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VOA新闻杂志2023--Dwight Eisenhower: Cold Warrior

时间:2023-10-24 05:43:08

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(单词翻译)

Dwight Eisenhower: Cold Warrior1

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are talking about Dwight Eisenhower. He took office in 1953 and was re-elected in 1956.

Eisenhower was famous before he became president of the United States. He was a general in World War II, and led the Allied2 invasion of Europe. The attack began with the air and sea operation called D-Day.

As president, Eisenhower became known for his efforts to keep peace. He tried to have good relations with the Soviet3 Union especially. He believed one of the best ways to do that was to build America's military strength.

When Americans think of Eisenhower, they often note the growth of the U.S. defense4 industry, and tensions with the Soviet Union. Those tensions became known as the Cold War, and lasted long after Eisenhower left office.

Early life

Dwight David Eisenhower was born in Texas, but raised in the state of Kansas. His parents had seven sons. The future president was the third.

Eisenhower's parents did not have much money. His father worked as a mechanic. His mother was a member of the Mennonite Church, which opposed war and violence for any reason.

But young Dwight – who used the nickname "Ike" – enjoyed reading about military history and doing physical activities. He played football, and liked hunting and fishing.

When he finished high school, Eisenhower earned a position at the U.S. Military Academy, better known as West Point.

At first, he did not excel as a soldier. Eisenhower tested some of the Army's traditional ideas. But in time, military leaders came to value Eisenhower's ability to think independently and strategically.

He accepted increasingly important positions. In only a few years, Eisenhower took command of Allied troops during World War II. He directed invasions in North Africa, Italy, and finally in Western Europe.

His words "Okay, let's go" launched the invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944.

Eisenhower's personal life changed during his military years. He married a young woman named Mamie Doud in 1916. The following year they had a son named Doud Dwight; however, the boy became sick and died at the age of three.

In 1922, the Eisenhowers had a second son, named John.

Mamie and the boy spent many months separated from Dwight. And, even when the family was together, they were often moving from place to place. They moved nearly 30 times during Eisenhower's military career.

After he retired5 from active duty in the Army, Eisenhower accepted a position as president of Columbia University in New York. Then he returned to the military to lead NATO forces in Europe.

In the early 1950s, Republican Party officials urged Eisenhower to be their candidate for president. Many Americans approved of Eisenhower's war record, his efforts to contain communism, and his wide smile. They seemed to agree with his campaign slogan, "I like Ike," and decisively elected him into office.

His 1952 election brought an end to the Democratic Party's 20-year control of the White House.

Presidency6

Although he declared himself a Republican, Eisenhower was a political moderate in many of his ideas. He continued some of the domestic policies of former presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry7 Truman.

Eisenhower also wanted the government to invest in public works projects. Notably8, he approved a bill to build more than 65,000 kilometers of roads. Today the U.S. highway system connects all parts of the country and supports the nation's economy.

Eisenhower also worked hard to have peaceful relations with other countries. In his first months as president, he signed the agreement that ended fighting in the Korean War.

He also tried to ease tensions between the United States and Soviet Union. In 1952, the U.S. government tested the first hydrogen bomb. It was even more powerful than the atomic bomb.

Soon, the Soviet Union carried out a hydrogen bomb test of its own.

The two countries became actively9 involved in an arms race that made many people around the world very, very nervous.

Eisenhower did not fully10 trust the Soviet leadership, but made some efforts to achieve an agreement on arms control. At the same time, he approved a plan for U.S. airplanes to fly secretly over the Soviet Union to gather information.

In 1959, Eisenhower and the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, met in the American state of Maryland. Modern presidents use a mountain retreat there, which Eisenhower called Camp David, after his grandson.

The U.S. and Soviet officials did not develop a treaty, but they did agree to meet again the following year.

However, the agreement collapsed11. In 1960, Soviet missiles brought down one of the American spy planes, called a U-2. The pilot was captured.

At first, Eisenhower's government denied that the plane was secretly gathering12 information. Officials said it was only a weather aircraft.

But then the Soviets13 produced evidence that the U-2 was, in fact, a spy plane. Khrushchev said he could not trust Eisenhower and his government, and he ended talks on limiting or disarming14 nuclear weapons.

During his two terms in office, Eisenhower tried many ways to avoid all-out war. He approved other secret actions, especially by the Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA . Eisenhower sent U.S. Marines into Lebanon to try to end unrest there. And he decided15 against ordering air strikes on Vietminh forces when they surrounded French troops at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam.

In all these efforts, Eisenhower used the threat of U.S. military power to help achieve his foreign policy goals. But he warned Americans against letting businesses aiding the defense industry become too powerful.

In his final speech as president, Eisenhower spoke16 of the dangers of what he called the military-industrial complex. He did not want the country to depend only on war to resolve conflicts. And, he did not want the U.S. government to spend so much on weapons that it could not provide other services to Americans.

Shortly after that speech, Eisenhower retired to a home he and his wife had bought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Many Americans were sad to see him go.

Legacy17

Eisenhower's presidency lasted most of the 1950s. During that time, the American economy was, for the most part, strong. Many Americans had enough money to buy homes and televisions.

At the same time, Eisenhower's presidency was a time of unease. Racial discrimination was intense. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme18 Court declared that states could no longer have separate public schools for white and black students. Some whites strongly objected to the decision. They tried to block black students from entering schools, sometimes using violence.

Eisenhower sent troops to enforce the federal law to desegregate public schools.

Later, Eisenhower used the power of his office to enforce other desegregation and voting rights laws. But he did not speak up strongly in support of civil rights. He thought both those who blocked civil rights legislation and those who demanded it were extreme.

Eisenhower also did not publicly criticize Senator Joseph McCarthy, who accused the U.S. government of protecting Soviet spies. Eisenhower strongly disliked McCarthy, but he permitted the "Red Scare" to continue until the lawmaker could discredit19 himself.

Finally, despite Eisenhower's efforts, the Cold War did not end; in fact, tensions between the U.S. and Soviet Union increased. Although Eisenhower succeeded in keeping the country out of war, many events during his presidency created the conditions for later conflicts.

Nevertheless, Eisenhower was a popular president, both before, during, and after his time in office.

During his final years, he wrote several books about his life, traveled, and advised later presidents. He had suffered a heart attack during his first term in office, and eventually suffered another one.

He died at the age of 78 with his family by his side.

Words in This Story

strategically - adv. creating and using plans to reach a goal

active duty - n. employment as a full-time20 member of the military

slogan - n. a word or phrase that is easy to remember and is used to attract attention

domestic - n. of, relating to, or made in your own country

achieve - v. to get or reach (something)

retreat - n. a place that is quiet and private

desegregate - v. to end a policy that keeps people of different races apart


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1 warrior YgPww     
n.勇士,武士,斗士
参考例句:
  • The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
  • A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。
2 allied iLtys     
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 Soviet Sw9wR     
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。
4 defense AxbxB     
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 retired Njhzyv     
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。
6 presidency J1HzD     
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期)
参考例句:
  • Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
  • Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。
7 harry heBxS     
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
参考例句:
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
8 notably 1HEx9     
adv.值得注意地,显著地,尤其地,特别地
参考例句:
  • Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席,特别是连班长也没来。
  • A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小,一头银发,每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。
9 actively lzezni     
adv.积极地,勤奋地
参考例句:
  • During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
  • We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。
10 fully Gfuzd     
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
参考例句:
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
11 collapsed cwWzSG     
adj.倒塌的
参考例句:
  • Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
  • The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
12 gathering ChmxZ     
n.集会,聚会,聚集
参考例句:
  • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
  • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
13 soviets 95fd70e5832647dcf39beb061b21c75e     
苏维埃(Soviet的复数形式)
参考例句:
  • A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
  • The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。
14 disarming Muizaq     
adj.消除敌意的,使人消气的v.裁军( disarm的现在分词 );使息怒
参考例句:
  • He flashed her a disarming smile. 他朝她笑了一下,让她消消气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We will agree to disarming troops and leaving their weapons at military positions. 我们将同意解除军队的武装并把武器留在军事阵地。 来自辞典例句
15 decided lvqzZd     
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。
16 spoke XryyC     
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。
17 legacy 59YzD     
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。
18 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
参考例句:
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
19 discredit fu3xX     
vt.使不可置信;n.丧失信义;不信,怀疑
参考例句:
  • Their behaviour has bought discredit on English football.他们的行为败坏了英国足球运动的声誉。
  • They no longer try to discredit the technology itself.他们不再试图怀疑这种技术本身。
20 full-time SsBz42     
adj.满工作日的或工作周的,全时间的
参考例句:
  • A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
  • I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作,我不知道她是如何对付的。

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