VOA标准英语2009年-Historian Douglas Brinkley Portrays a "Gre

By Greg Flakus
Houston
17 September 2009

 
Theodore Roosevelt
In an age when "green," as in environmentally friendly, is all the rage, one of the most prominent U.S. historians has written a book about a man who provided the foundation for much of the conservation movement, former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt. In his new book, "Wilderness¹ Warrior," Douglas Brinkley portrays² President Roosevelt as a crusader for the cause of protecting America's wild heritage, in the form of national parks, forests and grasslands³. Brinkley teaches atf Rice University in Houston.

The wilderness has been a feature of the American experience since the nation's beginnings, but present generations might not have had much opportunity to enjoy such natural splendors⁴ had it not been for a sickly easterner who went to live on a ranch⁵ in North Dakota in 1883.

Theodore Roosevelt overcame illness and mental depression by roughing it in the Dakota badlands, according to Historian Douglas Brinkley. "So Roosevelt came to a very modern conclusion ... that we needed to save nature, not just because it is pretty, but because it had redemptive spiritual value and was the great replenisher⁶ of the soul. And he felt that urbanization was destroying souls," he said.

 
Douglas Brinkley
In his book, Brinkley focuses on Theodore Roosevelt's lifelong commitment to preserving nature by reserving large areas as national parks and protected zones. "Although my book, "The Wilderness Warrior," is about history, it is about Theodore Roosevelt's life from 1858 to 1919. It resonates today because all over the country people are looking to save land, to rehabilitate⁷ endangered species, to clean up rivers and lakes and create a sustainable environment for us to live," he said.

Roosevelt was a Republican, but his appeal crosses modern party lines and Brinkley thinks Republicans of today are beginning to reconnect with the conservationist policies he triumphed. "There are many Republican conservationists who are saying what the modern Republican Party has lost is T.R.'s vision of the environment. In fact, Newt Gingrich, of all people, is saying that the modern Republican Party should be the leader on environmentalism," he said.

At the same time, Brinkley says some of the people who call themselves environmentalists today need to look at Roosevelt's practical side and his promotion⁸ of economic development. "There are people who are stopping building over a snail⁹ darter. That is taking the endangered species act in a kind of anti-development extreme," he said.

In addition to the books he has written about such historic persons as Theodore Roosevelt, Brinkley has written about contemporary figures like writer Hunter S. Thompson, newsman Walter Cronkite and rock singer and poet Bob Dylan, all of whom he met personally. "There are huge boons¹⁰ and advantages because you actually get to know the human being, you are not just writing out of the cardboard boxes of letters," he said.

But in the end, he says, whether the subject is from a century ago or today's world his task is to share what he learns about them. "When you are a historian you feel a bit of an obligation to communicate your findings to the public at large and hopefully get them interested. I am an enthusiast¹¹ for history, so part of my job is to get people excited about it," he said.

Brinkley shares many of his insights on a regular basis on television news programs, where he is a frequent guest. But he says his own celebrity¹² is sometimes a burden, taking him away from what he really loves, which is researching and writing.

1 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

2 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 grasslands   

n.草原，牧场( grassland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Songs were heard ringing loud and clear over the grasslands. 草原上扬起清亮激越的歌声。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat. 草原已经开垦出来，种上了小麦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 splendors   

n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫

参考例句：

• The sun rose presently and sent its unobstructed splendors over the land. 没多大工夫，太阳就出来了，毫无阻碍，把它的光华异彩散布在大地之上。 来自辞典例句
• Her mortal frame could not endure the splendors of the immortal radiance. 她那世人的肉身禁不住炽热的神光。 来自辞典例句

5 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

6 replenisher   

补，补充物，补偿物

参考例句：

• Use:That is a padhesive with the powder Diecty,Compress tablets and replenisher,Disinteante,adhesive of the capsula. 用途：本品主要用作药物固体制剂，全粉末直接压片的干燥粘合剂，胶囊填充剂，崩解剂，湿法造粒粘合剂和着色的延展剂。

7 rehabilitate   

vt.改造(罪犯)，修复；vi.复兴，(罪犯)经受改造

参考例句：

• There was no money to rehabilitate the tower.没有资金修复那座塔。
• He used exercise programmes to rehabilitate the patients.他采用体育锻炼疗法使患者恢复健康。

8 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

9 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

10 boons   

n.恩惠( boon的名词复数 )；福利；非常有用的东西；益处

参考例句：

• Set against this are some less tangible but still worthwhile boons. 此外，还有一些优惠虽不这么实际，但也值得一看。 来自互联网

11 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

12 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。