VOA慢速英语20060506b

IN THE NEWS - Galbraith and Jacobs: Remembering Two Voices of the 20th CenturyBy Nancy Steinbach

Broadcast: Saturday, May 06, 2006

I'm Steve Ember with IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.

Two influential¹ thinkers of the twentieth century have died. John Kenneth Galbraith, the economist², died on April twenty-ninth at the age of ninety-seven. Jane Jacobs, a defender³ of cities, died April twenty-fifth at the age of eighty-nine.

Jane Jacobs believed cities should be densely⁴ populated and full of different people and activity. She believed in the value of natural growth. She opposed the kind of city planning that involves big development and renewal⁵ projects that tear down old communities.




Jane Jacobs

She is best known for her book The Death and Life of Great American Cities, published in nineteen sixty-one. Another book was The Nature of Economies. Yet she never finished college.

Jane Jacobs was an activist⁶ in New York City. Her work defeated a road plan to build a big highway through the Greenwich Village area.

She was also against the war in Vietnam. She had sons almost old enough to be called for duty. In nineteen sixty-eight the family moved to Canada. But she remained a community activist. Soon she was fighting a road plan in Toronto.

Jane Jacobs had critics, and some people think it is time for other theories. But urban planning experts say her ideas shaped modern thinking about cities. For example, she supported mixed-use buildings as a way to increase social interaction. People live on the upper floors. The ground level has stores and offices.

Mixed-used buildings are a lot more common in American cities than in the suburbs around them. But most population growth since World War Two has taken place in suburban⁷ areas. By two thousand, the Census⁸ Bureau says, half the population lived in suburbs.

Jane Jacobs was born in the United States but lived and died in Canada. John Kenneth Galbraith was born in Canada but lived and died in the United States.

Among his best-known books is The Affluent⁹ Society, from nineteen fifty-eight. He wrote that American society had too many goods but not enough social services that show people care about each other. He warned about widening divisions between the very rich and the very poor.

John Kenneth Galbraith believed in the power of government to improve lives. He believed in a system of progressive taxes, and in public support for the arts and government involvement in education. He also supported the idea of public ownership of housing and medical services.




John Kenneth Galbraith

A Democrat¹⁰ two meters tall, he advised presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson. He also advised officials in other countries. He was ambassador to India and taught economics at Harvard University for many years.

Experts say John Kenneth Galbraith and Jane Jacobs led many to question not only how and where they want to live and work. It also led them to wonder what kind of society they wanted to leave for their children.

IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English was written by Nancy Steinbach. I'm Steve Ember.

1 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

4 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

5 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

6 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

7 suburban   

adj.城郊的，在郊区的

参考例句：

• Suburban shopping centers were springing up all over America. 效区的商业中心在美国如雨后春笋般地兴起。
• There's a lot of good things about suburban living.郊区生活是有许多优点。

8 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

9 affluent   

adj.富裕的，富有的，丰富的，富饶的

参考例句：

• He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
• His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。

10 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。