(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember. This week in our series, we continue to discuss the events of the nineteen thirties, and American foreign policy during that time. For much of its history, the United States was not involved in world disputes. Only in the twentieth century did it become a powerful and influential nation. President Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to see America as a great power. A few years later, President Woodrow Wilson wanted the United States to become more involved in the world. Many Americans disagreed. They wanted to stay out of international conflicts. The presidents after Wilson stayed informed about world events. But they were much less willing to involve the United States than Roosevelt or Wilson had been. The great economic depression that began in nineteen twenty-nine reduced Americans' interest in the world even more. Now, here are Doug Johnson and Shirley Griffith.
Franklin Roosevelt became president in nineteen thirty-three. Franklin Roosevelt was not like most Americans. He knew the international situation well from his own experience. Like Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, he wanted to expand America's foreign policies. The terrible crisis of the depression, however, forced him to spend most of his time on national economic issues. He was able to deal with international issues only very slowly. One of his most important first efforts was to improve relations with Latin American nations. Thirty years earlier, President Theodore Roosevelt said the United States had the right to intervene in Latin America. In the years that followed, the United States sent troops to several Latin American countries. Many political leaders in the area accused the United States of treating them like children. Leaders throughout Latin America criticized the United States bitterly at a conference in nineteen twenty-eight.
When Franklin Roosevelt became president, he promised to treat Latin American nations as friends. He called this his "Good Neighbor" policy. "I would dedicate this nation to the policy of the Good Neighbor, the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others. The neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements, in and with a world of neighbors." Roosevelt's new policy had an unfriendly beginning. His administration refused to recognize a government in Cuba that opposed the United States. Instead, it helped bring to power a new government that showed more support for the United States. After that, however, President Roosevelt was able to prove that he wanted to improve relations with the countries of Latin America. For example, his administration speeded up plans to withdraw American troops from Haiti. It rejected old treaties that gave the United States the right to intervene in Cuba. It recognized a revolutionary government in El Salvador. It recognized the right of Panama to help operate and protect the Panama Canal. And it helped establish the Export-Import Bank to increase trade throughout the Americas.
All of these actions did much to improve the opinion of Latin American leaders about the United States. However, the most important test of Franklin Roosevelt's new policies was in Mexico. The Mexican government seized control of oil companies owned by investors in the United States. A number of influential Americans wanted the president to take strong action. He refused. He only agreed to urge the Mexican government to pay American investors for the value of the oil companies. As United States relations with Latin America improved, its relations with Britain got worse. Britain blamed Franklin Roosevelt for the failure of an international economic conference in nineteen thirty-three. It also felt the United States Congress was unwilling to take a strong position against international aggression by other nations. Some British leaders had so little faith in Roosevelt that they proposed seeking cooperation with Japan instead of the United States. New leaders in Japan, however, soon ended this possibility. They presented Britain with such strong military demands that the British government gave up any idea of cooperation with Japan.
One big question in American foreign policy in the nineteen thirties concerned the Soviet union. The United States had refused to recognize the government in Moscow after the Bolsheviks took control in nineteen seventeen. Yet Franklin Roosevelt saw the Soviet Union as a possible ally, if growing tensions in Europe and Asia burst into war. For this reason, he held talks in Washington with a top Soviet official. In nineteen thirty-three, he officially recognized the Soviet government. President Roosevelt hoped recognition would lead to better relations. But the United States and the Soviet Union did not trust each other. They immediately began arguing about many issues. Within two years, the American ambassador to Moscow urged President Roosevelt to cut diplomatic relations with the Soviets. Roosevelt refused. Relations between the two countries became even worse. Yet Roosevelt believed it was better to continue relations in case of an emergency. That emergency -- World War Two -- was just a few years away.
Economic issues played an important part in American foreign policy during the early nineteen thirties. In nineteen thirty-three, a major international economic conference was held in London. France and Italy led a movement to link the value of every nation's money to the price of gold. American delegates to the conference rejected the idea. They argued that it would slow America's recovery from the great depression. As a result, the London conference failed. Although President Roosevelt opposed linking the value of the American dollar to the price of gold, he did not oppose international trade. During the nineteen thirties, his administration negotiated new trade agreements with more than twenty countries. The nineteen thirties saw major political changes in Asia and Europe. President Roosevelt watched these developments with great interest. In Japan, military leaders gained control of the government. Their goal was to make Japan Asia's leading power. In Italy, the government was headed by fascist Benito Mussolini. Another fascist, Francisco Franco, seized power in Spain. And, most important, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party increased their strength in Germany. Franklin Roosevelt understood much sooner than most western leaders the threat that these new leaders represented.
Most Americans shared Roosevelt's dislike for the new fascist movements. However, Americans felt another emotion much more strongly. It was their desire to stay out of war. World War One had ended just fifteen years earlier. It was still fresh in the minds of many Americans. A majority of the population opposed any policy that could involve the United States in another bloody conflict. A public opinion study was made in nineteen thirty-seven. The study showed that seventy-one percent of Americans believed it had been a mistake for the United States to fight in World War One. So, President Roosevelt was not surprised when Congress passed a law ordering the administration to remain neutral in any foreign conflict. Congress also refused an administration proposal that the United States join the World Court. Franklin Roosevelt shared the hope that the United States would stay out of foreign conflicts. However, Adolf Hitler and other fascists continued to grow more powerful. The situation forced Americans to begin to consider the need for military strength. Americans did not want to become involved in another world war. They called on President Roosevelt and their representatives in Congress to remain neutral in world affairs. But aggression by Germany and Japan would force Americans to choose between their desire for democracy and their desire for peace. That will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.stay out of 不介入；置身于……之外
He warned the army to stay out of the way of the relief effort.
他警告军队不要介入救援工作。
2.deal with 处理；对付
In dealing with suicidal youngsters, our aims should be clear.
在对待有自杀倾向的青少年时，我们的目标应当很明确。
3.be able to 会；有能力做某事
They may be able to help with childcare so that you can have a break.
他们可以帮忙照料孩子，这样你就可以歇一歇了。
4.in case of 万一；假使
In case of difficulty, just call on me.
如有困难，找我好了。
参考译文
欢迎收听VOA慢速英语之建国史话节目，我是史蒂夫·恩伯。在本周的系列节目中，我们将继续讨论20世纪30年代的事件，以及在此期间美国的外交政策。在美国历史的大部分时间里，美国并未卷入世界争端。直到20世纪，它才成为一个强大而具有影响力的国家。西奥多·罗斯福总统是第一位将美国视为大国的总统。几年后，伍德罗·威尔逊总统希望美国更多地参与世界事务。许多美国人不同意，他们想远离国际冲突。威尔逊之后的历任总统都知道世界大事。但是，他们比罗斯福或威尔逊更不愿意让美国参与其中。1929年开始爆发经济大萧条，这进一步降低了美国人对世界事务的兴趣。现在，道格·约翰逊和雪莉·格里菲斯为您带来今天的节目。
富兰克林·罗斯福在1933年成为总统，他不像大多数美国人。他根据自己的经验对国际形势了如指掌。像西奥多·罗斯福和伍德罗·威尔逊一样，他想扩大美国的外交政策。然而，大萧条的可怕危机迫使他把大部分时间花在解决国家经济问题上，他处理国际问题的速度很慢。他最重要的第一批努力中，其中一项是改善与拉丁美洲国家的关系。30年前，西奥多·罗斯福总统说过，美国有权干预拉丁美洲。在随后的几年里，美国向几个拉丁美洲国家派遣了军队。该地区的许多政治领导人指责美国把他们当作儿童对待，整个拉丁美洲的领导人在1928年的一次会议上严厉批评美国。
当富兰克林·罗斯福成为总统时，他承诺要把拉丁美洲国家当作朋友，称这是他的“好邻国”政策。“我要让这个国家致力于“好邻国”政策，邻国毅然地尊重自己，因为他就是这样做的，尊重他人的权利。作为邻国尊重自己的义务，尊重与世界上其它国家的协议的神圣性。”罗斯福的新政策有一个不太友好的开端，他的政府拒绝承认反对美国的古巴政府。相反，它还帮助新政府上台，显示出对美国更多的支持。然而，在那之后，罗斯福总统能够证明他想改善与拉丁美洲国家的关系。例如，他的政府加快了从海地撤军的计划，拒绝赋予美国干预古巴权利的旧条约，承认萨尔瓦多是一个革命政府，承认巴拿马有权帮助运营和保护巴拿马运河，还帮助建立了进出口银行，以增加整个美洲的贸易。
所有这些行动都大大改善了拉美领导人对美国的看法。然而，对富兰克林·罗斯福新政策最重要的考验是在墨西哥。墨西哥政府控制了美国投资者拥有的石油公司。一些有影响力的美国人希望总统采取强有力的行动，但他拒绝了。他只同意敦促墨西哥政府向美国投资者支付石油公司的价值。随着美国与拉丁美洲关系的改善，它与英国的关系变得更糟。英国指责富兰克林·罗斯福在1933年的国际经济会议上失败，英国还感到美国国会不愿意对其他国家的国际侵略采取强硬立场。一些英国领导人对罗斯福信心不足，于是提议寻求与日本而不是美国进行合作。然而，日本的新领导人很快就终结了这种可能性。他们向英国提出了非常强烈的军事要求，使英国政府放弃了与日本合作的任何想法。
20世纪30年代，美国外交政策中的一个大问题是苏联。布尔什维克在1917年控制莫斯科后，美国拒绝承认位于莫斯科的政府。然而，富兰克林·罗斯福认为，如果欧洲和亚洲日益紧张的局势爆发成战争，苏联可能成为盟友。为此，他在华盛顿与一位苏联高级官员举行了会谈。1933年，他正式承认苏联政府。罗斯福总统希望这种认可能改善两国之间的关系，但美国和苏联并不信任彼此。他们立即开始就许多问题争论起来。两年内，美国驻莫斯科大使敦促罗斯福总统与苏联断绝外交关系。罗斯福表示拒绝，两国关系变得更加糟糕。然而罗斯福认为，在紧急情况下最好继续保持关系。距离第二次世界大战，这个紧急事件的爆发，还有几年的时间。
20世纪30年代初，经济问题在美国外交政策中扮演了重要角色。1933年，一个重要的国际经济会议在伦敦举行。法国和意大利领导了一场运动，将每个国家的货币价值与黄金价格挂钩。参加会议的美国代表拒绝了这个想法，他们认为这会减缓美国从大萧条中的复苏。结果，伦敦会议失败了。尽管罗斯福总统反对将美元价值与黄金价格挂钩，但他并不反对国际贸易。在20世纪30年代，他的政府与20多个国家就新的贸易协定进行谈判。20世纪30年代，亚洲和欧洲发生了重大的政治变化。罗斯福总统饶有兴趣地注视着这些事态发展。在日本，军事领导人控制了政府，他们的目标是使日本成为亚洲的领导力量。在意大利，政府由法西斯主义者贝尼托墨索里尼领导。另一个法西斯分子弗朗西斯科·佛朗哥，在西班牙夺取了政权。最重要的是，希特勒和纳粹党增强了他们在德国的实力。富兰克林·罗斯福比大多数西方领导人，更早地意识到这些新领导人所代表的威胁。
大多数美国人都和罗斯福一样不喜欢新的法西斯运动。然而，美国人更强烈地感受到另一种情绪，这是他们不想参战。第一次世界大战15年前刚刚结束，这在许多美国人心中仍然记忆犹新。大多数民众反对任何可能使美国卷入另一场血腥冲突的政策。1937年进行了一项民意调查，该研究显示，71%的美国人认为美国参加一战是一个错误。因此，当国会通过一项法律，命令政府在任何外交冲突中。持中立时，罗斯福总统并不感到惊讶。国会还拒绝了美国加入国际法庭的行政提案。富兰克林·罗斯福也希望美国不要卷入外国冲突。但是，阿道夫·希特勒和其他法西斯分子变得越发强大。形势迫使美国人开始考虑需要动用军事力量。美国人不想卷入另一场世界大战，他们呼吁罗斯福总统及其国会代表在世界事务中保持中立。但是，德国和日本的侵略将迫使美国在他们对民主和对和平的渴望之间做出选择。这将是我们下期要讲述的故事。
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