(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. Today, we continue the story of America's thirty-sixth president, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Johnson was vice president to John F. Kennedy. Kennedy was murdered in Dallas in November of nineteen sixty-three. Johnson served the last fourteen months of the president's term. Then he won a full term of his own starting in January nineteen sixty-five. Most of Johnson's time and energy would be taken up by the war in Vietnam. By early nineteen sixty-four, America had about seventeen thousand troops in Vietnam. The troops were there to advise and train the South Vietnamese military. Vietnam had gained its independence from France in nineteen fifty-four. The country was divided into North and South. The North had a communist government led by Ho Chi Minh. The South had an anti-communist government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. In nineteen fifty-seven, communist rebels -- the Viet Cong -- launched a violent campaign in the South. They were supported by the government of North Vietnam and later by North Vietnamese troops. Their goal was to overthrow the government in the South.
President Johnson believed that the United States had to support South Vietnam. Many Americans agreed. They believed that without American help, South Vietnam would become communist. There were concerns about the so-called Domino Theory, that if South Vietnam fell, other Southeast Asian countries would also fall to communists. As Johnson began his full term, his military advisers told him the communists were losing the war. They told him that North Vietnamese troops and Viet Cong forces would soon stop fighting. On February sixth, nineteen sixty-five, however, the Viet Cong attacked American camps at Pleiku and Qui Nhon. The Johnson administration immediately ordered air strikes against military targets in the North. Some observers in the United States questioned the administration's policy. James Reston of the New York Times, for example, said President Johnson was carrying out an undeclared war in Vietnam. In March nineteen sixty-five, the first American combat troops arrived in South Vietnam. Congress supported the president's actions at that time. However, the number of Americans who opposed the war began to grow. These people said it was a civil war. They said the United States had no right, or reason, to intervene.
For six days in May, the United States halted bombing of North Vietnam. The administration hoped this would help get the North Vietnamese government to begin negotiations. The North refused. And the United States began to build up its forces in the South. By July, one hundred twenty-five thousand Americans were fighting in Vietnam. Some Americans became angry. Anti-war demonstrations took place in San Francisco and Chicago. More and more students began to protest. They wanted the war to end quickly. Some people thought the anti-war demonstrations were only delaying peace in Vietnam. James Reston believed the demonstrations would make Ho Chi Minh think America did not support its troops. And that, he said, would only make him continue the war. In December of nineteen sixty-five, the United States again halted its air campaign against North Vietnam. Again, it invited the North Vietnamese government to negotiate an end to the fighting. And, again, the North refused. Ho Chi Minh's conditions for peace were firm. He demanded an end to the bombing and a complete American withdrawal.
Withdrawal would mean defeat for the South. It would mean that all of Vietnam would become communist. President Johnson would not accept these terms. So he offered his own proposals. The most important was an immediate ceasefire. Neither side would compromise, however. And the fighting went on. In nineteen sixty-six, President Johnson renewed the bombing in North Vietnam. He also increased the number of American troops in South Vietnam. Nineteen sixty-six was also a year for congressional elections. The opposition Republican Party generally supported the war efforts of Lyndon Johnson, who was a Democrat. But it criticized him and other Democrats for economic problems connected to the war. The war cost two billion dollars every month. The price of many goods in the United States began to rise. The value of the dollar began to drop. Americans faced inflation and then a recession. To answer the criticism, administration officials said progress was being made in Vietnam. But some Americans began to suspect that the government was not telling the truth about the war. Opposition to the war led to bigger and bigger demonstrations.
In July nineteen sixty-seven, just over half the people questioned for opinion surveys said they did not approve of the president's policies. But most Americans believed that Johnson would run again for president the next year. Johnson strongly defended the use of American troops in Vietnam. In a speech to a group of lawmakers he said: "Since World War II, this nation has met and has mastered many challenges—challenges in Greece and Turkey, in Berlin, in Korea, in Cuba. We met them because brave men were willing to risk their lives for their nation's security. And braver men have never lived than those who carry our colors in Vietnam at this very hour. The price of these efforts, of course, has been heavy. But the price of not having made them at all, not having seen them through, in my judgment would have been vastly greater." Then came Tet -- the Vietnamese lunar new year -- in January nineteen sixty-eight. The communists launched a major military campaign. They attacked thirty-one of the forty-four provinces of South Vietnam. They also struck at the American embassy in the capital, Saigon.
"Military Police got back into the compound of the two-and-a-half million dollar embassy complex at dawn. Before that, a platoon of Viet Cong were in control. The communist raiders never got inside the main chancery building. A handful of Marines had it locked and kept them out. But the raiders were everywhere else." CBS News reporter George Syvertsen described more of the fighting in Saigon and how it affected civilians in a poor part of the city. "This neighborhood is called ‘the chessboard' because of the maze of alleys and passageways. Its residents are mostly poor working people, and its slums are a refuge for Saigon's hoodlum and criminal elements. Vietnamese Rangers and Marines move carefully, blasting buildings and possible Viet Cong hiding places before moving ahead. This was the first time heavy fighting has taken place in Saigon proper. Until now, most of it has been in the Chinese section of Cho Lon and in the suburbs. "The V-C (Viet Cong) were difficult to dislodge. They obviously knew the section well and had built barricades in key spots. The Rangers and Marines took casualties, mostly from hidden snipers. As soon as a section had been cleared, more terror-stricken civilians scurried out of their homes, thousands of them fleeing from the bullets and explosives, and, even more dangerous, a fire that began to rage out of control.
Residents in nearby buildings began dragging their most precious possessions out of their shops and homes. Saigon's water supply system is operating only at seventy percent of normal, so fires are a serious menace. "For these people, many of whom had fled the war from outlying villages, this is the cruelest blow. The curfew has kept them from making a living. Food prices have tripled since the fighting began a week ago. And now, their homes are being destroyed." Thousands of people were killed in the Tet Offensive. The communists suffered heavier losses than the South Vietnamese or the Americans. But many Americans were surprised that the communists could launch such a major attack against South Vietnam. For several years, they had been told that communist forces were small and losing badly. General William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. military operations in Viet Nam, spoke with reporter George Syvertsen: "General, how would you assess yesterday's activities and today's? What is the enemy doing? Are these major attacks or..." "The enemy, very deceitfully, has taken advantage of the Tet truce, in order to create maximum consternation within South Viet Nam, particularly in the populated areas. Now, yesterday, the enemy exposed himself by virtue of this strategy, and he suffered great casualties."
As a result of the offensive, popular support for the administration fell even more. Democrats who opposed President Johnson seized this chance. Several ran against him for the party's nomination in nineteen sixty-eight. These included Senator Robert Kennedy of New York and Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota. Kennedy and McCarthy did well in the early primary elections. Johnson did poorly. At the end of March nineteen sixty-eight, the president spoke to the American people. He discussed his proposal to end American bombing of North Vietnam. He talked about his appointment of a special ambassador to start peace negotiations. And he announced his decision about his own future: "I do not believe that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes or to any duties other than the awesome duties of this office -- the presidency of your country. Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president." Another major issue facing America in the nineteen-sixties was the civil rights movement, which sought to ensure equal rights for black Americans. That will be our story next week.
重点解析
1.take up 占据；从事
It can take up to six months before reimbursements are paid.
最长要等6个月才能得到赔付。
2.carry out 实行；开展
I myself will firmly carry out this plan.
我本人将坚决执行这个计划。
3.approve of 赞同；同意
Iquiteapproveoftheideaofyourplan.
我赞同你计划中的想法。
4.seek to 试图；设法
He also denied that he would seek to annex the country.
他还否认会试图吞并该国。
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。今天，我们继续讲述美国第三十六任总统林登·贝恩斯·约翰逊的故事。约翰逊是约翰·肯尼迪的副总统，肯尼迪于1963年11月在达拉斯遭人谋杀。约翰逊出任了总统任期的最后14个月，随后赢得了自己的满期总统任期，于1965年1月开始执政。约翰逊将花费大部分的时间和精力，来解决越南战争。到1964年初，美国在越南有大约一万七千名士兵。美军在那里为南越军队提供建议，并对他们进行训练。越南于1954年从法国获得独立，该国被分成南北两部分。朝鲜有一个由胡志明领导的共产党政府，南部有一个由吴廷琰领导的反共政府。1957年，共产主义叛军越共在南部发起一场暴力运动。他们得到了北越政府的支持，后来北越军队也给予他们支持，他们的目标是推翻南方政府。
约翰逊总统认为，美国必须支持南越。许多美国人都表示同意。他们认为，没有美国的帮助，南越就会变成共产主义。有人担心所谓的多米诺骨牌理论，即如果南越倒台，其他东南亚国家也会落入共产党手中。约翰逊开始任期时，他的军事顾问告诉他，共产党正在输掉这场战争。他们告诉他，北越军队和越共部队不久将停止战斗。然而，1965年2月6日，越共攻击了美国在普莱库和奎恩的营地。约翰逊政府立即下令空袭北部的军事目标。美国的一些观察家质疑政府的这项政策，例如，《纽约时报》的詹姆斯·雷斯顿说，约翰逊总统正在越南进行一场未经宣战的战争。1965年3月，第一支美国作战部队抵达南越。当时，国会支持总统的行动。然而，反对战争的美国人越来越多。这些人说这是一场内战，他们说，美国没有权利或理由进行干预。
在五月份的六天时间里，美国停止了对北越的轰炸。政府希望，这将有助于北越政府开始谈判。北方表示拒绝，美国开始在南部集结军队。到七月，有12.5万美国人在越南作战。一些美国人很生气，反战示威在旧金山和芝加哥举行。越来越多的学生开始抗议，他们希望战争快点结束。一些人认为反战示威只是在拖延越南的和平进程。詹姆斯·雷斯顿认为，示威会让胡志明认为，美国不支持其军队。他说，这只会让他将战争继续下去。1965年12月，美国再次停止对北越的空袭行动，再次邀请北越政府进行谈判以结束战斗。北方再次表示拒绝。胡志明坚定地提出了和平条件，他要求停止轰炸，同时美国彻底撤军。
撤军将意味着南部失败，这意味着整个越南都将成为共产主义政权。总统约翰逊不会接受这些条件。所以，他提出了自己的建议。其中最重要的是立即停火。然而，双方都不会妥协，战斗还在继续。1966年，约翰逊总统再次轰炸北越，他还增加了在南越的美军人数。1966年也是国会选举的一年，反对党共和党人普遍支持民主党人林登·约翰逊在战争中的努力。但是，他们批评他和其他民主党人对与战争有关的经济问题的解决方式。战争每月花费20亿美元，美国许多商品的价格开始上涨。美元开始贬值，美国人面临通货膨胀和经济衰退。为了回应批评，政府官员表示，越南情况正在取得进展。但是，一些美国人开始怀疑政府没有说出战争的真相。反对战争导致出现越来越多的示威游行。
1967年7月，刚刚超过一半的人接受民意调查，表示他们不赞成总统的政策。但是，大多数美国人认为，约翰逊明年会再次竞选总统。约翰逊坚决捍卫在越南动用美军，在面向一群议员的演讲中，他说：“自二战以来，美国在希腊、土耳其、柏林、韩国、古巴等地，都遭遇并掌控许多挑战。我们迎头而上，因为勇士愿意为了国家安全冒生命危险。世上没有谁会比此刻在越南高举我们旗帜的战士，更英勇无畏。当然，这些努力的代价是沉重的。但是，我认为，如果没有进行过努力，没有看透它们，代价会更大。”随后到了1968年1月，这是越南农历新年春节。共产党发动了一场大型军事行动，他们袭击了南越44个省中的31个省，还袭击了位于首都西贡的美国大使馆。
“军警在拂晓时分，回到了价值250万美元的大使馆大楼。在此之前，越共的一个野战排处于控制之中。共产党的袭击者从未进入大法官办事处大楼，几个海军陆战队员锁住了这个大楼，把他们挡在门外。但是，袭击者无处不在。”哥伦比亚广播公司新闻记者乔治·西弗特森描述了西贡的更多战事，以及战况对于西贡贫穷地区平民的影响。其中有迷宫般的小巷和通道。里面的居民大多是贫穷的劳动人民，贫民窟是西贡流氓和犯罪分子的避难所。越南护林员和海军陆战队小心地移动，在行军前炸毁了建筑物和越共可能藏身的地方。这是西贡地区首次发生激战。到目前为止，大部分都发生在堤岸唐人街和郊区。“很难将越共驱逐，很明显，他们熟悉该区域，并在关键地点设置了路障。游骑兵和海军陆战队的伤亡主要来自隐藏的狙击手。一个区域被清理干净后，更多受恐怖袭击的平民迅速逃离家园，数千人逃离子弹和爆炸物，更危险的是，大火开始失去控制。
附近建筑物里的居民，开始把他们最珍贵的财产从商店和家里拖出来。西贡的供水系统只有正常状况下的70%，所以火灾是一个严重的威胁。“对这些人来说，他们中许多人是从边远村庄逃出来躲避战争的，而这算是最残酷的打击。宵禁使他们无法谋生。一周前战事开始以来，食品价格上涨了两倍。现在，他们的家园遭到摧毁。”数千人在春节发生的这场攻势中丧生，共产党遭受的损失比南越人和美国人更惨重。但是，许多美国人对共产党能对南越发动如此大规模的进攻感到惊讶。几年来，他们所知道的共产主义军队规模小，损失惨重。美国驻越南军事行动指挥官威廉·韦斯特莫兰将军，接受记者乔治·西弗特森采访时说：“将军，您如何评价今天和昨天的行动？敌人在干什么？这算是大型袭击吗？或者……”“敌人非常诡诈地利用了春节休战协定，以便在南越内部，特别是在人口稠密地区制造最大程度的恐慌。昨天，敌人利用该策略将自己暴露于外，遭受了巨大的伤亡。”
由于这次进攻，民众对政府的支持率下降得更多。反对约翰逊总统的民主党人抓住了这个机会。1968年，几个人与他竞争该党的提名，其中包括纽约参议员罗伯特·肯尼迪和明尼苏达州参议员尤金·麦卡锡。肯尼迪和麦卡锡在初选初期表现不错，约翰逊的情况则不尽如人意。1968年3月底，总统对美国人民发表讲话。他讨论了结束美国轰炸北越的建议，谈到他任命一位特别大使开始和平谈判，还宣布了关于自己对未来的决定：“我认为，我不应该将一小时或一天的时间花费在个人党派事业或除本职责（总统职位）之外的任何职责上。因此，我不会寻求，也不会接受我党另一任期的总统提名。”美国在20世纪60年代面临的另一个主要问题是民权运动，这场运动试图确保美国黑人享有平等的权利。这将是我们下期节目要讲述的故事。
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