Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt 安娜·埃莉诺·罗斯福 Chapter 9 Ambassador to the World

Harry¹ Truman was now president. He had been FDR’s vice² president for a little over a year. But now he was in charge. His family would live in the White House. His wife, Bess, was now the first lady.

Eleanor left the White House and Washington, D.C. She went home to her cottage at Hyde Park. She played with her grandchildren. She bought books to read. She planned on starting a garden. But that was not to be. Although she was no longer the first lady, President Truman still needed her.

President Truman wanted Eleanor to represent the United States at the United Nations. The new UN was a worldwide group of nations whose goal was to bring peace to all parts of the world. The first meeting was to be held in London, England. Eleanor accepted the job. Now she truly was “the First Lady of the World,” as President Truman called her.

At the United Nations, Eleanor was on a committee that worked on education and human rights. Once again, she spoke³ out for the rights of children and women. The members from other countries listened to Eleanor. She did her homework. When it came time for her to vote or speak, she knew what she was doing. Eleanor was fair. She was able to make other delegates⁴ listen to one another. She worked for the United Nations from 1945 until 1952. She was almost seventy by then. But Eleanor did not really retire when she stopped working for the United Nations.

Eleanor still traveled all around the world, meeting with world leaders. Everywhere she went, she made news. She visited Russia. She went to Japan. She went to India. In all the countries that she visited, Eleanor talked with the leaders about how their people could be helped, women and children most of all.

In the United States, she kept her hand in politics. She campaigned for Adlai Stevenson in the 1950s. A Democrat⁵, he ran for president twice. He lost each time, but he counted on Eleanor to help him win votes. Then, in 1960, a young senator⁶ from Massachusetts asked to meet with her. His name was John F. Kennedy. He wanted to run for president, and he needed Eleanor Roosevelt’s support. He got it, and John Kennedy won, becoming the first Catholic⁷ president. Many people felt that Eleanor had helped him win.

On November 7, 1962, Eleanor Roosevelt died. She was seventy-eight years old. Leaders from around the world came to her funeral. So many people wanted to say good-bye to this wonderful woman who was laid to rest next to her husband. Adlai Stevenson summed up Eleanor Roosevelt when he said these words, “She would rather light candles than curse⁸ the darkness, and her glow⁹ has warmed the world.”

1 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 delegates   

代表，代表团成员( delegate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The conference was attended by delegates from 56 countries. 此次会议有来自56个国家的代表出席。
• Delegates expressed strong opposition to the plans. 代表强烈反对这些计划。

5 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

6 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

7 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

8 curse   

n.祸因，祸根；诅咒，咒骂；骂人话

参考例句：

• His wealth proved a curse to him.他的财富成了祸根。
• The rabbits are a curse in this part of the country.兔子在这一带农村是一种祸害。

9 glow   

n.白热光；激情；vi.发白热光，(身体)发热

参考例句：

• The sunset glow is just like a picture.晚霞恰如一幅图画。
• There was a dull red glow in the night sky above the steelworks.夜晚炼钢厂的上空闪着暗红色的光。