(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. This week in our series, Larry West and Maurice Joyce continue the story of President Woodrow Wilson and American involvement in World War One. Nineteen eighteen was the final year of the most terrible war the world had ever known. But World War One did not end quickly or easily. The German Army made a final effort to defeat the Allies. The United States had entered the conflict. And Germany wanted a victory before large numbers of American troops could get to Europe. Germany's effort became easier after it signed a peace treaty with the new Bolshevik government in Russia. The treaty made it possible for Germany to use all its forces against the Allies on its western border. In the end, however, Germany's plan failed. Allied troops pushed back the German attack in a series of bloody battles. The addition of American soldiers greatly increased Allied strength.
The leader of American forces in Europe was General John. J. Pershing. General Pershing used a weapon new to the world of war: air power. Airplanes were used first simply as 'eyes in the sky'. They discovered enemy positions so ground artillery could fire at them. Then they were used as fighter planes. They carried guns to shoot down other planes. Finally, planes were built big enough to carry bombs. General Pershing also used another new weapon of war: tanks. He put these inventions together for his battle plan against Germany. Pershing's target was the Argonne Forest. It was a tree-covered area Germany had held since nineteen fourteen. The forest was protected by barbed wire and by defensive positions built of steel and concrete. It was the strongest part of the German line. It also was the most important part. If Argonne fell, Germany's final lines of defense would fall. The fighting in the Argonne Forest was fierce. Thousands of men died. Sometimes, troops got lost because the forest was so thick with trees. But day by day, the Allies pushed the Germans back.
Germany's leaders were losing hope. In September, nineteen eighteen, they met with German ruler Kaiser Wilhelm. The army chief reported that the war was lost. Germany had no choice, he said. It must give back all the territory it had seized and try to negotiate a peace agreement. Other officials told the Kaiser that the situation at home was bad, too. People were starving. Revolutionaries were plotting to overthrow the government. Kaiser Wilhelm agreed it might be best to seek peace now. Before Germany was destroyed completely. He asked his foreign secretary to send a secret message to American President Woodrow Wilson. The message would propose immediate negotiations to end the war. President Wilson received it. He did not tell the other Allied leaders. Instead, he returned a message to Germany. Wilson asked if Germany was willing to accept the peace proposals he had offered many months earlier. Germany's Chancellor answered that his government did accept the proposals. However, the events of war ended the secret exchange of messages between Germany and the United States. German submarines had increased attacks on Allied shipping. Two passenger ships were sunk. Eight hundred twenty persons were killed. Many were women and children.
President Wilson was shocked. He told Germany there could be no peace negotiations with such an inhuman enemy. In late October, nineteen eighteen, Wilson sent a final message to Germany. He wanted a settlement that would make it impossible for Germany to fight again. Germany, Wilson said, must promise to withdraw its forces from all Allied territory. It also must close its weapons factories. Wilson added that the Allies would negotiate only with a government that truly represented the people of Germany. . . not with military rulers. The new German Chancellor was Maximilian, Prince of Baden. Prince Max received President Wilson's message. He succeeded in getting Kaiser Wilhelm to dismiss the man responsible for German military policy. But he failed to get the Kaiser himself to give up power. Not all allied leaders supported President Wilson's plan to end World War One. They could not agree on some parts of it. Britain, for example, opposed the part about freedom of the seas. Britain said it would prevent the kind of naval blockade which had been so effective against Germany. France and Italy opposed the part about creating a new international organization. Wilson had called it a league of nations.
To solve these differences, Wilson sent his closest adviser to Europe to meet with Allied leaders. The discussions were long and sometimes bitter. Many of the Allies thought Wilson was being too kind to the defeated enemy. But in the end, they all agreed to accept the plan as a starting point for peace talks. By this time, in early November, the situation in Germany was growing worse. Communists and Socialists were calling for a rebellion. The navy was ordered to go to sea. Sailors refused, and killed some officers. Reports told of rebellion in parts of the German army, too. The nation's leaders had no choice. They would negotiate a peace treaty. On the morning of November eighth, a German delegation went to Allied military headquarters to discuss terms. The Germans were met by the Supreme Allied Commander, Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France. Foch greeted them coldly. And he did not offer peace terms until they officially asked for a ceasefire. Germany -- not the Allies -- had to put down its weapons first. The Germans were shocked when they heard the terms. The list was severe. Among other things, Germany must withdraw its forces from all occupied territories. It must give up Alsace-Lorraine, a part of France it had held for almost fifty years. It must give up most of its weapons including airplanes, submarines, and battleships. And it must turn over large numbers of trucks, railroad engines, and other supplies.
The German delegation said it could not sign such an agreement. Germany, it said, was not surrendering. It was only asking for a ceasefire. The delegation said it could not accept the peace terms without communicating with the government in Berlin. But the German government was falling apart. Kaiser Wilhelm had finally resigned and left the country. A new cabinet had been formed. And a new prime minister had declared a German republic. Yet the situation remained unsettled. Because of this, the German delegation negotiating with the Allies had to decide for itself. After much argument, the men agreed to the Allied terms. They signed the peace treaty. A ceasefire began a few hours later. News that the shooting had stopped set off wild celebrations throughout the world. People danced in the streets. They cheered the end of the worst war in history. There were celebrations along the battle lines, too. But these were quiet. Soldiers from both sides climbed out of long trenches dug in the ground. They met the men who, a short while earlier, had been their deadly enemy. The bloody European conflict was over. The dispute, however, was not. Another fierce battle was ready to begin. This time, the battle would be among diplomats. The fight over the peace treaty officially ending World War One was about to begin. That will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.in the end 最后；终于
In the end it was his stomach and lungs that packed up.
最后，他的胃和肺衰竭了。
2.day by day 逐日；每一天
Day by day I am getting better and better.
我在一天天地好转。
3.give up 放弃；停止
Georgia refuses to give up any territory.
格鲁吉亚拒绝出让任何领土。
4.agree on 同意；对......取得一致意见
The two sides failed to agree on the wording of a final report.
双方未能就最终报告的措辞达成一致。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。在本周的系列节目中，拉里· 韦斯特和莫里斯·乔伊斯将继续讲述伍德罗·威尔逊总统和美国参与一战的故事。1918年是世界上有史以来最可怕的战争的最后一年，但是第一次世界大战并没有很快或是很轻易结束。德军作出最后的努力以打败盟军。美国卷入了这场冲突，德国希望在大批美国军队到达欧洲之前取得胜利。德国与俄国新布尔什维克政府签署和平条约后，其作战变得更加容易。该条约使德国有可能动用其所有的兵力对付西部边境的盟国。然而，德国的计划最终失败了。盟军在一系列血腥战斗中击退了德军的进攻，美国士兵的加入大大增强了盟军的力量。
美国军队在欧洲的领导者是约翰·J·潘兴将军，潘兴将军使用了一种新型武器：空军。飞机最初被简单地用作“空中之眼”，他们能发现敌人的阵地，以便地面炮兵可以向他们开火。后来它们被用作战斗机，携带枪支击落其他飞机。最后，飞机被造得足以携带炸弹。潘兴将军还使用了另一种新型作战武器：坦克。他把这些发明用到一起，制定出对德作战计划。潘兴的目标是阿贡森林，该地区长满树木，德国从1914年起拥有这片区域。森林被带刺的铁丝网和用钢及混凝土建造的防御工事所保护，这是德军防线上最坚固的部分，也是最重要的部分。如果阿贡落陷，德国的最后防线就会垮掉。阿贡森林里的战斗很激烈，成千上万的人战死。有时，由于森林里树木茂密，部队都会迷路。但是一天天过去了，盟军将德国人击退。
德国领导人失去了希望。1918年9月，他们会见了德国统治者威廉姆大帝。军长报告说战争失败了。他说，德国别无选择，必须归还它占领的所有领土，并努力谈判达成和平协议。其他官员告诉威廉姆大帝，国内的情况也很糟糕。民众正在挨饿，革命者则密谋推翻政府。威廉姆大帝也认为在德国被彻底摧毁之前，最好现在就寻求和平解决。他请外交秘书给美国总统伍德罗·威尔逊发送一条秘密信息，该信息将建议立即进行谈判以结束战争。威尔逊总统收到了消息，他没有告诉其他盟军领导人。相反，他给德国回了信。威尔逊询问德国是否愿意接受几个月前提出的和平建议。德国总理回答说，德国政府确实接受了这些提议。然而，战争事件结束了德国和美国之间的秘密信息交流。德国潜艇增加了对盟军船只的攻击，两艘客轮沉没，820人遇难，其中许多人是妇女和儿童。
威尔逊总统感到震惊。他告诉德国，无法与这样不人道的敌人进行和平谈判。1918年10月底，威尔逊向德国发出了最后一条信息。他想要一个解决方案，使德国不可能再次战斗。威尔逊说，德国必须承诺从所有盟国领土撤军，还必须关闭武器工厂。威尔逊补充道，盟国只会与真正代表德国人民的政府谈判，而不是和军事统治者谈判。新德国总理是巴登王子马克西米利安，马克西米利安王子收到了威尔逊总统的信息。他成功地让威廉姆大帝解雇了德国军事政策负责人，但他没能让威廉姆大帝放弃权力。并非所有盟国领导人都支持威尔逊总统结束第一次世界大战的计划，他们在某些方面意见不一致。例如，英国反对关于海洋自由的部分。英国表示，它将防止对德国实施如此高效的海上封锁。法国和意大利则反对建立新的国际组织，威尔逊将其称之为国际联盟。
为了解决这些分歧，威尔逊派他最亲密的顾问前往欧洲与盟国领导人会晤。会晤时间很长，有时也很激烈。许多盟国认为威尔逊对战败的敌人太过仁慈。但最终，他们都同意接受这项计划作为和谈的起点。到11月初时，德国局势正在恶化。共产党人和社会主义者要求叛乱，海军奉命出海。水手们拒绝这么做，还杀死了一些军官。有报道说，德国的部分军队也发生了叛乱。国家领导人别无选择，他们将就一项和平条约进行谈判。11月8日上午，一个德国代表团前往盟军军事总部讨论有关条款。盟军最高指挥官、法国的费迪南德·福克元帅会见了德方，福克冷淡地向他们打招呼。直到德方正式要求停火，他才提出和平条件。德国——而不是盟国——必须先放下武器。德国人听到这些话感到很震惊，条件都很苛刻。除其他条件外，德国必须从所有被占领的土地上撤出其部队。它必须放弃阿尔萨斯-洛林，这是法国的一部分，法国对这片土地的持有几乎长达50年。它必须放弃大部分武器，包括飞机、潜艇和战舰。还必须交出大量卡车、铁路机车和其他物资。
德国代表团表示，它不能签署这样的协议。据说，德国并没有投降，它只是要求停火。代表团说，如果不与柏林政府沟通，就不能接受和平条款。但德国政府正在分崩离析，威廉姆大帝终于辞职离开了德国，新内阁已经组建完成。新总理宣布成立德意志共和国。然而，局势仍然不稳定。因此，与盟国谈判的德国代表团不得不自行决定。经过多次争论，这些人同意了盟军的条件。他们签署了和平条约，几小时后停战协定开始执行。人们在全世界热烈地庆祝战争停止的消息。人们在街上跳舞，他们为历史上最惨烈的战争的结束而欢呼。战场上也在庆祝，但都很安静。双方士兵从地上挖的长壕沟里爬出来，去见那些刚刚还是他们死敌的人。血腥的欧洲冲突结束了。然而，这场争论却并未终结，又一场激烈的战斗即将开始。这一次，战争将在外交官之间展开。正式结束第一次世界大战的和平条约之争即将开始。这将是我们下周要讲述的故事。
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