美国国家公共电台 NPR In Traditional First-Lady Style, Melania Trump Unveils 'Be Best' Initiative

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Melania Trump¹ takes the spotlight² today. As first lady, she has been seen more often than heard. Last year, she did talk about her job on CNN.

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MELANIA TRUMP: It's a very exciting life. And it's a lot of things that you need to take care of or a lot of responsibilities, and it's part of being the first lady.

INSKEEP: One of those responsibilities - for the first lady - traditionally has been choosing some cause to highlight, which Melania Trump now unveils. She's doing so at a moment of intense scrutiny³ of her spouse⁴. NPR's Sarah McCammon reports.

SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE⁵: Even before she became first lady, Melania Trump waded⁶ into what might seem like surprising territory for the wife of Donald Trump.

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TRUMP: Our culture has gotten too mean and too rough, especially to children and teenagers.

MCCAMMON: During that campaign speech in Pennsylvania just days before the 2016 election, Melania Trump talked about the downsides of the Internet, especially for kids who are bullied⁷ and mocked online. The irony⁸ was hard to miss, as she acknowledged at a White House forum⁹ this March.

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TRUMP: I'm well aware that people are skeptical¹⁰ of me discussing this topic, but it will not stop me from doing what I know is right.

MCCAMMON: Social media and its effect on children will be one part of Trump's agenda, according to her spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham. She tells NPR there are many issues facing children today, and the first lady's initiatives will try to help them handle those challenges. Grisham says Trump will continue to focus on subjects she's addressed in the past. In a speech to the United Nations last September, she talked about several issues affecting children, including bullying¹¹, poverty and addiction¹². Last October, she traveled to West Virginia where she visited a treatment center for infants exposed to opioids. Here she is at a White House event on opioids later that month.

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TRUMP: As many of you know, addiction affects children in many different ways. And I have recently taken a larger interest in what I can do to help fight this epidemic¹³.

(APPLAUSE)

MCCAMMON: Presidents' wives have often found themselves under a harsh spotlight. Speaking in 2013, then first lady Michelle Obama acknowledged the unwanted attention on her appearance from her shoes to her bangs. But she said despite that, being first lady gave her a big platform.

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MICHELLE OBAMA: But we take our bangs...

(LAUGHTER)

OBAMA: ...And we stand in front of important things that the world needs to see.

MCCAMMON: These days, though, much of the attention on the White House has focused on legal questions surrounding President Trump's alleged¹⁴ affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. He's denied those allegations. Even so, Melania Trump is pressing forward with her plans almost as if nothing has happened. Myra Gutin is a historian of American first ladies at Rider University in New Jersey¹⁵. She says some presidents' wives would've been put off by the controversies¹⁶ swirling¹⁷ around the White House.

MYRA GUTIN: But she seems to sort of roll with whatever occurs. And the fact that she's going to get this initiative rolled out and finally moving seems to say to me that she's going to be focused on the good that she can accomplish while she's in the White House.

MCCAMMON: Gutin says first ladies are more popular than their spouses¹⁸, which could give Melania Trump a chance to make progress on her goals regardless of what her husband is doing. Sarah McCammon, NPR News, Washington.

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1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

4 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 waded   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tucked up her skirt and waded into the river. 她撩起裙子蹚水走进河里。
• He waded into the water to push the boat out. 他蹚进水里把船推出来。

7 bullied   

adj.被欺负了v.恐吓，威逼( bully的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My son is being bullied at school. 我儿子在学校里受欺负。
• The boy bullied the small girl into giving him all her money. 那男孩威逼那个小女孩把所有的钱都给他。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 irony   

n.反语，冷嘲；具有讽刺意味的事，嘲弄

参考例句：

• She said to him with slight irony.她略带嘲讽地对他说。
• In her voice we could sense a certain tinge of irony.从她的声音里我们可以感到某种讥讽的意味。

9 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

10 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

11 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

13 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

14 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

15 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

16 controversies   

争论

参考例句：

• We offer no comment on these controversies here. 对于这些争议，我们在这里不作任何评论。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• The controversies surrounding population growth are unlikely to subside soon. 围绕着人口增长问题的争论看来不会很快平息。 来自辞典例句

17 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

18 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句