历届美国总统简介：尤里西斯·辛普森·格兰特

尤里西斯·辛普森·格兰特（Ulysses Simpson Grant，1822年4月27日－1885年7月23日），美国军事家、陆军上将、第18任美国总统，他是美国历史上第一位从西点军校毕业的总统。在美国南北战争后期任联邦军总司令，屡建奇功。但能征惯战并不等于善于理政，格兰特的平平政绩与他的赫赫战功成为明显对照。特别是在第二次总统任期内，他对南方奴隶主妥协让步以及对贪污腐化的属员采取姑息纵容态度，引起了选民的普遍不满。格兰特卸职后曾周游世界，并想在政治上东山再起，但未能如愿。晚年经商失败，抑郁病逝。

Ulysses S. Grant was born as Hiram Ulysses Grant in 1822. He was the 18th President of America, serving two terms from 1869 to 1877. In 1838, he went to West Point military academy against his will. He was an average student but excelled at horse riding. A mistake was made with his name on the application form, but he adopted his “new” name, liking¹ the U.S. initials. His classmates called him Sam.

 

Grant joined the Army in 1839 and fought in the Mexican-American War. He was twice promoted for bravery and he learnt a lot about military tactics. In 1861, Grant was made a colonel. In 1862 he took control of the Mississippi Valley and President Lincoln promoted him to major general. After further impressive battle victories, especially at Chattanooga, Lincoln appointed him General-in-Chief in 1864.

 

When he was elected President in 1868, the American people hoped for an end to the turmoil² of the Civil War. Grant looked to Congress for direction. During the reconstruction³, Grant focused on the rebuilding of the South, often with military force. His signing of civil rights laws resulted in the election of African Americans to Congress for the first time.

 

Grant's presidency⁴ was marred⁵ by economic turmoil and multiple scandals. He was heavily criticized for not managing the depression. He became involved in many corruption⁶ scandals, which ruined his chances of getting a third-term nomination⁷. After retiring from office, Grant went on a two-year world tour. He wrote his memoirs⁸ and died in 1885 aged⁹ 63, soon after completing the last page.

 

1 liking   

n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢

参考例句：

• The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
• I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。

2 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

3 reconstruction   

n.重建，再现，复原

参考例句：

• The country faces a huge task of national reconstruction following the war.战后，该国面临着重建家园的艰巨任务。
• In the period of reconstruction,technique decides everything.在重建时期，技术决定一切。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 marred   

adj. 被损毁, 污损的

参考例句：

• The game was marred by the behaviour of drunken fans. 喝醉了的球迷行为不轨，把比赛给搅了。
• Bad diction marred the effectiveness of his speech. 措词不当影响了他演说的效果。

6 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

7 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

8 memoirs   

n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数)

参考例句：

• Her memoirs were ghostwritten. 她的回忆录是由别人代写的。
• I watched a trailer for the screenplay of his memoirs. 我看过以他的回忆录改编成电影的预告片。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。