VOA慢速英语2017--Franklin D. Roosevelt: Powerful

 

VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents.

Today we are talking about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was related to an earlier president with same last name, Theodore Roosevelt. Many Americans call Franklin Roosevelt by the first letter of each word in his full name: FDR.

When FDR took office, the United States was in a severe economic depression. The previous president, Herbert Hoover, had tried to improve the economy, but his efforts had failed.

FDR defeated Hoover in the election of 1932. He won, in part, by promising¹ what he called a “new deal” for Americans.

Voters did not know what FDR’s “new deal” meant exactly, but many liked his message of hope.

Voters also did not know how much FDR would change the country. He remained in office for 12 years – the longest of any U.S. president – and led the country through the Great Depression and most of World War II.

Along the way, he changed the way government affected² Americans’ lives, and the job of the U.S. president.

Early life

Franklin Roosevelt was born on a large estate in New York, about 140 kilometers outside New York City. He was the only child of wealthy parents.

His mother and father made sure he had an excellent education. As a young man he attended a private high school, and then Harvard College in Massachusetts. He also studied law at Columbia University in New York.

Young FDR was not an excellent student, however. He was interested in many things outside the classroom, including politics and girls.

Two of FDR’s interests came together in a young woman named Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, who went by the name Eleanor. She was the niece of a politician FDR greatly respected: President Theodore Roosevelt.

On the day when Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were married, Theodore Roosevelt attended the ceremony. In fact, he walked with his niece in front of the guests to her future husband.

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt went on to have six children, although one died as a baby.

While Eleanor Roosevelt raised the children, Franklin Roosevelt directed his attention to politics.

He left a job in a law office to serve in the New York state senate. In time, he was offered a job in the federal government as an assistant secretary of the Navy.

FDR enjoyed the job, but he continued seeking other political positions. He tried unsuccessfully for a seat in the U.S. Senate, but did get nominated⁴ by the Democratic Party to be its vice⁵ presidential candidate in 1920.

Although he and his partner lost the race, FDR seemed like he was in a good position for major political success.

But then something unexpected happened.

Illness and return to politics

When he was 39 years old, FDR suffered major health problems. One day he started to feel a pain in his back. The following day his legs grew tired. Then his skin became sensitive.

By the end of the week, both his legs were paralyzed⁶. He could not move from the waist down. He remained paralyzed for the rest of his life.

The next years were difficult for the Roosevelts. Eleanor and the children helped care for FDR. And he worked hard to recover some of his strength and physical abilities, especially by exercising.

While he remained hopeful about his condition, FDR worried about his political career. He did not think the public would accept a leader who could not even walk by himself. So he took several measures.

He created a small wheelchair that would not get too much attention. It was made from a dining room chair, with wheels instead of legs.

He refused to let photographers take pictures of him being carried or struggling to move, and he found a way to appear as if he were walking. He used a cane⁷ or the arm of a partner to balance, and then he swung his hips⁸ to make his legs move forward.

Using this method, FDR “walked” to the stage at the 1924 Democratic National Convention⁹. He used the event to nominate³ the governor of New York for president.

That man’s bid did not succeed. But FDR showed himself to still be an able politician.

Four years later, FDR himself was elected governor of New York. He held the position in the early years of the country’s economic crisis¹⁰.

In 1932, FDR was a candidate for president. He took the unusual step of appearing in person at the Democratic convention to accept his party’s nomination¹¹.

His campaign was such a success that the Democrats¹² took not only the White House, but majorities in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

The strength of the Democratic Party in Congress would help FDR become one of the most powerful presidents the country had ever seen.

Next week we will continue our story of FDR and his presidency¹³.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

estate - n. a large piece of land with a large house on it

niece - n. a daughter of your brother or sister

paralyzed - adj. unable to move or feel all or part of the body

swing - v. to move backward and forward or from side to side while hanging from something

stage - n. a raised platform in a theater or auditorium where the performers stand

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 nominate   

vt.提名，推荐，任命

参考例句：

• I nominate Tom to make the tea.我指派汤姆去沏茶。
• The EU would nominate two members to the committee.欧盟将为该委员会指定两名成员。

4 nominated   

adj.被提名的，被任命的 动词nominate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She has been nominated for the presidency. 她已经获得了董事长职位的提名。
• The movie was nominated for an Oscar. 这部电影获奥斯卡金像奖提名。

5 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。

6 paralyzed   

adj.瘫痪的

参考例句：

• He is paralyzed as the result of a would-be assassin's bullet years ago. 几年前有人对他行刺未遂，但子弹使他瘫痪了。
• But the very imminence of the emergency paralyzed his invention. Good! 常言说得好，急中生智，可汤姆这回却束手无策，对，就这么办。

7 cane   

n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的

参考例句：

• This sugar cane is quite a sweet and juicy.这甘蔗既甜又多汁。
• English schoolmasters used to cane the boys as a punishment.英国小学老师过去常用教鞭打男学生作为惩罚。

8 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 convention   

n.惯例，习俗，常规，会议，大会

参考例句：

• How many delegates have checked in at the convention?大会已有多少代表报到？
• He sets at naught every convention of society.他轻视所有的社会习俗。

10 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

11 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。

12 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 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。