(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. There were many changes in the social customs and day-to-day life of millions of Americans during the administration of President Calvin Coolidge. Many young people began to challenge the traditions of their parents and grandparents. They experimented with new ideas and ways of living. People of all kinds became interested in the new popular culture. Radio and films brought them exciting news of court trials, sports heroes and wild parties. The nineteen twenties also was one of the most active and important periods for the more serious arts. Writers, painters, and other artists produced some of the greatest work in the nation's history. This week in our series, Kay Gallant and Harry Monroe take a look at American arts during this exciting period.
Most Americans approved strongly of the economic growth and improved living conditions during the nineteen twenties. They supported the conservative Republican policies of President Calvin Coolidge. And they had great faith in the country's business leaders and economic system. However, many of the nation's serious artists had a different and darker view of society. They were troubled deeply by the changes they saw. They believed that Americans had become too interested in money and wealth. These artists rejected the new business society. And they also questioned the value of politics. Many of them believed that the first World War in Europe had been a terrible mistake. These artists had little faith in the political leaders who came to power after the war. They felt a need to protest the way the world was changing around them. The spirit of protest was especially strong in serious American writing during the nineteen twenties. Many of the greatest writers of this period hated the new business culture.
One such writer was Sinclair Lewis. He was the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Lewis wrote about Americans living in the towns and villages in the central part of the United States. Many of the people in his books were foolish men and women with empty values. They chased after money and popularity. In his famous book "Main Street," Lewis joked about and criticized small-town business owners. Social criticism also was central to the writing of the newspaper writer H. L. Mencken, from the eastern city of Baltimore. Mencken considered most Americans to be stupid and violent fools. He attacked their values without mercy. Of course, many traditional Americans reacted strongly to such criticism. For example, some religious and business leaders attacked Mencken as a dangerous person whose words were treason against the United States. But many young people thought Mencken was a hero whose only crime was writing the truth.
The work of Lewis, Mencken, and a number of other writers of the nineteen twenties has been forgotten by many Americans as the years have passed. But the period did produce some truly great writing. One of the greatest writers of these years was Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway wrote about love, war, sports, and other subjects. He used short sentences and rough words. His style was sharper and different from traditional American writing. And his strong views about life set him apart from most other Americans. Another major writer was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald wrote especially about rich Americans searching for happiness and new values. His books were filled with people who rejected traditional beliefs. His book "The Great Gatsby" is considered today to be one of the greatest works in the history of American writing. A third great writer of the nineteen twenties was William Faulkner. Faulkner wrote about the special problems and ways of life in the American south. His books explored the emotional tension in a society still suffering from the loss of the Civil War sixty years before.
重点解析
1.interested in 感兴趣；对……有兴趣
I think the young man is getting interested in gardening.
我认为这个年轻人开始对园艺产生兴趣了。
2.have faith in 信任；对……有信心
We always have faith in the quality of your products.
对你们产品的质量我们总是很信任。
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.be filled with 充满；装满
May your life be filled with love, happiness and inspiration.
祝愿你的生活充满爱、幸福和灵感。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目。卡尔文·柯立芝总统执政期间，数百万美国人的社会习俗和日常生活发生了许多变化。很多年轻人开始挑战父母和祖父母的传统，他们尝试新的思想和生活方式。各种各样的人都对新型流行文化感兴趣。广播和电影给他们带来了法庭审判，体坛英雄和狂野派对等令人兴奋的消息。20世纪20年代也是更加严肃的艺术形式最活跃的重要时期之一。作家、画家和其他艺术家创作出美国历史上一些最伟大的作品。在本周的系列节目中，凯·格兰特和哈里·门罗将讲述这段激动人心的时期中的美国艺术。
20世纪20年代，大多数美国人强烈赞同经济增长和改善生活状况。他们支持卡尔文·柯立芝总统保守的共和党政策，对国家的商业领袖和经济体制充满信心。然而，美国许多严肃艺术家具有不同的、更阴暗的社会观，他们对所看到的变化深感不安。他们认为美国人对金钱和财富过于痴迷。这些艺术家拒绝新的商业化社会，他们还质疑政治的价值。他们中的许多人认为，在欧洲爆发的第一次世界大战是一个可怕的错误。这些艺术家对战后上台的政治领袖几乎没有信心，他们觉得有必要抗议周遭世界中发生的种种变化。20世纪20年代，抗议的精神在严肃的美国文学作品中尤为强烈。这一时期许多伟大的作家都厌恶新兴的商业文化。
辛克莱·刘易斯就是这样一位作家，他是第一个获得诺贝尔文学奖的美国人。刘易斯描写了生活在美国中部城镇和村庄的美国人。他书中的许多人物都很愚蠢，丧失了价值，他们追求金钱和名望。刘易斯在他的名著《大街》（Main Street）中，玩笑式的批评了小城镇中的企业主。报纸作家H. L.门肯来自东部城市巴尔的摩，社会批评也是他的作品里的主流。门肯认为大多数美国人既愚蠢又粗野，他毫不留情地抨击他们的价值观。当然，许多传统的美国人对这种批评反应强烈。例如，一些宗教和商业领袖攻击门肯，认为他是一个危险的人物，他的言论是对美国的叛离。但许多年轻人认为门肯是一位英雄，他唯一的罪过就是写出了真相。
刘易斯、门肯和其他一些20世纪20年代作家的作品，随着岁月的流逝被许多美国人遗忘。但是，这一时期确实产生了一些真正伟大的作品。这期间最伟大的作家之一是海明威。海明威撰写关于爱情、战争、体育等主题的文章。他运用短句和粗俗的话语，写作风格更加鲜明，不同于传统的美国文学。他对生活的强烈看法使他与大多数美国人截然不同。另一位重要的作家是F.斯科特·菲茨杰拉德。菲茨杰拉德着重描写美国富人寻找幸福和新价值观的故事，他的书中满是拒绝传统信仰的人物。《了不起的盖茨比》被认为是美国文学史上最伟大的作品之一。20世纪20年代第三位伟大的作家是威廉·福克纳。福克纳描写了美国南部存在的特殊问题和生活方式。他的书探讨了因60年前内战失败而受创的社会中的情感张力。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
