(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English. In the years after World War One, new technologies changed America. Technology made it possible for millions of people to improve their lives. It also brought great changes in American society. This week in our series, Harry Monroe and Kay Gallant tell more about the technological and social changes that took place in the United States in the early nineteen twenties. Some of the most important changes came as a result of the automobile and the radio. Automobiles began to be mass-produced. They were low enough in cost so many Americans could buy them. Gasoline was low in cost, too. Together, these developments put America on the move as never before. Automobiles made it easy for Americans to travel. Trucks made it easy for goods to be transported. Many people and businesses moved out of crowded, noisy cities. They moved to open areas outside cities: suburbs.
As automobiles helped Americans spread out, the radio helped bring them closer together. Large networks could broadcast the same radio program to many stations at the same time. Soon, Americans everywhere were listening to the same programs. They laughed at the same jokes, sang the same songs, heard the same news. Another invention that produced big changes in American life was the motion picture. American inventor Thomas Edison began making short motion pictures at the turn of the century. In nineteen-oh-three, a movie called "The Great Train Robbery" was the first to tell a complete story. In nineteen fifteen, D. W. Griffith made a long, serious movie called "Birth of a Nation." By the early nineteen twenties, many American towns had a movie theater. Most Americans went to see the movies at least once a week. The movie industry became a big business. People might not know the names of government officials. But they knew the names of every leading actor and actress. Movies were fun. They provided a change from the day-to-day troubles of life. They also were an important social force. Young Americans tried to copy what they saw in the movies. And they dreamed about far-away places and a different kind of life. A young farm boy could imagine himself as romantic hero Douglas Fairbanks or comedian Charlie Chaplin. A young city girl could imagine herself as the beautiful and brave Mary Pickford.
Rich families and poor families saw the same movies. Their children shared the same wish to be like the movie stars. In this way, the son of a banker and the son of a factory worker had much in common. The same was true for people from different parts of the country. In the early nineteen twenties, Americans also began reading the same publications. The publishing industry used some of the same kinds of mass-production methods as the automobile industry. It began producing magazines in larger amounts. It began selling the same magazines all over the country. One of the most widely-read magazines was the Saturday Evening Post. In nineteen-oh-two, it sold about three hundred thousand copies each week. Twenty years later, it sold more than two million copies each week. Americans everywhere shared the same information and advice in such nationwide magazines. The information was not always correct. The advice was not always good. But the effect was similar to that caused by the automobile and radio. Parts of American society were becoming more alike. They were trying to move toward the same kind of life -- economically and socially.
Other industries used the techniques of assembly-line production to make their goods, too. They discovered that producing large numbers of goods reduced the cost of each one. One company that expanded in this way was the Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. It was called A&P for short. The A&P was one of the first large American grocery stores to sell all kinds of food. It sold milk, meat, bread, canned fruits, and vegetables all in the same store. Shopping at the A&P was much faster and easier than going to different stores to get different kinds of food. In nineteen twelve, A&P had four hundred stores in the United States. About ten years later, it had more than eleven thousand stores. It could buy huge amounts of goods and sell each at a very low price. Mass production also came to the clothing industry. People began wearing clothes made in factories, instead of by a family member or local tailor. Before long, the same kinds of clothes could be found everywhere. Mass production removed some differences that had marked Americans in the past. Prices dropped, so people with little money could still buy nice clothes. It became more difficult to look at Americans and know by their clothes if they were rich or poor.
Social changes also resulted from great progress in medical research. Doctors and scientists reported new developments in the fight against disease. This progress gave most Americans a longer life. In nineteen hundred, for example, the average person in the United States could expect to live forty-nine years. By nineteen twenty-seven, the average person could expect to live fifty-nine years. Life expectancy rates climbed, because doctors and scientists developed effective ways to prevent or treat diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid, diphtheria, and influenza. Yellow fever and smallpox were no longer a threat. One new medicine was insulin. It was used to treat diabetes. A man-made version gave diabetics the insulin their bodies did not have. It cut the death rate from the disease from seventy percent to about one percent. Doctors and scientists also learned the importance of vitamins to good health. Now they could cure several diseases caused by a lack of vitamins. Americans in the nineteen twenties lived much better than their fathers and mothers. A man received more pay than in the past, even though he worked fewer hours each day. He lived in a better house with new labor-saving devices. He had a car to drive to work and to take his family on holiday trips.
He received a better education than his father. He and his family wore better clothes. They ate healthier foods. The average American in the nineteen twenties had more time for sports and entertainment. He enjoyed listening to the radio and watching movies. He was more informed about national and world events. Life was good for many Americans as World War One ended and the nation entered the nineteen twenties. Yet that life was far from perfect. Many Americans did not have the same chances to improve their lives. Black Americans continued to suffer from racism. Society continued to deny them their rights as citizens. Women did not have equal rights, either. For example, they could not vote. It was during this time that the United States experienced one of its worst incidents of public hatred. Many people turned strongly against labor unions and leftists. They feared a threat to democracy. The federal government took action against what it called political extremists. Many of the charges were unfair. Many innocent lives were harmed. That will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.as a result of 由于；作为......的结果
As a result of this conflict he lost both his home and his means of livelihood.
这场冲突使他同时失去了住所和生计来源。
2.at least 起码；最少
He's been away for at least a week.
他走了总有一个星期吧。
3.for example 举例；比如
Many factors are important, for example class, gender, age and ethnicity.
许多因素都很重要，如阶级、性别、年龄及民族。
4.even though 即使；尽管
On the diet I would chomp my way through breakfast, even though I'm never hungry in the morning.
根据这一饮食计划，早餐时我需要大吃一顿，尽管我早上从来不饿。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。第一次世界大战后的几年里，新技术改变了美国。科技使数百万人得以改善生活，它也给美国社会带来了巨大的变化。在本周的系列节目中，哈里·门罗和凯·格兰特将讲述20世纪20年代初美国发生的技术和社会变革。一些最重要的变化是由汽车和收音机带来的结果。汽车开始批量生产，它们的价格很低，所以很多美国人都能买到。汽油的价格也很低。这些发展加在一起，使美国前所未有地走上了前进的道路。汽车使美国人旅行变得很容易，卡车使货物易于运输。许多人和企业搬出拥挤、嘈杂的城市。他们搬到城外的开阔地带：郊区。
汽车帮助美国人去到更多地方时，收音机则让他们拉近了彼此的距离。大型网络可以同时向许多电台播放同一个广播节目。全世界的美国人很快都在收听同样的节目，他们被同样的笑话逗笑，唱同样的歌，听同样的新闻。另一个在美国生活中产生巨大变化的发明是电影。美国发明家托马斯·爱迪生在世纪之交开始制作短电影。1903年，一部名为《火车大劫案》的电影是第一部讲述完整故事的电影。在1915年，D.W.格里菲斯制作了一部很严肃的长篇电影，名为《一个国家的诞生》。到20世纪20年代初，许多美国城镇都有电影院。大多数美国人每周至少看一次电影，电影业成了一项大生意。人们可能不知道政府官员的名字，但他们知道每个男女演员的名字。电影很有趣，它们改变了日常生活中的烦恼，也是重要的社会力量。美国年轻人试图模仿他们在电影中看到的东西，梦想着遥远的地方和不同的生活。一个年轻的农家男孩可能想象自己是浪漫主义英雄道格拉斯·费尔班克斯或喜剧演员查理·卓别林。一个年轻的城市女孩可以想象自己是美丽勇敢的玛丽·皮克福德。
富人和穷人家庭都观看同样的电影，他们的孩子有着和电影明星一样的愿望。就这样，银行家的儿子和工厂工人的儿子有着许多共同点。来自全国各地的人也都如此。20世纪20年代初，美国人也开始阅读同样的出版物。出版业采用了一些与汽车业相同的大规模生产方法，开始大量生产杂志，开始在全国各地销售同样的杂志。最广为阅读的杂志之一是《星期六晚报》，1922年，它每周售出约30万册。20年后，它每周卖出200多万册。各地的美国人在这样的全国性杂志上分享同样的信息和建议，这些信息并不总是正确的，提出的建议并不总是好的。但是，其带来的影响与汽车和收音机相似。美国社会的某些部分变得越来越相似，他们试图走在经济和社会层面，走向同样的生活。
其他行业也使用流水线生产技术来制造产品，他们发现生产大量的商品降低了每种商品的成本。一家以这种方式扩张的公司是大西洋和太平洋茶叶公司，简称为A&P。A&P是美国最早出售各种食品的大型杂货店之一，它在同一家商店里出售牛奶、肉、面包、水果罐头和蔬菜。在A&P购物比去不同的商店买不同种类的食物要快得多，也更便捷。1912年，A&P在美国有400家商店。大约10年后，它拥有一万一千多家商店，能以非常低的价格出售并购买大量商品。服装业也出现了大规模生产，人们开始穿着由工厂，而不是家人或当地裁缝制作的衣服。不久，同样的衣服随处可见。大规模生产消除了过去美国人的一些差异。价格下降了，所以没钱的人仍然可以买到漂亮的衣服。看到美国人时，想从他们的着装知道他们的贫富状况变得更加困难。
医学研究的巨大进步也带来了社会变革。医生和科学家报告了与疾病作斗争的新进展，这一进步使大多数美国人的寿命更长。例如，1900年，普通美国人的预期寿命是49岁。到1927年，普通人的预期寿命则为59岁。由于医生和科学家开发出有效预防或治疗结核病、伤寒、白喉和流感等疾病的疗法，预期寿命率上升。黄热病和天花不再威胁人们的生命。一种新药胰岛素，被用来治疗糖尿病。这种人造胰岛素能给体内没有胰岛素的糖尿病患者补充胰岛素，它把死亡这种疾病的比率从70%降低到1%左右。医生和科学家也认识到，维生素对健康的重要性。现在，他们可以治愈由于缺乏维生素而引起的几种疾病。20世纪20年代的美国人，生活得比他们的父母好得多。尽管每天的工作时间比过去少了，但是得到的报酬比过去多。他住在一个配备新型省力装置的更好的房子里，开车去上班，带家人去度假。
他接受的教育比自己的父亲好，他和他的家人穿着更好的衣服，吃更健康的食物。20世纪20年代，普通美国人有更多的时间从事体育和娱乐活动，喜欢听收音机、看电影，了解更多国家和世界大事。随着第一次世界大战的结束，以及美国进入20世纪20年代，许多美国人的生活都很好。然而，生活远非完美。许多美国人没有同样的机会改善他们的生活，美国黑人继续遭受种族主义的折磨。社会继续剥夺他们作为公民的权利，妇女也没有平等的权利。例如，他们不能投票。正是在这段时间里，美国经历了最严重的公众仇恨事件之一。许多人强烈反对工会和左翼分子，他们担心民主会受到威胁。联邦政府对所谓的政治极端分子采取行动。许多指控都是不公平的，很多无辜的生命惨遭迫害。这将是我们下周要讲述的故事。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
