[VOA英译汉-双语][32-1]Franklin D. Roosevelt: Powerful 富兰克林·罗斯福：强大

VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents

美国之音慢速英语介绍美国总统栏目。

Today we are talking about Franklin Delano Roosevelt He was related to an earlier president with same last name, Theodore Roosevelt Many Americans call Franklin Roosevelt by the first letter of each word in his full name: FDR

今天，我们谈论的是富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福。他与之前的总统 西奥多·罗斯福 有着相同的姓。大多数美国人称富兰克林·罗斯福全名的英文缩写：FDR。

When FDR took office, the United States was in a severe economic depression The previous president, Herbert Hoover , had tried to improve the economy, but his efforts had failed

罗斯福就任总统时，美国正处于严重的经济萧条当中。前任总统 赫伯特·胡佛 尝试过去改善经济，但失败了。

FDR defeated Hoover in the election of 1932 He won, in part, by promising what he called a “new deal” for Americans

罗斯福在1932年大选中击败了胡佛。从某种程度上来讲，他赢得大选是因为他承诺美国民众实施他所谓的“新政”。

Voters did not know what FDR’s “new deal” meant exactly, but many liked his message of hope

选民其实并不完全理解罗斯福的“新政”，但许多人喜欢他所传达的希望。

Voters also did not know how much FDR would change the country He remained in office for 12 years – the longest of any US president – and led the country through the Great Depression and most of World War II

选民也不知道罗斯福将会改变这个国家多少。罗斯福连任了12年总统，是所有美国总统当中任期最长的，并且带领美国度过了大萧条和二战的大部分时间。

Along the way, he changed the way government affected Americans’ lives, and the job of the US president

一路走来，他改变了美国政府影响人民生活的方式，以及美国总统的工作方式。

Franklin Roosevelt was born on a large estate [1] in New York, about 140 kilometers outside New York City He was the only child of wealthy parents

富兰克林·罗斯福出生于纽约市以外约140公里处的一个大庄园里。他是这个富裕家庭里唯一的孩子。

His mother and father made sure he had an excellent education As a young man he attended a private high school, and then Harvard College in Massachusetts He also studied law at Columbia University in New York

父母保证了罗斯福接受了良好的教育。青年时期，他上了一所私立高校，后来进入了位于马萨诸塞州的哈佛大学。他还在纽约州的哥伦比亚大学学习了法律。

Young FDR was not an excellent student, however He was interested in many things outside the classroom, including politics and girls

然而，罗斯福年轻的时候并不是一位优秀的学生。他对很多课外的事情感兴趣，比如政治和女孩。

Two of FDR’s interests came together in a young woman named Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, who went by the name Eleanor She was the niece [2] of a politician FDR greatly respected: President Theodore Roosevelt

罗斯福对一位名叫安娜·埃莉诺·罗斯福的年轻女子产生了浓厚兴趣，人们通常叫她埃莉诺。她是罗斯福非常敬仰的一位政治家西奥多·罗斯福总统的侄女。

On the day when Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were married, Theodore Roosevelt attended the ceremony In fact, he walked with his niece in front of the guests to her future husband

富兰克林和埃莉诺·罗斯福大婚当日，西奥多·罗斯福参加了婚礼。事实上，是他挽着侄女在众多客人面前走向未来丈夫的。

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt went on to have six children, although one died as a baby

富兰克林和埃莉诺·罗斯福共有六个孩子，其中一个早夭。

While Eleanor Roosevelt raised the children, Franklin Roosevelt directed his attention to politics

埃莉诺·罗斯福抚养孩子的时候，富兰克林·罗斯福的注意力都扑在了政治上。

He left a job in a law office to serve in the New York state senate In time, he was offered a job in the federal government as an assistant secretary of the Navy

他辞去了律师事务所的工作，担任了纽约州的参议员。后来，他被联邦政府任命为海军助理部长。

FDR enjoyed the job, but he continued seeking other political positions He tried unsuccessfully for a seat in the US Senate, but did get nominated by the Democratic Party to be its vice presidential candidate in 1920

罗斯福很喜欢这份工作，但仍继续寻求其他政治地位。他竞选了美国参议员席位，但失败了。不过，他于1920年被提名为民主党的副总统候选人。

Although he and his partner lost the race, FDR seemed like he was in a good position for major political success

尽管他和他的竞选搭档失败了，但罗斯福似乎正处于一个重大政治胜利的绝佳位置。

But then something unexpected happened

然而意外却发生了。

When he was 39 years old, FDR suffered major health problems One day he started to feel a pain in his back The following day his legs grew tired Then his skin became sensitive

罗斯福39岁的时候，遭遇了重大的健康问题。有一天，他开始感到背部疼痛；然后第二天，双腿感到疲劳；再然后，皮肤变得敏感。

By the end of the week, both his legs were paralyzed [3] He could not move from the waist down He remained paralyzed for the rest of his life

那周结束的时候，他的双腿已经瘫痪，腰部以下都无法动弹。他的余生都处于瘫痪状态。

The next years were difficult for the Roosevelts Eleanor and the children helped care for FDR And he worked hard to recover some of his strength and physical abilities , especially by exercising

接下来的几年对罗斯福一家来说很艰难。埃莉诺和孩子们帮忙照顾罗斯福，他自己也努力去恢复力量和 体能 ，尤其是运动。

While he remained hopeful about his condition, FDR worried about his political career He did not think the public would accept a leader who could not even walk by himself So he took several measures

然而，罗斯福仍然对自己的状况感到乐观，他担忧的是他的政治生涯。他觉得民众不会接受一位甚至不能行走的***。所以，他采取了若干措施。

He created a small wheelchair that would not get too much attention It was made from a dining room chair, with wheels instead of legs

他制造了一个不会引起太多注意的小型轮椅。该轮椅是从餐厅的椅子改造而来的，只是把椅子的腿改成了轮子。

He refused to let photographers take pictures of him being carried or struggling to move, and he found a way to appear as if he were walking He used a cane or the arm of a partner to balance, and then he swung [4] his hips to make his legs move forward

他拒绝被拍到努力挣扎移动的样子，并找到了一种让他看起来好像在行走的方式。他通过手杖或同伴的手臂来保持平衡，然后摆动臀部使腿向前移动。

Using this method, FDR “walked” to the stage [5] at the 1924 Democratic National Convention He used the event to nominate the governor of New York for president

通过这种方式，罗斯福“走上”了1924年民主党全国代表大会的舞台，他利用这次大会提名了纽约州州长为总统。

That man’s bid did not succeed But FDR showed himself to still be an able politician

尽管这次提名没有成功，但罗斯福展示了他仍是一位有能力的政治家。

Four years later, FDR himself was elected governor of New York He held the position in the early years of the country’s economic crisis

四年后，罗斯福当选为纽约州州长。此时，正值国家经济危机的头几年。

In 1932, FDR was a candidate for president He took the unusual step of appearing in person at the Democratic convention to accept his party’s nomination

罗斯福于1932年成为总统候选人。他采取了不同寻常的方式 亲自 出现在民主党大会上接受党的提名。

His campaign was such a success that the Democrats took not only the White House, but majorities in both the US Senate and House of Representatives

他的竞选如此成功，以致于民主党不仅赢得了白宫，而且获得了美国参议院和众议院的多数席位。

The strength of the Democratic Party in Congress would help FDR become one of the most powerful presidents the country had ever seen

民主党在国会的强大实力将帮助罗斯福成为美国有史以来最有权力的总统之一。

Next week we will continue our story of FDR and his presidency

下周我们将继续罗斯福和他总统任期的故事。

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VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents

美国之音慢速英语介绍美国总统栏目。

Today we are talking about Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States He took office in 1853 at age 48 At that time, he was the youngest person elected to the White House

今天，我们来谈论下美国第14届总统富兰克林·皮尔斯。他于1853年48岁的时候就职。当时，他是最年轻的总统。

Pierce was known for being social – and for his good looks But his personal life was full of tragedy, and he was not an effective chief executive [1]

皮尔斯以善于交际而闻名，他的英俊也让他声名远扬。但是他的个人生活充满悲剧，他不是一位有能力的总统。

Over time, he has come to be remembered as one of the country’s worst presidents

久而久之，皮尔斯逐渐以美国最差的总统之一而被人记住。

Franklin Pierce was born in the northern state of New Hampshire He was one of eight children

富兰克林·皮尔斯出生于北方 新罕布什尔州 ，他是八个孩子中的一个。

He attended school regularly [2] as a child, and he went on to Bowdoin College in Maine There, he developed his skills as an excellent public speaker He also became an able lawyer

孩童时期，他正常上了学，后来继续读了缅因州的鲍登学院。在那儿，他开发了卓越的公众演讲才能。他也成为了一名优秀的律师。

Pierce’s abilities carried him far But his personal connections helped, too

皮尔斯的能力对他帮助很大，然而他个人的关系也帮助了很多。

His father became the governor of New Hampshire Shortly after, Pierce was elected to the state legislature He soon became a member of the US Congress – first as a member of the House of Representatives, and then as a senator

他的父亲是新罕布什尔州的州长。不久之后，皮尔斯入选州 立法机构 。他很快就成为了国会的议员 —— 起初是众议员，然后是参议员。

Several important things happened in Pierce’s personal life during those years in Washington, DC He married Jane Means Appleton They soon had a son, but the child died after only three days The couple went on to have two more boys

在华盛顿的那几年，皮尔斯的个人生活发生了几件重要的事情。他和简·米恩斯·阿普尔顿结婚，很快就有了一个儿子，但三天后就夭折了。这对夫妻后来又有了两个儿子。

In Washington, Franklin Pierce also developed friendships with many people from the South They defended the right of states to permit slavery Although he was from the North, Pierce came to share the opinions of his Southern friends He grew to dislike anti-slavery activists , who were known as abolitionists

在华盛顿，富兰克林·皮尔斯与许多南方人士发展了友谊。他们捍卫允许奴隶制的权利。尽管皮尔斯来自北方，他开始分享他南方朋友的观点。他逐渐讨厌禁奴 积极分子 ，也就是 废奴主义者 。

As a politician, Pierce was a member of the Democratic Party and strongly supported the ideas of President Andrew Jackson But politics did not appeal to his wife She also did not like her husband’s habit [3] of drinking alcohol with his friends Jane Pierce belonged to the temperance movement , which urged Americans to avoid the use of alcoholic drinks

作为一名政客，皮尔斯是一名民主党人士，并且强烈支持 安德鲁·杰克逊 总统的理念。但是他的妻子对政治不感兴趣。他也不喜欢他丈夫和朋友喝酒的习惯。简·皮尔斯支持 禁酒运动 ，这项运动旨在推进美国人避免使用酒精饮料。

So Pierce resigned his job in the Senate and moved back to New Hampshire

所以，皮尔斯辞去了参议员的职位，回到了新罕布什尔州。

There, he stopped drinking alcohol and earned fame as a lawyer and public speaker But tragedy struck again: his second son became sick and died ​

回去后，他不再喝酒，并且作为一名律师和公众发言人赢得了一些声誉。但是悲剧再次降临：他的第二个儿子生病死亡。

Pierce remained active in politics in New Hampshire He helped the Democratic candidate for president at the time, James K Polk, win votes in the state

在新罕布什尔，皮尔斯仍旧活跃在政治舞台。当时，他帮助民主党总统候选人 詹姆斯·诺克斯·波尔克 赢取了该州的选票。

When Polk entered the White House, he gave Pierce a position as a general in the Mexican-American War

当波尔克入主白宫后，在美墨战争中，他给了皮尔斯一个将军的职位。

Pierce did not earn the respect of his troops In one battle, he passed out [4] after he fell off his horse and crushed his leg Some of his men, seeing what happened, fled the battlefield Others called him “ Fainting [5] Frank”

皮尔斯没有获得军队的尊敬。在一场战役中，他从马背上摔下来压断了腿，然后就晕厥过去。一些士兵看到了眼前发生的事后就逃离了战场。其他一些人称他为“晕厥的富兰克林”。

Although Pierce had his critics, he returned to New Hampshire as a leader in the state’s Democratic Party Yet no one expected him to become president of the United States

尽管富兰克林受到了批评，他还是作为一位民主党领袖（退役）回到了新罕布什尔州。然而，没有人希望他成为美国总统。

Pierce’s nomination came during the Democratic national convention in 1852 Party leaders could not agree on a candidate They were split among the three top choices

1852年民主党全国代表大会上，皮尔斯获得提名。党内领袖就总统候选人无法达成一致，他们有三个竞争候选人。

So the party turned to Pierce They liked the fact that he was not well known or had taken any strong positions as a lawmaker As a result, fewer people could object to him, they reasoned

所以，民主党的目光移到了皮尔斯身上。他们喜欢他不是很出名而且作为议员没有供职于任何重要职位的事实。最后，他们推断，很少会有人反对他。

Pierce did very little during the election campaign He did not need to Many voters, especially in the South, did not like his opponent

皮尔斯在大选中几乎没做什么事情。他也不需要。许多选民，尤其是南方选民，不喜欢他的竞争对手。

When the election was held, Pierce won easily

当选举大会举行时，皮尔斯很轻松地赢取大选。

But before he took office, another terrible thing happened Franklin and Jane Pierce were traveling by train with their youngest son Benjamin, who was 11-years-old The train went off the rails Bennie was killed instantly [6] in front of his parents

但在皮尔斯任职前，发生了另一件可怕的事情。富兰克林和简·皮尔斯带着他们11岁的小儿子本杰明乘坐火车出行。火车脱轨了，本尼在他的父母面前当场死亡。

Neither Franklin nor Jane Pierce ever really recovered Jane believed their son’s death was a punishment from God for her husband becoming president

富兰克林和简·皮尔斯从来没有真正从儿子的死去中恢复过来。简认为他们儿子的死亡是上帝对他丈夫当选总统的惩罚。

As president, Pierce faced an extremely difficult situation The country’s ongoing dispute about whether and where to permit slavery was becoming more intense Under Pierce, the dispute centered on the areas of Kansas and Nebraska

作为总统，皮尔斯面临着非常严峻的形势。国内关于是否以及在哪允许奴隶制的争论愈演愈烈。皮尔斯时期，争论的焦点在于堪萨斯和内布拉斯加区域。

At the time, both areas were considered territories, not states And each territory was above the line of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 That act, approved by lawmakers nearly 35 years before Pierce took office, banned slavery in northern areas, including what would become Kansas and Nebraska

当时，这两个区域都被视为领土而不是州。每个领土都在1820年 密苏里妥协案 规定的分界线之上。这一分界线是在皮尔斯执政时期大约35年前由国会批准的，它禁止了北方蓄奴，自然就包括了即将成为堪萨斯州以及内布拉斯加州的区域。

But pro-slavery settlers demanded that Kansas and Nebraska voters – a group comprised of white men – decide the issue for themselves A majority of US lawmakers agreed

但是奴隶主要求堪萨斯和内布拉斯加一群由白人组成的选民自己来决定是否允许奴隶制。美国大多数国会议员都同意了。

Under pressure, President Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854

压力之下，1854年皮尔斯总统签署了 《堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案》 。

The measure was one of the most important in US history It overturned the Missouri Compromise and cancelled the ban on slavery It incited years of intense of violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists And it pushed a divided nation even further apart

这项美国历史上最重要的举措之一，推翻了密苏里妥协法案，取消了奴隶制的禁止。它刺激了蓄奴和禁奴分子之间数年的紧张暴力局势，并且整个国家被进一步推向分裂。

The troubles also showed Pierce to be an ineffective president He could not ease the tensions over slavery, nor unite the country behind the Kansas-Nebraska Act

动乱也显现了皮尔斯是一位无能的总统。他没能够缓解奴隶制的紧张局势，也没能在 《堪萨斯-内布拉斯加法案》 下统一国家。

And he delayed using his power to stop the violence in Kansas until it was far too late

在他使用总统权力去阻止堪萨斯暴力的时候已经太晚了。

Finally, his sympathy for pro-slavery groups angered many in the North, including people in his own party

最终，他对于奴隶制团体的同情惹怒了许多北方人，包括自己的党派。

The Democrats did not nominate him again at the next election

民主党人士没有再次提名他作为下届总统选举的候选人。

After four years as president, Pierce returned to New Hampshire He rarely socialized and began drinking alcohol again

卸任总统后，皮尔斯返回了新罕布什尔州。他很少社交并且再次开始酗酒。

After his wife died in 1863, Pierce seemed to disappear from public life Americans heard little about him until his death in 1869

皮尔斯的妻子逝世于1863年，之后他似乎就消失于公众之中。直到1869年去世前，人们很少能够听到关于他的消息。

But he lived to see the ultimate [7] tragedy of the Civil War that he – like other presidents before him – had failed to prevent

但他一直活着并目睹了最终的悲剧内战 —— 他和几位前任总统都无法阻止的悲剧。

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