PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Clare Boothe Luce

PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Clare Boothe Luce
By George Grow

Broadcast: Sunday, August 29, 2004

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Gwen Outen with People in America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about a woman who became famous for her activities in government, the media and the arts. She was a member of Congress and an ambassador. She was a news reporter and magazine editor. And she wrote plays. Her name was Clare Boothe Luce.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

 
Graphic¹ Image
Clare Boothe Luce was one of the most influential² women in modern American history. Yet she came from simple roots. She was born in New York City in nineteen-oh-three. Clare's father was a musician and businessman. Her mother had been a dancer.

While Clare was a girl, her parents ended their marriage. She and her brother stayed with their mother. Their mother did not have a lot of money. Yet she was able to send Clare to very good schools. Her mother then married a doctor from Connecticut. Clare's stepfather, Albert Austin, later served in the United States House of Representatives.

VOICE TWO:

As a young woman, Clare Boothe was known for her intelligence and good looks. She met her first husband through a family friend. George Tuttle Brokaw was a wealthy man. He also was more than twenty years older than Clare. They were married in nineteen-twenty-three and had one child – a daughter. However, her husband had a problem with alcoholic³ drinks. Their marriage ended after only six years.

Clare developed a serious interest in writing. In nineteen-thirty, a friend, the magazine publisher Conde Nast, offered her a job. She wrote comments for pictures published in Vogue⁴, a magazine for women about clothes and fashion. A short time later, she accepted a job at other magazine, Vanity Fair. She wrote reports about social events and famous people in New York. Later these reports were published in a book.

VOICE ONE:

Clare Boothe became a top editor at Vanity Fair. She worked there until nineteen-thirty-four. By then, she was also writing plays. One play was called "Abide⁵ With Me." It was about a man who mistreats his wife. "Abide With Me" opened in a theater on Broadway in New York City in nineteen-thirty-five. Critics hated it.

Two days after the show opened, Clare Boothe married Henry Robinson Luce. He was a famous and important magazine publisher. He published Time and Fortune magazines. She had first met Henry Luce at a party in New York. At the time, he was married and had two children. He and Clare were married a short time after a court order canceled his first marriage. They would stay together for more than thirty years.

((MUSIC))

VOICE TWO:

Clare Boothe Luce returned to writing plays. Her second play, "The Women," made fun of rich women. It opened on Broadway in nineteen-thirty-six. The show was very popular. It was later made into a movie. Another play, "Kiss the Boys Goodbye," also was a success. So was her next play, "Margin⁶ For Error." All three plays were noted⁷ for their use of sharp language and making fun of human failings.

Clare Boothe Luce was known for expressing her opinions. Her most famous saying was: "No good deed goes unpunished." She often spoke⁸ about the problems of women trying to succeed in a world mainly controlled by men. She said: "Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, 'She doesn't have what it takes.' They will say, 'Women don't have what it takes." She made these comments in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

((VOICE))

We women are supposed to be a minority. I've never understood that myself because we outnumber the men in actual numbers, and we live five years longer. So I've never felt like a minority because, as you know, minorities are never supposed to say anything unkind about one another.

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen-forty, Clare Boothe Luce traveled to Europe as a reporter for Life magazine, which was published by her husband. She visited a number of countries and later wrote reports about how people were dealing⁹ with World War Two. She wrote a book about this called "Europe in Spring." In the book, she noted that people were living in "a world where men have decided¹⁰ to die together because they are unable to find a way to live together. She also reported from Africa, China, India and Burma for Life magazine.

In nineteen-forty-two, her stepfather, Albert Austin, died. Missus Luce agreed to be the Republican Party candidate for his seat in the House of Representatives from Connecticut. She was elected and entered Congress in January, nineteen-forty-three.

Missus Luce was a political conservative. She spoke against the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She criticized the Roosevelt administration's foreign policy. She said it failed to supervise the war effort.

 
Graphic Image
VOICE TWO:

A tragic¹¹ event affected¹² Clare Boothe Luce in nineteen-forty-four. Her nineteen-year-old daughter Ann was killed in an automobile¹³ accident. Missus Luce experienced severe emotional problems. She sought help from a number of people, including a Roman Catholic clergyman, the Reverend Fulton J. Sheen. At the time, he was becoming known for his radio broadcasts.

Missus Luce demanded to know why God had taken her daughter. Reverend Sheen said the young woman had died so that her mother could learn about the meaning of life.

Missus Luce recovered and returned to Congress. She remained popular among the voters of Connecticut and was re-elected to a second term in office. However, she did not seek re-election in nineteen-forty-six. Missus Luce said she wanted to spend more time with her husband. She also became a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Missus Luce returned to writing. She also edited a book about people considered holy by the Roman Catholic Church.

((MUSIC))

VOICE ONE:

Clare Boothe Luce criticized the spread of Communism after World War Two. In nineteen-fifty-two, she supported the Republican Party's candidate for president, former General Dwight Eisenhower. He won the election and appointed Missus Luce as ambassador to Italy. She became one of the first American women to serve in a major diplomatic position. Missus Luce served as the ambassador until nineteen-fifty-six. She left Rome after becoming sick with arsenic¹⁴ poisoning caused by paint particles in her bedroom.

VOICE TWO:

Three years later, President Eisenhower nominated Missus Luce as ambassador to Brazil. Most members of the United States Senate supported her nomination¹⁵. However, some senators were opposed. Among them was Wayne Morse, a Democrat¹⁶ from Oregon.

The Senate approved Missus Luce as the new ambassador. After the debate, she said that Senator Morse's actions were the result of him being "kicked in the head by a horse." Many Democrats¹⁷ criticized her comment. A few days later she resigned as ambassador.

VOICE ONE:

Missus Luce remained active in politics. In nineteen-sixty-four, she supported Senator Barry Goldwater as the Republican Party's candidate for president. She also announced plans to be the Conservative Party candidate for the Senate from New York. However, Republican leaders disapproved¹⁸ and she withdrew from the race.

VOICE ONE:

Clare Boothe Luce retired¹⁹ from public life. She and her husband moved to Phoenix²⁰, Arizona. Henry Luce died there in nineteen-sixty-seven. He was sixty-eight years old.

Missus Luce moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. She lived there until the early nineteen-eighties. During that period, she served as an advisor²¹ to three presidents. She was a member of the President' s Foreign Intelligence Advisory²² Board.

Then Missus Luce moved to Washington, D.C. In nineteen-eighty-three, President Ronald Reagan awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. That is the highest honor a president can give to an American citizen.

Clare Boothe Luce had a long battle with cancer. She died at her home in nineteen-eighty-seven. She was eighty-four years old. She was buried near the remains²³ of her husband in the state of South Carolina.

Experts said Clare Boothe Luce had enough important jobs in government, the media and the arts to satisfy several women. She was often on the list of the ten most important and admired women in the world.

((THEME))

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by George Grow. Lawan Davis was our producer. I'm Gwen Outen.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. Listen again next week for People in America in VOA Special English.

((THEME))

1 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

2 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。

3 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

4 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。

5 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

6 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 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。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

12 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。

13 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

14 arsenic   

n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的

参考例句：

• His wife poisoned him with arsenic.他的妻子用砒霜把他毒死了。
• Arsenic is a poison.砒霜是毒药。

15 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。

16 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。

17 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》

18 disapproved   

v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

20 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

21 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

22 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

23 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。