一战中的威尔森总统

66 一战中的威尔森总统

THE MAKING OF A NATION - September 27, 2001: Woodrow Wilson, Part 6By Frank Beardsley
VOICE ONE:
THE MAKING OF A NATION -- A PROGRAM IN SPECIAL ENGLISH BY THE VOICE OF AMERICA.
(THEME)
I'm Maurice Joyce. Today, Larry west and I continue the story of American involvement in world war one. The nation's president at that time was Woodrow Wilson.
Voice two:
Nineteen-eighteen was the final year of the most terrible war the world had ever known. But world war one did not end quickly or easily. The German army made a final (1)effort to (2)defeat the (3)allies¹. The United States had entered the (4)conflict. And Germany wanted a (5)victory before large numbers of American (6)troops could get to Europe.
Germany's effort became easier after it signed a peace (7)treaty with the new Bolshevik government in Russia. The treaty made it possible for Germany to use all its forces against the allies on its western border. In the end, however, Germany's plan failed.
Allied² troops pushed back the German attack in a (8)series of bloody³ (9)battles. The addition of American soldiers greatly increased allied strength.
Voice one:
The leader of American forces in Aurope was General John J.
Pershing. General Pershing used a (10)weapon new to the world of war: air power.
Airplanes were used first simply as 'eyes in the sky'. They discovered enemy positions so ground (11)artillery could fire at them. Then they were used as fighter planes. They carried guns to shoot down other planes. Finally, planes were built big enough to carry (12)bombs.
General Pershing also used another new weapon of war: tanks. He put these (13)inventions together for his battle plan against Germany.
Voice two:
Pershing's target was the Argonne forest. It was a tree-covered area Germany had held since nineteen-fourteen.
The forest was protected by (14)barbed wire and by (15)defensive positions built of steel and (16)concrete. It was the strongest part of the German line. It also was the most important part. If Argonne fell, Germany's final lines of defense⁴ would fall.
The fighting in the Argonne forest was (17)fierce. Thousands of men died. Sometimes, troops got lost because the forest was so thick with trees. But day by day, the allies pushed the Germans back.
Voice one:
Germany's leaders were losing hope. In September, nineteen-eighteen, they met with German ruler Kaiser Wilhelm. The army (18)chief reported that the war was lost. Germany had no choice, he said. It must give back all the (19)territory it had seized and try to (20)negotiate⁵ a peace agreement.
Other officials told the Kaiser that the situation at home was bad, too. People were (21)starving. (22)Revolutionaries were (23)plotting to (24)overthrow the government.
Kaiser Wilhelm agreed it might be best to seek peace now...before Germany was (25)destroyed completely. He asked his foreign secretary to send a secret message to American president Woodrow Wilson. The message would (26)propose immediate⁶ negotiations⁷ to end the war.
Voice two:
President Wilson received it. He did not tell the other allied leaders. Instead, he returned a message to Germany. Wilson asked if Germany was willing to accept the peace proposals he had offered many months earlier.
Germany's (27)chancellor⁸ answered that his government did accept the proposals. However, the events of war ended the secret exchange of messages between Germany and the United States. German (28)submarines had increased attacks on allied shipping⁹. Two (29)passenger ships were sunk. Eight-hundred-twenty persons were killed. Many were women and children.
President Wilson was (30)shocked. He told Germany there could be no peace negotiations with such an inhuman¹⁰ enemy.
Voice one:
In late October, nineteen-eighteen, Wilson sent a final message to Germany. He wanted a settlement that would make it impossible for Germany to fight again. Germany, Wilson said, must (31)promise to (32)withdraw its forces from all allied territory. It also must close its weapons factories.
Wilson added that the allies would negotiate only with a government that truly represented the people of Germany...not with military rulers.
The new German chancellor was Maximilian, (33)prince of Baden. Prince max received president Wilson's message. He succeeded in getting Kaiser Wilhelm to (34)dismiss the man responsible for German military policy. But he failed to get the Kaiser himself to give up power.
Voice two:
Not all allied leaders supported president Wilson's plan to end world war one. They could not agree on some parts of it.
Britain, for example, (35)opposed the part about freedom of the seas. Britain said it would prevent the kind of (36)naval (37)blockade which had been so effective against Germany. France and Italy opposed the part about creating a new international organization. Wilson had called it a (38)league of nations.
To solve these differences, Wilson sent his closest adviser¹¹ to Europe to meet with allied leaders. The discussions were long and sometimes bitter. Many of the allies thought Wilson was being too kind to the defeated enemy. But in the end, they all agreed to accept the plan as a starting point for peace talks.
Voice one:
By this time, in early November, the situation in Germany was growing worse. Communists and socialists¹² were calling for a rebellion¹³. The navy was ordered to go to sea. Sailors refused, and killed some officers. Reports told of (39)rebellion in parts of the German army, too.
The nation's leaders had no choice. They would negotiate a peace treaty. On the morning of November eighth, a German delegation¹⁴ went to allied military headquarters to discuss terms.
Voice two:
The Germans were met by the (40)supreme allied commander, marshal¹⁵ Ferdinand Foch of France. Foch greeted them coldly. And he did not offer peace terms until they officially asked for a ceasefire. Germany -- not the allies -- had to put down its weapons first.
The Germans were shocked when they heard the terms. The list was severe.
Among other things, Germany must withdraw its forces from all occupied territories. It must give up Alsace-Lorraine, a part of France it had held for almost fifty years. It must give up most of its weapons including airplanes, submarines, and battleships. And it must turn over large numbers of trucks, railroad (41)engines, and other supplies.
Voice one:
The German delegation said it could not sign such an agreement. Germany, it said, was not surrendering. It was only asking for a ceasefire. The delegation said it could not accept the peace terms without communicating with the government in Berlin.
But the German government was falling apart. Kaiser Wilhelm had finally resigned and left the country. A new cabinet had been formed. And a new prime minister had declared a German republic. Yet the situation remained unsettled.
Because of this, the German delegation negotiating¹⁶ with the allies had to decide for itself. After much argument, the men agreed to the allied terms. They signed the peace treaty. A ceasefire began a few hours later.
Voice two:
News that the shooting had stopped set off wild celebrations throughout the world. People danced in the streets. They cheered the end of the worst war in history.
There were celebrations along the battle lines, too. But these were quiet. Soldiers from both sides climbed out of long trenches¹⁷ dug in the ground. They met the men who, a short while earlier, had been their deadly enemy.
The bloody European conflict was over. The dispute, however, was not. Another fierce battle was ready to begin. This time, the battle would be among diplomats¹⁸. The fight over the peace treaty officially ending world war one was about to begin.
That will be our story next week.
(theme)
Voice one:
You have been listening to the making of a nation -- a program in special English by the voice of America. Your narrators were Maurice Joyce and Larry west. Our program was written by frank Beardsley. The voice of America invites you to listen again next week at this same time, when we will continue the story of American president Woodrow Wilson.

 

(1)effort[5efEt]n.努力, 成就
(2)defeat[ di5fi:t ]n.击败, 战胜, 失败vt.击败, 战胜, 使失败, 挫折v.击败
(3)allies[`AlaIz]n.联盟国, 同盟者
(4)conflict[ 5kCnflikt ]n.斗争, 冲突vi.抵触, 冲突
(5)victory[ 5viktEri ]n.胜利, 战胜, 克服, [罗神]胜利女神
(6)troop[ tru:p ]n.群, 组, 多数, 军队vi.群集, 结队, 成群而行vt.把(骑兵)编成骑兵连
(7)treaty[ 5tri:ti ]n.条约, 谈判
(8)series[ 5siEri:z ]n.连续, 系列, 丛书, 级数
(9)battle[ 5bAtl ]n.战役(指大规模会战), 战争vi.作战, 战斗, 搏斗, 斗争
(10)weapon[ 5wepEn ]n.武器
(11)artillery[ B:5tilEri ]n.炮的总称, 炮兵的总称
(12)bomb[ bCm ]n.炸弹vt.投弹于, 轰炸
(13)invention[ in5venFEn ]n.发明, 创造
(14)barb[ bB:b ]n.鱼钩, 鱼叉的倒钩, 巴巴里鸽(一种类似信鸽的鸽子)vt.装倒钩于
(15)defensive[ di5fensiv ]adj.防御用的, 自卫的n.防御
(16)concrete[ 5kCnkri:t ]adj.具体的, 有形的n.混凝土v.用混凝土修筑, 浇混凝土, 凝结
(17)fierce[ fiEs ]adj.凶猛的, 猛烈的, 热烈的, 暴躁的<美>极讨厌的, 难受的, <英方>精力旺盛的
(18)chief[ tFi:f ]n.首领, 领袖, 酋长, 长官, 主要部分, 最有价值的部分adj.主要的, 首要的, 首席的, 主任的
(19)territory[ 5teritEri ]n.领土, 版图, 地域
(20)negotiate[ ni5^EuFieit ]v.(与某人)商议, 谈判, 磋商, ,买卖, 让渡(支票、债券等), 通过, 越过
(21)starve[ stB:v ]vt.使饿死vi.饿得要死
(22)revolutionary[ 5revE5lu:FEnEri ]adj.革命的
(23)plot[ plCt ]n.地区图, 图, 秘密计划(特指阴谋), (小说的)情节.结构vt.划分, 绘图, 密谋vi.密谋, 策划
(24)overthrow[ 7EuvE5WrEu ]n.推翻, 打倒, 扔得过远得球vt.打倒, 推翻, 颠覆
(25)destroy[ dis5trCi ]vt.破坏, 毁坏, 消灭v.消灭, 摧毁
(26)propose[ prE5pEuz ]vt.计划, 建议, 向...提议, 求(婚)vi.打算, 求婚
(27)chancellor[ 5tFB:nsElE ]n.长官, 大臣
(28)submarine[ 5sQbmEri:n, sQbmE5ri:n ]n.潜水艇, 潜艇adj.水下的, 海底的
(29)passenger[ 5pAsindVE ]n.乘客, 旅客
(30)shock[ FCk ]n.打击, 震动, 冲突, 休克, 突击, 禾束堆, 乱蓬的头发vt.使震动, 使休克, 使受电击, 震惊得vi.震动, 吓人adj.蓬乱的, 浓密的
(31)promise[ 5prCmis ]vt.允诺, 答应n.允诺, 答应, 许诺
(32)withdraw[ wiT5drC: ]vt.收回, 撤消vi.缩回, 退出v.撤退
(33)prince[ prins ]n.王子
(34)dismiss[ dis5mis ]vt.解散, 下课, 开除, 解职, 使(或让)离开vi.解散
(35)oppose[ E5pEuz ]vt.反对, 使对立, 使对抗, 抗争vi.反对
(36)naval[ 5neivEl ]adj.海军的
(37)blockade[ blC5keid ]n.阻塞vt.封锁
(38)league[ li:^ ]n.同盟, 联盟, 盟约, 联合会, 社团v.组联盟, (使)加盟
(39)rebellion[ ri5beljEn ]n.谋反, 叛乱, 反抗, 不服从
(40)supreme[ sju:5pri:m ]adj.极度的, 极大的, 至高的, 最高的
(41)engine[ 5endVin ]n.发动机, 机车, 火车头

1 allies   

联盟国，同盟者； 同盟国，同盟者( ally的名词复数 )； 支持者； 盟军

参考例句：

• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。
• A number of the United States' allies had urged him not to take a hasty decision. 美国的一些盟友已力劝他不要急于作决定。

2 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

3 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

8 chancellor   

n.(英)大臣；法官；(德、奥)总理；大学校长

参考例句：

• They submitted their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.他们昨天向财政大臣递交了报告。
• He was regarded as the most successful Chancellor of modern times.他被认为是现代最成功的财政大臣。

9 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

10 inhuman   

adj.残忍的，不人道的，无人性的

参考例句：

• We must unite the workers in fighting against inhuman conditions.我们必须使工人们团结起来反对那些难以忍受的工作条件。
• It was inhuman to refuse him permission to see his wife.不容许他去看自己的妻子是太不近人情了。

11 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

12 socialists   

社会主义者( socialist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The socialists saw themselves as true heirs of the Enlightenment. 社会主义者认为自己是启蒙运动的真正继承者。
• The Socialists junked dogma when they came to office in 1982. 社会党人1982年上台执政后，就把其政治信条弃之不顾。

13 rebellion   

n.造反，叛乱，反抗

参考例句：

• The next year they rose up in rebellion.第二年他们就揭竿起义了。
• The new government quickly suppressed the rebellion.新政府迅速把叛乱镇压下去。

14 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

15 marshal   

n.元帅，总指挥，（美）执法官；vt.整理，集结

参考例句：

• The oldest general was appointed marshal of the armies.资格最老的将军被任命为军队的元帅。
• Marshal your arguments before debating.辩论前整理一下你的论点。

16 negotiating   

n. 谈判 动词negotiate的现在分词

参考例句：

• They were coerced into negotiating a settlement. 他们被迫通过谈判解决。
• We want to get all the parties back to the negotiating table. 我们想把有关各方拉回到谈判桌上来。

17 trenches   

深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕

参考例句：

• life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
• The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕，并在田野上呈扇形散开。

18 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》