VOA常速英语2018--缅怀前总统老布什

Well, I wanted to report to the American people and some of the latest development related to the situation is in the Soviet¹ Union.

在此，想向美国人民报告一下苏联形势的最新发展情况。

He presided over the end of the Cold War— led America’s last decisive war victory, and served as President, Vice² President, CIA Director, Ambassador, lawmaker and Navy combat pilot.

他主持结束了冷战——引领美国最后一次决定性的战争走向胜利。他担任过总统、副总统、中央情报局局长、大使、议员和海军作战飞行员。

George H W Bush is far from forgotten. From the current President to ordinary citizens, Americans are pausing to reflect and remember. War hero, gentleman, statesman, loved by all, was a great aggregator.

乔治·H·W·布什永远不会为人们所遗忘。无论是现任总统，还是普通老百姓，美国人都停留驻足，缅怀这位战争英雄、绅士、政治家。人人都爱他，他是各种伟大的代名词。

I love the fact that the Clintons and the Bushes became great friends, and I hope that we get more of that type of person going forward in the future. Bush’s vision stated in his successful 1988 presidential campaign of “A kinder, gentler nation” stands in stark³ contrast to today’s bare-knuckle partisan⁴ politics and the unfiltered tirades⁵ that saturate⁶ Twitter. A life of honor, a life of honesty, a life of total concern for the American people, he was patriotic⁷. He demonstrated that in war; he demonstrated that in peace. He really got the hang of it. And he did it with great skill and he knew foreign policy, he understood it, he managed the end of the Corps⁸ peacefully. It ended with a whimper, not a bang.

我喜欢一件事——克林顿和布什成了挚友。我希望未来能有更多这样的人出现。布什的愿景在他1988年成功竞选总统时就提出来了，即“国家更友善温和”。这个愿景跟今天针锋相对的党派政治截然相反，跟推特上充斥的未经过滤的激烈话语截然相反。背负满身荣耀的他一生正直，全心全意为美国人民服务，这样的布什无疑是爱国的。他在战争年代也彰显了这一点，在和平年代亦是如此。他抓住了其中的精髓，他以绝美的技巧进行了实践，他深谙外交政策，他以和平的方式结束了战争。战争悄然结束，而非兴师动众。

Foreign leaders also are paying tribute to the elder President Bush. He is a model, one of the models of the unification. We will never forget that.

许多外国领袖也向前总统布什表达了敬意。布什是典范，是统一的典范。这一点，我们永远不会忘怀。

Not everyone remembers Bush fondly, especially some Iraqis who saw their country expelled from Kuwait in 1991. History will not honor Bush Senior because he attacked a peaceful nation that never challenged America. The airstrikes were a disgrace and will remain his legacy⁹.

并不是所有人对布什都有美好的记忆，尤其是一些伊拉克人，因为这些人曾目睹自己的祖国在1991年从科威特遭到驱逐。如果说历史不会向老布什致敬，那是因为他攻击过一个从未挑战过美国利益的和平国家。曾经的空袭是一次耻辱，并将永远跟随者他。

Afternoon, thanks for coming.

下午好，感谢大家前来。

Bush lived to see his son George W Bush becomes president eight years after leaving the White House, extending the family’s deep and enduring imprint¹⁰ on America and the world.

老布什有生之年目睹了自己的儿子乔治·W·布什成为总统。那时候，他离开白宫已有8年。这是布什家族给美国、给世界留下的绵远悠长的印记。

1 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。

2 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。

3 stark   

adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地

参考例句：

• The young man is faced with a stark choice.这位年轻人面临严峻的抉择。
• He gave a stark denial to the rumor.他对谣言加以完全的否认。

4 partisan   

adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒

参考例句：

• In their anger they forget all the partisan quarrels.愤怒之中，他们忘掉一切党派之争。
• The numerous newly created partisan detachments began working slowly towards that region.许多新建的游击队都开始慢慢地向那里移动。

5 tirades   

激烈的长篇指责或演说( tirade的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• What's the matter with Levin today?Why doesn't he launch into one of his tirades? 你所说得话我全记录下来列文今天怎么啦？没有反唇相讥？

6 saturate   

vt.使湿透，浸透；使充满，使饱和

参考例句：

• We'll saturate California with the rise in its crime rate.我们将使加利福尼亚州的犯罪案件增长率达到饱和点。
• Saturate the meat in the mixture of oil and herbs.把肉浸泡在油和作料的卤汁里。

7 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

8 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

9 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

10 imprint   

n.印痕，痕迹；深刻的印象；vt.压印，牢记

参考例句：

• That dictionary is published under the Longman imprint.那本词典以朗曼公司的名义出版。
• Her speech left its imprint on me.她的演讲给我留下了深刻印象。