(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
I'm Steve Ember. And I'm Barbara Klein with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Shirley Chisholm. She was an educator, activist and politician.
Shirley Chisholm is best known as the first black woman elected to United States Congress and the first black woman to run for president of the United States. However, her life was filled with much more than being the first black woman to do important things. She believed in being a person to fight for change. All her life, she worked to improve the lives of others.
Shirley Anita Saint Hill was born in Brooklyn, New York in nineteen twenty-four. She was the oldest of four daughters. Her father was a factory worker from Guyana. He loved to read. Her mother was from the British West Indies island of Barbados. She made clothes and cleaned other people's houses.
Shirley's parents had very little money. They wanted their daughters to get a good education and to have a better life. When Shirley was three years old her parents sent her and her sisters to live with their grandmother in Barbados.
Shirley received a good education from the British school system. She enjoyed the years she lived with her grandmother. Her family in Barbados was a strong, organized group that believed in education. Shirley always remembered the words her grandmother spoke.
SHIRLEY CHISHOLM: "When I was reared in the British West Indies my grandmother used to always tell me, you may not be loved by certain forces in a society and you have to understand why. But always speak the truth."
In nineteen thirty-four Shirley moved back to Brooklyn. She was ten years old. She continued to do very well in school. She later graduated from Brooklyn College with honors. In nineteen forty-nine, she married Conrad Chisholm who worked as a private investigator. Together they took part in local politics. Their marriage ended almost thirty years later.
As a young woman, Shirley decided to become a teacher. She believed she could improve society by helping children. She worked for seven years at a child care center in the Harlem area of New York City. She attended Columbia University at night and received an advanced degree in early childhood education in nineteen fifty-two. She became known as an expert in children and early education. From nineteen fifty-nine to nineteen sixty-four Shirley Chisholm was an education official in the day care division of the city's office of child welfare.
In ninety sixty-four Shirley Chisholm's political career began. She was elected to the New York State Assembly. She served for four years.
In nineteen sixty-eight she announced she would run for the United States Congress. She was elected from the newly created Twelfth District of New York City. She became the first black woman elected to Congress. She represented a poor area of Brooklyn called Bedford-Stuyvesant.
In Congress, Ms. Chisholm was assigned to the House Agriculture Committee. She protested this assignment. She felt it was not important to the poor people of the city that she represented. She was moved to the Veterans Affairs Committee. She later served on the Education and Labor Committee, the position she wanted. In nineteen seventy-seven she joined the important House Rules Committee.
Shirley Chisholm was very different from other members of Congress. She looked different. Her hair was a big cloud of curls. She wore very large eyeglasses. And she had dark skin.
She also spoke differently. She had developed a minor Caribbean accent while living with her grandmother in Barbados.
Her voice was strong. She spoke with power. She said her greatest tool was her mouth. She was not afraid to say the things others would not say before Congress and the public.
SHIRLEY CHISHOLM: "But, my friends, I might be strong for some persons in this audience, but I believe in telling it like it is."
Shirley Chisholm spoke strongly for the poor and for women. She worked for civil rights for African-Americans. She opposed the Vietnam War. In nineteen sixty-nine she helped form the Congressional Black Caucus. She also was a member of the National Organization for Women. Ms.Chisholm was an activist for people of color, including Native Americans and Spanish-speaking immigrants. She often spoke about cultural and social issues.
SHIRLEY CHISHOLM: "Increasing immigration to the United States suggests that we do face -- and we better own up to – we do face -- new social and cultural problems as these new Americans are integrated into our society. And because most of the new immigrants are people of color, cultural adjustments must be made by all groups in America if we are to learn to live together as one nation."
Ms.Chisholm wrote a book about her life in nineteen seventy called "Unbought and Unbossed." She refused to be defined by party politics or racial comparisons. Sometimes this worked against her.
In nineteen seventy-two Shirley Chisholm announced that she would run for president of the United States. Many people thought it was a strange thing to do. Ms. Chisholm said during her life in politics she faced more discrimination as a woman than as a black person.
Shirley Chisholm became the first woman and the first black person to carry out a presidential campaign within one of the major parties. When she announced her candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for president this is what she said:
"I am not the candidate of black America, although I am black and proud. I am not the candidate of the women's movement of this country, although I am a woman and I am equally proud of that. I am not the candidate of any political bosses or special interests. I am the candidate of the people."
Ms. Chisholm did not win the Democratic primaries or the nomination. She said she did not run for president because she expected to win. She ran to make a point.
In nineteen seventy-three Shirley Chisholm wrote another book, "The Good Fight." In that book she told of her reasons for running for president even though she did not expect to win. She said:
"The next time a woman runs, or a black, or a Jew or anyone from a group that the country is ‘not ready' to elect to the highest office, I believe he or she will be taken seriously from the start."
Shirley Chisholm left Congress in nineteen eighty-two after fourteen years. She said many voters did not understand her. She said her influence as a truthful, tough politician was decreasing in conservative times. Also, she wanted to spend more time with her second husband, Arthur Hardwick.
Ms. Chisholm went on to teach at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Years after leaving Congress, she continued to be invited to speak before many groups and organizations.
A reporter once asked Ms. Chisholm how she wanted to be remembered. She said she did not want to be remembered as the nation's first black congresswoman. She wanted to be remembered as a brave person, a person who created change.
Shirley Chisholm died January first, two thousand five. She suffered a series of strokes. She was eighty years old.
Shirley Chisholm loved her country. She wanted to serve all America, not just African- Americans and women. Her work for the community of Bedford-Stuyvesant, the state of New York and the nation continues through the changes she helped make in American society.
SHIRLEY CHISHOLM: "America is a wonderful land. It's no question about it. That is why every group from across the waters tries to come to America. I am hopeful. Oh God am I hopeful that before I die that I will see that America will move toward a period of real enlightenment (not rhetorical enlightenment, real enlightenment), and that when we are finally faced with the choice of exclusion or inclusion we will choose inclusion because that's what America is suppose to be all about."
重点解析
1.filled with充满
We were filled with hope, with passion, with dreams for the future.
我们浑身上下都是希望和激情，对未来充满了梦想。
2.take part in参加；参与
Although he was concussed by a bang on the head, he should be able to take part in the next race in Istanbul.
虽然他由于头部的撞击有些脑震荡，但是他应该可以参加伊斯坦布尔的下一场比赛。
3.carry out执行；实行
We gathered to discuss how we should carry out the plan.
我们召集会议讨论应该怎么执行这个计划。
4.be proud of为…而感到骄傲
You should be proud of your achievements.
你们 应该为你们的成就感到骄傲。
5.a series of一系列的
To do this they pitted the groups against each other in a series of competitions.
为了达到这个目的，他们让两组人在一系列的竞赛中相互竞争。
6.move toward走向；前往
We must seize the moment to move toward that goal now, and this is what we have done on this journey.
我们现在就必须抓住每一分秒，向着（和平的）目标迈进，这就是我们在这个旅行中所作的工作。
参考译文
我是史蒂夫·恩贝尔，我是芭芭拉·克莱因，这里是VOA慢速英语栏目《美国人物志》。今天我们讲述雪莉·奇泽姆的故事。她是一位教育家、活动家和政治家。雪莉·奇泽姆最有名的是，她是首位入选美国国会的黑人女性，也是首位竞选美国总统的黑人女性。然而，她的生活远不止是成为第一个做重要事情的黑人女性。她相信，作为一个人要为改变而奋斗。她的一生都在帮助改善其他人的生活。雪莉·安妮塔·圣·希尔于1924年出生在纽约布鲁克林。她是四个女儿中最大的。她的父亲是圭亚那的一名工厂工人。雪莉喜欢读书。她的母亲来自英属西印度群岛的巴巴多斯岛。她做衣服，为别人打扫房子。雪莉的父母没有多少钱。他们想让女儿接受良好的教育，过上更好的生活。雪莉三岁时，她的父母把她和她的姐妹们送到巴巴多斯和祖母住在一起。雪莉接受了英国学校系统的良好教育。她喜欢和祖母一起生活的那些年。她在巴巴多斯的家庭是一个强大的、有组织的、相信教育的团体。雪莉总是记得她奶奶说的话。雪莉·奇泽姆：“当我在英属西印度群岛长大时，我的祖母总是告诉我，你可能不被社会中的某些人所喜爱，你必须明白其中的原因。但一定要讲真话。”1934年雪莉搬回了布鲁克林。当时她十岁。她在学校继续表现得很好。后来她以优异的成绩从布鲁克林学院毕业。1949年，她嫁给了康拉德·奇泽姆，他是一名私人侦探。他们一起参加了当地的政治活动。他们的婚姻大概三十年后走向了尽头。作为一名年轻女性，雪莉决定成为一名老师。她相信她可以通过帮助儿童来促进社会进步。她在纽约市哈莱姆区的一个儿童看护中心工作了7年。她晚上去哥伦比亚大学上课，在1952年获得了学前教育的高级学位。她成为了一名儿童和学前教育的专家。从1959年至1964年，雪莉·奇泽姆担任该市儿童福利办公室日托部门的一名教育官员。在1964年雪莉·奇泽姆的政治生涯开始了。她被选入纽约州议会。在那里任职四年。1968年，她宣布将竞选美国国会议员。她是纽约新建立的12区选出来的。她成为了首位入选国会的黑人女性。她代表的是布鲁克林一个叫贝德福德-斯图文森的贫困地区。在国会，奇泽姆被指派到众议院农业委员会。她反对这项安排。她感觉这项工作对于她代表的城里的穷人并不重要。她被调到退伍军人事务委员会。她后来加入了教育和劳工委员会，这是她想要的职位。1977年，她加入了重要的众议院规则委员会。雪莉·奇泽姆和其他国会的成员很不同，她看起来不一样。她留着一大团的卷发。她戴着一副很大的眼镜，皮肤黝黑。雪莉的口音也与其他议员不同。她的口音稍带一点加勒比的口音，这是她在巴巴多斯和祖母一起生活的时候形成的。雪莉的声音很有力量，讲话时充满着能量。她说自己最强大的工具就是自己的嘴。她敢于讲一些其他人在国会和公众面前不会讲的话。雪莉·奇泽姆：“但是，我的朋友，对于在座的一些人来说，我可能很强大，但是我相信实话实说。”雪莉·奇泽姆为穷人和女性发出强烈呼吁。她为非裔美国人争取公民权利。她反对越战。1969年，她帮助成立了美国国会黑人同盟。她也成为了全国妇女组织的一名成员。奇泽姆女士是为有色人种奋斗的活动家，这些人包括美洲原住民和讲西班牙语的移民。她经常为文化和社会问题发声。雪莉·奇泽姆：“越来越多的移民涌入美国，这表示，我们的确面对-我们最好坦白-我们的确面对着新的社会和文化问题，因为这些移民在融入我们的社会。因为多数的新移民是有色人种，所以如果我们想作为一个国家生活在一块的话，美国所有的群体需要一块做出文化上的调整。奇泽姆女士在1970年写了一本关于她生活的书，名为"Unbought and Unbossed"。她拒绝用党派政治或种族比较来定义自己。有时候这个对她不利。1972年，雪莉·奇泽姆宣布她将竞选美国总统。很多人觉得这件事很奇怪。奇泽姆表示，在她的一生中，自己作为女性面对的歧视比作为黑人要多。雪莉·奇泽姆成为首位在主要政党中进行总统竞选的女性和黑人。当她宣布竞选民主党总统候选人时，她是这么说的：“我不是美国黑人的候选人，尽管我是一位黑人并为此自豪。我不是美国妇女运动的候选人，尽管我是一名女性并为此同等自豪。我不是任何政治领袖或特殊利益集团的候选人。我是人民的候选人。奇泽姆没有赢得民主党初选或提名。她表示自己并不是为了赢得总统大选而竞选总统。她想通过竞选证明一个观点。1973年，雪莉·奇泽姆写了另一本书，《傲骨之战》。在这本书里，她提到了竞选总统但并不指望获得胜利的原因。她说：“下次当一个女人、一个黑人、一个犹太人或任何来自这个国家“还没有准备好”竞选最高职位的群体的人参选时，我相信她或他从一开始就会被认真对待。”在国会任职4年后，雪莉·奇泽姆于1982年离开国会。她表示很多选民并不理解她。她说，在保守时期，她作为一个诚实、强硬的政治家的影响力正在下降。此外，她想花更多的时间和她的第二任丈夫亚瑟·哈德威克在一起。奇泽姆后来在马萨诸塞州南哈德利的曼荷莲学院任教。离开国会多年后，她持续受邀在很多群体和组织发表演讲。有一次，一名记者问奇泽姆女士，她想以何种方式被人铭记。她表示，自己不想以美国首位黑人国会女议员而被人铭记。她想以一个勇敢的人、一个带来变化的人被人铭记。雪莉·奇泽姆于2005年1月1日去世。她患了很多次中风。享年八十岁。雪莉·奇泽姆爱自己的国家。她想为所有美国人服务，不仅仅是非裔美国人和女性。她为贝德福德-斯图文森社区、纽约州和全国所做的工作，通过她帮助美国社会做出的改变得以延续。雪莉·奇泽姆：“美国是一片神奇的土地。这点毫无疑问。这就是为什么来自大洋彼岸的每一个群体都试图来到美国。我满怀希望。在我去世之前，我将会看到美国将向着真正的启蒙时期发展（不是修辞学上的启蒙，是真正的启蒙）。当我们最终面临排斥或是包容的选择时，我们会选择包容，因为这就是美国应该有的样子。”
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
