some explanation or apology for the sinking of an American boat in the Niagara River. The two men discussed the border dispute between Canada and Maine. Webster proposed a compromise border line. Lord Ashburton accepted the compromise. The agreement gave almost eighteen-thousand square kilometers of the disputed area to Maine. Canada received more than twelve thousand square kilometers.
The Senate approved the Webster-Ashburton agreement. And American-British relations showed improvement. President Tyler then turned to another problem: Texas. Texas asked to become a state during President Van Buren's administration. But nothing was done about the request. Tyler was interested in Texas and wanted to make it part of the Union. Secretary Webster was cool to the idea of Texas statehood. As a northerner, he did not want another slave state in the Union. Webster and his supporters were Tyler's only real strength in the Whig Party outside of Virginia. The president, therefore, did not push the issue of Texas. After Senate approval of his treaty with Lord Ashburton, Webster decided that he could be of no more real use to the administration. He resigned as secretary of state. Tyler named one of his Virginia supporters, Abel Upshur, to the job in the summer of eighteen forty-three. Upshur was a firm believer in slavery. He felt slaves were necessary in the agricultural economy of the South. Upshur was worried about reports that Britain was interested in ending slavery in Texas. These reports said Britain had promised to defend Texas independence and to give economic aid, if the slaves were freed. Upshur and other southerners feared what might happen if this were done. Slaves from nearby southern states would try to escape to freedom in Texas. And the abolitionists might use Texas as a base for propaganda against the South.
There was another reason for President Tyler's interest in Texas. He believed it possible to make political use of the question of Texas statehood. It could help him build a new political party, a party that might elect him president for another four years. Four months after becoming secretary of state, Upshur offered a statehood treaty to Texas. At first, Texas President Sam Houston refused the offer. He finally agreed to negotiate, but said the United States must accept two conditions. It must agree to protect Texas if Mexico attacked it. And it must promise that the United States Senate would approve the treaty. Upshur told the Texas representative in Washington that Texas would be given military protection just as soon as the treaty was signed. And he said the necessary two-thirds of the senators would approve the statehood treaty. Houston was satisfied. And his representative began secret negotiations with Upshur. A few weeks later, before the talks could be completed, Upshur joined the president and congressional leaders for a trip down the Potomac River. They sailed on a new American warship that carried two large cannons. The new guns were to be fired for the president. Upshur was standing near one of the cannons during the firing. He and two other men were killed when the gun exploded. The president was not injured. But nineteen others were hurt. President Tyler named John C. Calhoun -- a Democrat -- as his new secretary of state. He did so for two reasons: Calhoun believed that Texas should be part of the United States. And Tyler -- a Whig -- hoped that Calhoun might be able to get him nominated as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.
重点解析
1.in office 在任；就任
During his six years in office, Seidman has often locked horns with lawmakers
在任的6年中，塞德曼经常和立法议员争得不可开交。
2.be responsible for 对…负责；担负
The man, who police believe is psychotic, is thought to be responsible for eight attacks.
这个警方认定为精神错乱的男子被认为是8起袭击事件的制造者。
3.be worried about 担心；为…而担心
I knew you'd be worried about that point.
我知道你会在这一点上担心的。
4.agree to 同意；赞成
He said all that remained was to agree to a time and venue.
他说剩下的只是商定一个时间和集会地点。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。1840年的选举，让一位新总统入主白宫：威廉·亨利·哈里森。虽然总统马丁·范布伦落选是意料之中的事，但这对他所在的民主党来说还是一个巨大的损失。哈里森是一名退役将军，也是辉格党成员，他成为美国第九任总统。但他在任职一个月时就生病去世了，他的副总统约翰·泰勒成为总统。辉格党领导人，特别是肯塔基州的参议员亨利·克莱试图控制新总统。克莱为新政府提出了详细的立法方案，其中包括设立国家银行，这在参议员克莱的提案清单上排在重要的位置上。但泰勒很快就表现出了自己的独立性，他没有批准克莱提出的计划方案，否决了两项要求建立国家银行的法案。泰勒希望营造和平和党派团结的氛围，但他也想证明总统是他，而不是克莱。本周，巴德·斯蒂尔和卢·罗兰继续讲述约翰·泰勒的故事。
克莱在内阁中的支持者尽最大努力使他签署银行法案，当总统拒绝这样做时，辉格党领导人敦促内阁辞职。这就表明总统要对否决这些法案负责。除了丹尼尔·韦伯斯特，所有内阁成员都辞职了。其中一封辞职信送达时，国务卿韦伯斯特正在总统身边。“我该怎么办，总统先生？”韦伯斯特问道。“你必须自己决定，”泰勒说。“如果您让我自己决定，总统先生，我会留下来。”泰勒总统站了起来。“把你的手给我，”他说，“我要对你说，亨利·克莱从现在起注定要失败。”泰勒任命了一个新内阁，里面没有克莱的支持者。总统对第二个银行法案的否决，引起了那些想建立国家银行的公众强烈的抗议。一大群辉格党国会议员会面投票想将泰勒从党内除名。针对银行法案的争斗中，辉格党没有忘记参议员克莱立法方案的其他部分。特别是，克莱想通过一项法案，好把出售公共土地的钱分给各州。泰勒自己喜欢这个主意。许多州欠下大量的钱款，这项钱款分配法案，将帮助他们摆脱债务。
总统愿意支持这项法案，但他看到了一个危险。如果把所有出售土地的收入给与各州，联邦政府可能会没有足够的资金。泰勒担心国会将提高进口税，为联邦政府筹集更多资金。作为一个南方人，总统反对征收进口税。他最终同意接受分配法案，但有一个条件，如果进口税上涨超过百分之二十，将暂停分配给各州款项。泰勒签署了这项法案，批准其成为国家法律。第二年，政府发现资金短缺，支大于收。国会决定提高进口税，有些甚至超过20%。该法案在众议院和参议院以相近的票数通过。当法案上交至白宫时，总统泰勒予以否决。他说，将税收提高这么多是错误的，同时继续向各州提供出售土地获得的资金。他说联邦政府需要出售土地的钱款，辉格党人很气愤。尽管如此，面对总统的否决，他们没有足够的选票可以通过该法案。随后，他们批准了一项新法案。这一次提高了进口税，但没有提到把联邦资金分配给各州。总统泰勒签署了这项法案。
虽然辉格党对该党的立法方案失败发表了尖刻的言辞，但泰勒努力改善与英国的关系。美国和英国对加拿大与美国东北部的边界存在争议，加拿大和缅因州都声称存在有争议的领土问题。英国也很生气，因为美国人帮助加拿大叛军作战。加拿大士兵穿越尼亚加拉河，烧毁了一艘用来向叛军运送补给的船。国务卿丹尼尔·韦伯斯特希望与英国和平相处。英国当时成立了新政府，其外交部长阿伯丁勋爵也希望两国和平。阿伯丁勋爵派了一位特别代表阿什伯顿勋爵前往美国，阿什伯顿勋爵的妻子是美国人，而且他本人还是丹尼尔·韦伯斯特的朋友。他于1842年春天抵达华盛顿，肩负着解决与美国的所有争端。阿什伯顿勋爵说，英国对美国船只在尼亚加拉河沉没一事没有做出解释或道歉表示遗憾。两人探讨了加拿大和缅因州之间的边界争端。韦伯斯特提出了折衷边界线的方案，阿什伯顿勋爵接受了这个折衷方案。该协议向缅因州划出了近一万八千平方公里的争议区域。分给加拿大的面积超过一万二千平方公里。
参议院批准了韦伯斯特-阿什伯顿协议，美英关系也有所改善。总统泰勒接着转向另一个问题：德克萨斯。在总统范布伦执政期间，德克萨斯曾提出成为美国一个州的要求，但总统范布伦并未对该请求做出任何回应。泰勒对德克萨斯很感兴趣，想把它收入联邦。国务卿韦伯斯特却对将德克萨斯收为美国一个州的想法表示冷淡。作为一个北方人，他不想在联邦里再出现一个拥有奴隶的州。韦伯斯特和他的支持者是泰勒在维吉尼亚州以外辉格党中的唯一掌权者。因此，总统没有敦劝有关德克萨斯问题的事宜。在参议院批准了他与阿什伯顿勋爵的条约后，韦伯斯特决定，他对政府不再有真正的用处，于是辞去了国务卿的职务。1843年夏天，泰勒任命他在弗吉尼亚州的支持者阿贝尔·厄普舒尔出任国务卿的职务。厄普舒尔是奴隶制的坚定信仰者，他认为南方的农业经济需要奴隶。厄普舒尔对英国想在德克萨斯结束奴隶制的报道感到担忧。这些报道称，英国承诺，如果奴隶获释，将捍卫德克萨斯的独立，并向其提供经济援助。厄普舒尔和其他南方人担心如果情况如此将会发生什么，附近南部各州的奴隶将试图逃到德克萨斯这片自由之地。废奴主义者可能会利用德克萨斯作为反对南方的活动基地。
总统泰勒对德克萨斯感兴趣还有另一个原因，他认为可以在政治上利用给予德克萨斯州地位的这一问题。这将有助于他建立一个新的政党，该政党可以助他连任。厄普舒尔成为国务卿四个月后，向德克萨斯提出了给予其州地位的条约。起初，德克萨斯总统萨姆·休斯顿拒绝这项提议。他最终同意进行谈判，但表示美国必须接受两个条件。一是如果墨西哥攻击德克萨斯，美国必须同意保护德克萨斯。二是美国必须保证参议院将批准该条约。厄普舒尔在华盛顿对德克萨斯的代表说，一旦条约签署，德克萨斯将得到军事保护。他还表示，批准该条约所需的三分之二的参议员将同意授予其州地位的条约。休斯顿对此感到满意，他的代表开始与厄普舒尔秘密地进行谈判。几周后，在会谈结束之前，厄普舒尔与总统和国会领导人一起前往波托马克河。他们乘坐一艘载有两门大炮的新美国军舰航行，新炮将为总统鸣响。在鸣炮时，厄普舒尔站在一门大炮附近。大炮爆炸了，他和另外两人丧生。总统安然无恙，但另有19人受伤。总统泰勒任命民主党人约翰·C·卡尔霍恩为他的新国务卿。他这样做有两个原因：卡尔霍恩认为德克萨斯应该是美国的一部分。另外，泰勒作为一名辉格党人，希望卡尔霍恩能够提名他为民主党总统候选人。
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