Life in the United States during the Nineteen-Nineties

 

Broadcast: Feb 13, 2003
By Jerilyn Watson

VOICE ONE:

This is Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Doug Johnson with THE MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English program about the history of the United States. Today we tell about life in the United States during the nineteen-nineties.

VOICE ONE:

Many experts describe the nineteen-nineties as one of the best periods in United States history. During almost all that time, America was at peace. The frightening and costly¹ military competition with the Soviet² Union had ended. The threat of a nuclear attack seemed greatly reduced, if not gone. Military officials said America's defenses were strong.

The economy improved from poor to very good. Inflation1 was low. So was unemployment. Production was high. Scientists and engineers made major progress in medicine and technology. The Internet computer system created a new world of communications.

VOICE TWO:

America grew by almost thirty-three-million people during the nineteen-nineties. This is the most the United States has ever grown during a ten-year period. Some minority groups are growing faster than the white population. For the first time in seventy years, one in ten Americans was born in another country. During the past ten years, there was a huge increase in immigrants2 from Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. More than two-hundred-eighty-million people lived in the United States by the end of the twentieth century.

This population was getting older, however, and needing more costly health care. And, America had other problems in the nineteen-nineties. Some people feared crime in the streets. People were shot and killed in offices and schools. Divisions grew between rich people and poor people.

Racial tensions remained high. In nineteen-ninety-nine, Congress impeached³ the president of the United States. President Clinton was accused of lying to courts about a sexual⁴ relationship with a young woman who worked in the White House. Bill Clinton was found not guilty3. Still, the trial and the events leading to it caused deep concern among some Americans.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

American families changed in the nineteen-nineties. More people ended their marriages. The rate of these divorces increased. So did the percentage of children living with only one parent. Children in such families were more likely to be poor or get into trouble. Many American children did not live with their parents at all. The number of children living with grandparents increased greatly.

Test scores and national studies during the nineteen-nineties showed that many public school students were not learning as they should. The nation needed more and better teachers.

VOICE TWO:

Racial divisions in America were a continuing and serious problem. In nineteen-ninety-one, an African American man named Rodney King was fleeing from police in Los Angeles, California. The police had chased his speeding car for miles before stopping him. They say he reacted violently when they tried to seize him.

Police officers beat and kicked Mister King as he lay on the ground. A man who lived nearby filmed the beating with a video camera. He took the video to a local television station. Soon people all over the country were watching the police repeatedly striking⁵ Rodney King.

The four white police officers were arrested for their actions. They were tried outside Los Angeles at their request. A jury⁶ in a nearby wealthy, conservative⁷ community found them not guilty.

Within a short time, angry African Americans began rioting⁸ on the streets of Los Angeles. The unrest lasted three days. Fifty-five people died in the violence. More than two-thousand others were injured. One thousand buildings lay in ruins.

VOICE ONE:

Another major court trial divided black people and white people. O.J. Simpson had been a football hero and an actor. In nineteen-ninety-four, Simpson was accused of killing⁹ his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a male friend of hers. Simpson is African-American. Nicole Brown Simpson was white. Many legal experts believed the case against him was strong. Still, the mainly African American jury judged him not guilty. Later, a mainly white jury found him guilty in a civil damage case.

Studies showed that white people believed Mister Simpson had killed his former wife and her friend. Black people thought he was not guilty.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

During the nineteen-nineties, scientists worked to map the position of all the genes¹⁰ in the human body. Research on this human genome4 map progressed slowly at first. Then it speeded up. The goal was to help scientists study human health and disease. The discovery was expected to change the way some diseases are treated.

Since nineteen-eighty, doctors had made important progress in treating diseases like cancer, AIDS and Parkinson's disease. But they still could not cure them. They hoped treatments developed from knowledge of human genes would help.

Computer technology also had progressed greatly in the nineteen-eighties. During the next ten years computers became even more important in American life. People depended on computers both at work and at home. They used the Internet to send electronic messages, get information and buy all kinds of products. They completed and sent their income tax forms. They read newspapers and books. They even listened to music.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Americans continued to attend classical music concerts and operas. However, many more people enjoyed popular music. One popular music form was called rap¹¹. Rap music is spoken quickly rather than sung to the music of recorded rhythms5. Some rap songs suggest violent actions. Others contain sexual suggestions that many people found offensive¹². But rap music was very popular with many young people. So was a form of rock music called grunge.

VOICE TWO:

During the nineteen-nineties, Americans watched traditional television programs as well as new kinds of shows. Millions of people liked weekly dramas like "E-R" that takes place in a busy hospital emergency room. A program called "Law and Order" tells about the work of police officers, lawyers and judges. "N-Y-P-D Blue" shows the work of police officers in New York City. A show called "Seinfeld" also told about life in New York City. But this program was very funny. "Seinfeld" was the most popular television show of the decade.

Another funny and popular show was the animated¹³ series called "The Simpsons." Cable television stations also grew in popularity¹⁴. One of the most popular was M-T-V. It showed music videos and other programs for young people.

At the movies, Americans saw popular films like "Titanic¹⁵." It told about the sinking of the famous passenger ship on its first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in nineteen-twelve. Two young people are shown falling in love during this tragic6 event. Another popular film was "Jurassic Park." It brought ancient, frightening dinosaurs¹⁶ to life.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

As usual, Americans enjoyed sports. Public interest in baseball decreased sharply¹⁷, however, after a players' strike in nineteen-ninety-four. The strike cancelled the championship World Series games that year. In nineteen-ninety-eight, interest in baseball increased when two great players competed to hit the most home runs. Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire helped restore the popularity of baseball.

In basketball, experts say Michael Jordan became the best player in history. He led the Chicago Bulls¹⁸ team to win many championships.

VOICE TWO:

As the nineteen-nineties ended, some experts worried about computers making the change to the year two-thousand. They feared that computer failures might cause serious problems for everyday life. But midnight of December thirty-first passed with only a few incidents of computer trouble. Millions of people celebrated¹⁹ the beginning of a new century and another one-thousand years. Life in the nineteen-nineties had been good for many Americans. They hoped for even better days to come.

VOICE ONE:

This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by George Grow. This is Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Doug Johnson. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.
1. inflation [In5fleIF[n] n. 胀大，夸张，通货膨胀
2. immigrant [5ImIgr[nt] n. 移民
3. guilty [5gIltI] adj. 犯罪的，有罪的
4. genome [5dVi:n[um] n. 基因组，染色体组
5. rhythms [5rIT[m] n. 节奏，韵律
6. tragic [5trAdVIk] adj. 悲惨的，悲剧的

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

3 impeached   

v.控告（某人）犯罪( impeach的过去式和过去分词 )；弹劾；对（某事物）怀疑；提出异议

参考例句：

• Elected officials can be impeached. 经过选举产生的官员可以被弹劾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The judge was impeached for taking a bribe. 这个法官被检举接受贿赂。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

5 striking   

adj.显著的，惹人注目的，容貌出众的

参考例句：

• There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
• What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。

6 jury   

n.陪审团，评委会；adj.临时用的；vt.挑选

参考例句：

• These twelve men are believed to compose the jury.据信，陪审团是由这12人组成的。
• The members of the jury were discharged from their duties.陪审员们被解除了职务。

7 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

8 rioting   

暴乱，骚乱

参考例句：

• There were ugly scenes in the streets last night as rioting continued. 昨晚暴乱持续之际，街上险象环生。
• They are rioting in the streets. 他们在街上闹事。

9 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

10 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

11 rap   

n.轻敲，拍击，责骂，厉声说出，说唱音乐，谈话，最少量；vi.轻敲，敲门，表演说唱音乐，畅谈；vt.抓，抢，拍击

参考例句：

• I heard a rap on the door.我听到有轻轻的敲门声。
• Today we are going to rap about relationships.今天我们要聊聊关系的问题。

12 offensive   

adj.令人不快的，侮辱的，攻击用的；n.进攻

参考例句：

• His mode of doing business is offensive to me.他干事情的方式叫我很不喜欢。
• If all else fails,I will take the offensive.如果其他方法不行，我将采取攻势。

13 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

14 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

15 titanic   

adj.巨人的，庞大的，强大的

参考例句：

• We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力，以达到我们的目的。
• The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。

16 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 sharply   

adj.锐利地，急速；adv.严厉地，鲜明地

参考例句：

• The plane dived sharply and rose again.飞机猛然俯冲而后又拉了起来。
• Demand for personal computers has risen sharply.对个人电脑的需求急剧增长。

18 bulls   

n.公牛( bull的名词复数 )；法令；力大如牛的人；（象、鲸等动物的）雄兽

参考例句：

• Riding bulls is always an exciting event at a rodeo. 骑公牛总是放牧人竞技会上激动人心的表演。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Two white bulls were sacrificed and a feast was held. 献祭了两头白牛，并举行了盛宴。 来自辞典例句

19 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。