Voice of Courage + 勇气之声译文

Unit Two: History and Personality

Text A

Voice of Courage

By Jonathan Alter

勇气之声

〔美国〕乔纳森·奥尔特

A few days after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn into office, he sat in the White House working on a radio speech about the country's banking crisis, scheduled for delivery on Sunday, March 12, 1933. It was the depths of the Depression, with a quarter of Americans out of work, homeless and destitute. Glancing out the window, FDR saw a workman taking down the inaugural scaffolding on the White House grounds.

在富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福宣誓就职的几天后，他坐在白宫里起草一份关于美国银行业危机的广播演说，它将于1933年3月12日这个星期天播出。此时此刻，美国正处于经济大萧条的水深火热之中，四分之一的美国人不是失业，就是无家可归，穷困潦倒。罗斯福向窗外望去，只见一个工人正在拆掉白宫临时搭建的总统就职演说的平台。

"I decided I'd try to make a speech that this workman could understand," he told Louis Howe, his chief aide.

“我一定要让这样的普通工人也能听得懂我的演讲。”他对首席助理路易斯·霍夫说。

The American economic system was in a state of shock. On Saturday, March 4, a few hours before FDR's swearing-in, the governors of New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania signed orders closing banks in those states. The New York Stock Exchange had suspended trading, and the Chicago Board of Trade bolted its doors for the first time since its founding in 1848. The terrifying "runs" that began the year before on more than 5,000 failing banks had stripped rural areas of capital and now threatened to overwhelm American cities.

美国的经济体系正处于危难之中。3月4日星期六，就在罗斯福宣誓就职前几个小时，纽约州、伊利诺斯州和宾夕法尼亚州的州长们刚刚签署了指令，关闭这些州的银行。纽约证券交易所已经暂停了交易。而自从1848年成立以来，芝加哥期货交易所也头一次关上了大门。始于前一年的“挤兑”现象令人惊慌， 5000多家银行倒闭，农村资金极度匮乏，而现在美国的城市也面临着全面的危机。

This was the bottom. If you had your money in a bank that went bust, you were wiped out. With no idea whether banks would reopen, millions of people hid their few remaining assets under their mattresses, where no one could steal them without a fight.

这就是底线了。如果你存钱的银行倒闭了，那么你也就完蛋了。数以百万计的美国人无法确定银行是否能够重新开门，于是把自己仅剩的那点财产都藏在褥垫下面。除非经过一场激战，藏在这里的钱谁也偷不走。

Roosevelt's inaugural address at the Capitol had begun to restore hope, with his standout line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Yet the greatest applause came when he said that if his reform program was not adopted, "I shall ask Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis: broad executive power to wage a war against the emergency."

罗斯福在国会的就职演讲给人们重新带来了希望，他那句最著名的话给人们留下了深刻的印象：“唯一值得恐惧的就是恐惧本身。”当提到若改革措施不被接受时，他的决心得到了人们的大声喝彩：“我将向国会要求对付危机的最后手段——向紧急状况开战的广泛行政权力。”

Then FDR used a new medium in a new way to change millions.

罗斯福以新的方式利用了一种新媒体，改变了百万人的生活。

The first Presidential radio broadcast was introduced by Robert Trout of CBS, who read from a folksy script approved by FDR: "The President wants to come into your home and sit at your fireside for a little fireside chat." FDR brought natural talent to the role. His speaking voice was a beautiful, relaxed tenor, not the contrived basso profundo of pompous politicians.

第一次总统广播演讲是由CBS的罗伯特·特劳特向公众介绍的，这份亲切的介绍词受到了罗斯福的肯定：“总统希望来到你的家里，坐在壁炉旁，与大家做个炉边小谈。”对于完成这个任务，罗斯福有着天分。他的音质优美，语调放松，与那些华而不实的政客的虚情假意完全不同。

Roosevelt owed much to technological good fortune. In 1921, the number of radios in the United States was in the thousands. By 1928, there were 9 million, and by 1932, 18 million, with about half the households owning at least one radio. Herbert Hoover had appeared on one of the first "telecasts" produced by an infant technology called television, but neither he nor anyone else knew how to use the broadcasting medium effectively.

罗斯福的炉边谈话大大受益于技术的发展。1921年，全美收音机的数量只有几千台。而到了1928年，这个数字就达到了900万台。到1932年的时候，全美已经有1800万台收音机了，大约有一半的家庭每家至少有一台收音机。赫伯特·胡佛利用过一种叫做电视的新生技术，他曾经首次出现在“电视广播”上。但无论是胡佛还是其他人，都不知道如何有效地利用广播媒体。

Roosevelt, though, was different.

然而，罗斯福则与众不同。

All afternoon, workers busily removed the gold pieces and Presidential china patterns in the Diplomatic Reception Room on the White House ground floor. In came bulky electrical equipment and telephone cables, connected to a desk and built-in microphone. Meanwhile, Roosevelt pictured people "gathered in the parlor, listening with their neighbors," wrote Frances Perkins, who witnessed many broadcasts. "As he talked, his head would nod and his hands would

move in natural, relaxed gestures. His face would light up as though he were actually sitting with people."

整个下午，工人们都在忙着搬走白宫外交接待大厅里的各种金饰品和总统瓷器，而搬进来的则是笨重的电气设备和电话电缆，这些设备都与一台桌子和内置的麦克风相连接。与此同时，罗斯福想象人们“聚在客厅里，与他们的邻居共同倾听”。曾经亲历了无数广播现场的弗朗西斯·珀金斯如是写道，“当罗斯福说话的时候，他点着头，并且做出各种自然而放松的手势。他的面孔熠熠生辉，就好像真的与人们坐在一起谈话一样。”

The ritual went this way: Upstairs, FDR would put the finishing touches on every word and phrase. He was obsessed with punctuation. Grace Tully, his secretary, sometimes inserted extra commas when she typed, leading her boss to gently upbraid her for "wasting the taxpayers' commas." His real concern was timing. He read aloud at about 100 words a minute, but he adjusted his pace for effect. At 6 p.m., Roosevelt had his throat sprayed for a sinus problem. Then he enjoyed cocktails and dinner.

整个过程是这样进行的：在楼上，罗斯福对每个单词和短语进行最后的润色。他对标点符号非常在意，而秘书格雷斯·塔利打字时有时会多打一些逗号，她的老板会因此语气和善地批评她“浪费纳税人的逗号”。罗斯福最关心的是时间把握问题。他大声朗读的速度大约是每分钟100个单词，但是他会调整自己的速度以求得到最好的效果。下午6点钟，因为鼻窦的问题罗斯福让人帮他冲洗了喉咙，然后就开始享用鸡尾酒和晚餐了。

Moments before the first Fireside Chat was to air, there was a crisis. No one could find his leather-bound reading copy. Panic ensued for everyone except FDR, who calmly picked up a smudged, mimeographed copy. After sipping from a glass of water, he read the words perfectly on the air.

就在第一次炉边谈话播出前一刻，还发生了一场危机：那份用皮革包边的朗读稿找不到了。大家都惊慌失措，而罗斯福则没有。他冷静地拿起一份脏兮兮的油印稿，啜饮了一点水之后，开始完美地朗读起来，并同时向全国播出。

The beauty of that first prime-time radio speech was its clarity. FDR walked people through the basics of banking without being patronizing. He outlined the process for deciding which banks to open. "He made everyone understand it, even the bankers," Will Rogers quipped later.

这次黄金时段的广播演讲其美妙之处在于它的清晰。罗斯福帮助人们了解了银行业的基本原理，而没有任何施恩于人的姿态。对于哪些银行要开业，他大体介绍了其决策过程。“他让每个人都清楚明白——甚至包括银行家在内。”威尔·罗杰斯后来打趣地说道。

In the middle of the speech, Roosevelt said simply, "I can assure you that it is safer to keep your money in a reopened bank than under the mattress." By raising an issue that made so many feel shameful, he lifted the shame—offering listeners a way to strike a patriotic blow by simply depositing money into a solvent bank. Those who planned instead to withdraw money were gently

thrown in with an unsavory lot. Hoarding, the President said, "has become an exceedingly unfashionable pastime."

在演讲中，罗斯福简单地说道：“我敢向大家保证，把钱存在重新开业的银行里，比放在褥子底下要安全。”他提及了这件让很多人羞愧的事情，旨在帮助人们摆脱羞愧——他告诉人们只要把钱存入有偿付能力的银行，就是一种爱国之举。而打算把钱从银行取走则被温和地指为不明智的行为。总统说，囤积，“已经成为一种极度不流行的消遣行为了。”

Then he returned to themes so popular in his inaugural. "Confidence and courage are the essentials in carrying out our plan. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system. Together we cannot fail."

然后他又回到在其就职演说中深受欢迎的主题。“在执行计划的过程中，信心和勇气必不可少。让我们联合起来，赶走恐惧。我们已经有了恢复金融体系的机制。只要团结起来，就不会失败的。”

Jim Farley, a top political advisor, wrote that if judged by its impact, this speech may have been the greatest single utterance by an American President. "No other talk ever called forth such a wave of spontaneous enthusiasm and cooperation." With 60 million people listening, the effect was immediate. The next day, Monday, March 13, newspapers reported long lines of Americans anxious to redeposit their money. The New York Stock Exchange, closed for over a week, opened 15 percent higher, the largest one-day surge in more than half a century. Within a week, most of the recently closed banks reopened.

高级政治顾问吉姆·法利认为，如果以影响力作为评价标准，那么这次演讲可被认为是美国总统所做的最伟大的一次演讲了。“没有哪一次谈话能够像它一样激起人们如此强烈的自发热情和合作。”6000万人同时倾听，产生的即时效果是可想而知的。第二天——3月13日——是个周一，报纸报道说美国人排起了长队，急切地要把钱重新存回银行。而关闭了一周多的纽约证券交易所也重新开市了，当天高开了 15%，创造了半个多世纪以来的单日最大涨幅。炉边谈话后的一个星期之内，大多数最近关闭的银行都重新开业了。

Gerald Ford, about 20 at the time, remembered FDR's Fireside Chats as "big events—we would all stop and listen." Ronald Reagan's biographer, Lou Cannon, has written that Reagan's "metaphors were the offspring of FDR's." And Bill Clinton recalled hearing his grandfather talk about how he sat in rapt attention, "then went to work the next day feeling a little different about the country."

当时杰拉德·福特只有20岁左右，他回忆说罗斯福总统的炉边谈话是“重要的事情——我们都会停下手头的事情倾听”。罗纳德·里根的传记作家卢·坎农写道，里根的“比喻说话方式得到了罗斯福总统的‘遗传’”。比尔·克林顿也回忆说，他的祖父谈到自己当时听罗斯福的演讲时，会全神贯注，“第二天上班的时候，感觉到这个国家已经发生了变化。

After the first Fireside Chat, FDR relaxed in his office. At 11:30 p.m. he said, "I think it's time for beer." Preparations for a bill to speed the end of Prohibition began that night.

第一次炉边谈话之后，罗斯福在办公室里稍稍放松了一下。晚上11点半的时候，他说：“该喝点啤酒了。”就在那一天晚上，他开始了加速取消禁酒令的准备工作。

Vocabulary

1.swear [ ] v. to admit someone to a particular office or position by directing

them to take a formal oath 宣誓

2.delivery [ ] n. giving a speech in public 演讲

3.destitute [ ] adj. having no money, no food, no home etc. 困穷

的

4.inaugural [ ] adj. (of an official speech) first, and marking the

beginning of sth. important 就职的, 开始的

5.scaffolding [ ] n. a set of poles and boards built into a structure

for workers to stand on outside of a building 脚手架

6.aide [ ] n. sb. helping a person with an important job, esp. a politician <美>助手, 副

官

7.swearing-in [ ] n. making a promise to do a job correctly宣誓就职

8.suspend [ ] v. to officially stop something from continuing, esp. for a

short time暂停

9.bolt [ ] v. to lock a door or window by sliding a bolt across上门闩

10.overwhelm [ ] v. to surprise someone very much so that they do

not know how to react 使人不知所措

11.asset [ ] n. the property of a person, company, etc., esp. of value 资产

12.mattress [ ] n. the soft part of a bed to lie on床垫

13.Capitol [ ] n. the building in Washington D.C. where the US Congress

meets国会大厦

14.restore [ ] v. to make something return to its former state or condition恢

复

15.standout [ ] adj. a person or sth. in a group much better than all the

rest出色的, 杰出的

16.Congress [ ] n. the group of people elected to make laws in the US,

consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives (美国等国的)国会, 议会

17.executive [ ] adj. relating to the job of managing a business or

organization and making decisions行政的

18.wage [ ] v. to begin and continue a war, a battle, etc. 发动

19.folksy [ ] adj. (infml.) esp. AmE friendly and informal 和气的, 无

拘束的

20.script [ ] n. the written form of a speech, play, film etc.手稿, 原本

21.tenor [ ] n. a high male singing voice 男高音

22.contrived [ ] adj. seeming false and not natural人为的, 做作的

23.basso profundo n. (pl. basso profundos) a deep bass sing voice 低音

24.pompous [ ] adj. feeling oneself better than others浮夸的

25.telecast [ ] n. sth. broadcast on television电视广播

26.bulky [ ] adj. bigger and difficult to carry or store体积大的

27.parlor [ ] n. (old-fashion) a room in pubic buildings to receive guests会客

室

28.obsess [ ] v. to be talking or worrying about sth. all the time 着迷

29.punctuation [ ] n. the marks to divide writing into

sentences, phrases, etc.标点, 标点符号

30.upbraid [ ] v. (fml.) to blame sb. having done sth. wrong责备

31.timing [ ] n. speed调速

32.spray [ ] v. to force liquid out of a container in a stream of very small drops

喷射

33.sinus [ ] n. the spaces in the bones of one’s head connected to the

inside o f one’s nose窦

34.air [ ] v. to broadcast a program on television or radio （用无线电，电视）播送

35.panic [ ] n. a sudden strong feeling of fear or nervousness making sb.

unable to think clearly 惊慌, 恐慌

36.ensue [ ] vi. to happen after or as a result of something跟着发生

37.smudge [ ] v. to make a dirty mark on a surface弄脏

38.mimeograph [ ] n. a copy made by using a duplicator油印品

39.prime-time n. the time in the evening with the largest number of people watching

television黄金时段

40.patronizing [ ] adj. showing oneself better, or more

intelligent 高人一等的

41.quip [ ] v. to say something clever and amusing 嘲弄

42.assure [ ] v. to tell positively or confidently向…保证

43.solvent [ ] adj. having enough money to pay your debts有偿付能力

的

44.unsavory [ ] adj. disgusting令人讨厌的

45.lot n. a group or set of people or things 一批，一类人或物

46.hoarding [ ] n. store贮藏

47.pastime [ ] n. something enjoyable or interesting消遣, 娱乐

48.theme [ ] n. the main subject or idea in writing, speech, film, etc. (谈话, 写作

等的) 主题

49.banish [ ] v. to try to stop thinking about something or someone消除

50.utterance [ ] n. (fml.) something a person says说话

51.spontaneous [ ] adj. not planned or

organized, but happening by itself 自发的, 自然产生的

52.surge [ ] n. a sudden increase in amount or number剧增

53.rapt [ ] adj. attentive全神贯注的

Phrases and expressions

1.work on: to try hard to improve or achieve something 从事于；致力于

2.take down: to separate sth. into pieces拆卸

3.go bust: to go bankrupt [俚]破产;完蛋

4.wiped out: [not before noun] (infml.) extremely tired 精疲力竭的

5.the finishing touch: the last detail 最后一笔

6.walk sb. through sth.: to help sb. learn or become familiar with sth.帮助某人了解某事

7.strike a blow for sb./sth.: to help achieve an aim 帮助某人获得成功

8.call forth: to produce a particular reaction 使起作用

Notes

1.Jonathan Alter: Jonathan Alter (1957-) is a columnist and senior editor for Newsweek

magazine, where he has worked since 1983. For nearly two decades, he has written a widely acclaimed column that examines politics, media, and social and global issues. For more than a decade, he has worked as a contributing correspondent to NBC News.

2.Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Franklin D. Roosevelt(1882-1945), the thirty-second President

of the United States (1933-1945). Assuming the Presidency at the depth of the Great

Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He brought hope as he promised prompt, vigorous action, and asserted in his Inaugural Address, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

3.The Depression: The “Great Depression” (1929-1939) was a period in United States

History when business was poor. Banks, stores, and factories were closed and left millions of

Americans jobless, homeless, and penniless. Many people came to depend on the government or charity to provide them with food. The Depression became a worldwide business slump of the 1930's that affected almost all nations. 大萧条

4.The New York Stock Exchange: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), nicknamed the

"Big Board," is a New York City-based stock exchange. It is the largest stock exchange in the world. 纽约证券交易所

5.The Chicago Board of Trade: An important market in Chicago, US, in which future

contracts for the delivery of commodities are bought and sold. 芝加哥交易所

6.Robert Trout: (1909-2000) an American broadcast news reporter, best known for his radio

work before and during World War II. He anchored CBS News coverage of World War II and coined the phrase "fireside chat" to describe President Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio addresses to the nation.

7.CBS: Columbia Broadcasting System哥伦比亚广播公司

8.Herbert Hoover: (1874-1964) a US politician in the Republican Party and President of the

US from 1929 to 1933

9.Frances Perkins: (1882-1965) secretary of labor for the 12 years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's

presidency and the first woman to hold a Cabinet post

10.Will Rogers: (1879-1935), first an Indian, a cowboy, then a national figure

11.Jim Farley: (1888-1973) appointed by FDR postmaster general and party chairman in 1933

and later one of FDR's closest political advisors

12.Gerald Ford: (1913-2006) Thirty-eighth President (1974-1977)

13.Ronald Reagan: (1911-2004) the fortieth President of the United States (1981-1989)

14.Lou Cannon: (1933-) an American non-fiction author and biographer. He covered Reagan

for over twenty-five years and the author of "President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime"

15.Bill Clinton (1946-): the forty-second President of the United States (1993-2001)

16.Prohibition: the period from 1919 to 1933 in the US when the production and sale of

alcoholic drinks was illegal禁止, 阻止, <美>禁酒令

Exercises

I. Questions for discussion

1.Why does the author say that the American economic system was in a state of shock?

2.What is the most encouraging line in FDR’s speech?

3.Why does the author say that Roosevelt owed much to technological good fortune?

4.How did FDR’s speech affect people and why?

5.How do you understand the title and does the word “courage” in the title only refers to the

courage shown by FDR?

II. Fill in the blanks with the words from the box. Change the form where necessary.

1.

2.The unprecedented floods left many people ____ and homeless.

3.Sales of the drug will be temporally _____ until more tests are completed.

4.I was completely _____ by his generosity to offer me the opportunity to use his luxury car

when I first met him.

5.He was once an immigrant worker but has now a corporation with $2 billion in ______.

6.She was hoping that the Mediterranean climate would ____ her to full health and energy.

7.The courts were asked to _____ a more flexible approach to young offenders instead of a

severe punishment.

8.The council has ______ a vigorous campaign against the proposal put forward by the newly

elected president.

9.The Smiths have lived in the town for more than 50 years and they have a special love for the

town which has a certain ______ charm.

10. A lot of young girls are ________ by their weight and most of them choose to go on a diet.

11.The whole nation is in a state of _____ following the unexpected attacks from the world.

12.The new governor is busy solving problems that _____ from food and medical shortages.

13.When persuaded to give up smoking, he would _____ “Giving up smoking is easy. I've done

it hundreds of times.”

14.She is seriously ill for the moment, but her doctor has ______ us that she'll be fine in no time.

15.The parents are trying to _____ the unp leasant memory from their son’s mind.

III. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the given words.

1.The two boys were ________ friends all the week, and embattled enemies on Saturdays.

(swear)

2. A postman is a man employed to ________ letters and parcels. (delivery)

3.Policy and action alike gained immediate and _______ support at home. (overwhelm)

4.The ________ of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden. (adopt)

5.In recent years, many children's welfare institutions have raised funds to have _____

operations for disabled children in welfare institutions. (restore)

6.Publication of his biography was ______ to coincide with his 70th birthday celebrations.

(timing)

7.Bertha tried to speak, but her throat was dry, and she could ________ no word. (utterance)

8.He consumed a large plateful of the very ________ stew. (unsavory)

9.Is it better to spend your money today or ________ every penny in the bank for tomorrow?

(hoarding)

10.It is a well-known fact that the English have an ________ with their weather and that, given

half a chance, they will take about it at length. (obsess)

IV. Paraphrase the following sentences from the text.

1.The terrifying "runs" that began the year before on more than 5,000 failing banks had stripped

rural areas of capital and now threatened to overwhelm American cities.

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 2.If you had your money in a bank that went bust, you were wiped out.

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 3.Roosevelt owed much to technological good fortune.

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ 4.The beauty of that first prime-time radio speech was its clarity.

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

5.By raising an issue that made so many feel shameful, he lifted the shame — offering listeners

a way to strike a patriotic blow by simply depositing money into a solvent bank.

____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

V. Translate the following sentences into English with the word in the brackets.

1.政府决定暂停公务五天。(suspend)

2.其他学生很钦佩他理解力深刻。（depth）

3.这些弊病是由于缺乏一个稳定的政府引起的。（ensue）

4.她的朋友们极力帮助她驱除心中的忧郁。（banish）

5.亲戚们甚至在公开场合谴责他忘恩负义。(upbraid)

6.这篇报道指出，总统的这番评论说得不是时候。（time）

7.令他惊讶的是，这项提案招来很多批评。（call forth）

8.那些在游泳的人看到鲨鱼靠近，不禁惊慌失措。（panic）

Writing skills (2): How to write an article summary

A summary is a brief restatement in your own words of the content of a piece of writing. A qualified summary should not fail to present accurately but briefly the main ideas of the original article and at the same time be free from the author’s bias. It should also be independent of the original one, i.e. your readers are able to follow your ideas without referring to the original for clarity.

An efficient and effective way to write a summary begins with reading the article carefully to understand the central idea and the main arguments and then write them down. When writing your summary, keep in mind that you have all the main points included for your purpose and that you write according to the skeleton in new words without referring back to the source material from time to time. Otherwise, your summary may result in a failure by copying too much from the original one. Control the length of the summary to make it brief and clear enough and provide in the text of the summary, or note at the end of it the source of the material, including the name of the author, the date of publication and other publication information.

Exercise

Please write the summary of the article “Voice of Courage”.