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VOA新闻杂志2023--Calvin Coolidge: Silent

时间:2023-09-25 01:16来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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Calvin Coolidge: Silent

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are talking about Calvin Coolidge. He was the vice1 president under Warren Harding. When Harding died suddenly a little more than two years into his term, Coolidge became president.

Coolidge is linked to two opposing ideas. The first idea is quiet restraint.

The president's nickname was "Silent Cal." He rarely took part in casual conversation. And as a leader, he often thought the best action was not to take any action.

Many voters liked his "cool" style. Coolidge quickly earned a public image as a serious man who did not spend money or words easily.

But Coolidge is also linked to a period in U.S. history known as the Roaring Twenties.

In those years, the 1920s, the American economy was generally good. Many people spent money on exciting things – such as the still-new automobile2 – and on entertainment, including alcoholic3 drinks, cigarettes, and dancing. Creative expression such as jazz and Art Deco architecture became popular.

Calvin Coolidge is often given credit for helping4 fuel the Roaring Twenties with his pro-business economic policies.

But some historians caution against remembering Coolidge's business freedom policies too fondly. They say he helped create the conditions for the severe economic depression that followed his presidency5.

Early life

Calvin Coolidge and his sister were born and raised on a farm in the northeast state of Vermont.

Coolidge spoke6 highly of both his parents.

His father owned a store, and also held local political offices. He had a public image for honesty, public service, and thrift7.

Young Calvin Coolidge helped his father in the store, and hoped to be just like him.

Coolidge also admired his mother's strong character. He was 12 years old when she died, and he wrote that losing her was "the greatest grief that can come to a boy."

Six years later, his sister also died.

Their deaths made young Calvin Coolidge even more serious than he already was.

But Coolidge was also known for his wit – a kind of humor that often depends on word play or intelligence. As a student at Amherst College in Massachusetts, Coolidge became known as an able and funny public speaker.

That skill helped him rise in politics. He began with lower-level offices in Massachusetts, and later served as that state's governor.

Along the way, he married Grace Anna Goodhue, a teacher for the deaf. She was known to be warm and social, and the couple were reported to have a loving marriage. They went on to have two sons.

In 1920, the Republican Party nominated Coolidge to be its vice presidential candidate. In general, voters liked the Republican ticket. They were ready for a change after the reform policies and international engagement of Democrat8 Woodrow Wilson.

Sure enough, the Republicans won the election in a landslide9.

But Coolidge did not enjoy the office of vice president very much. He had little power in the government. During meetings, he often remained silent.

One summer night he and his wife were on vacation in Vermont. His father, Colonel Coolidge, woke them up in the middle of the night with some dramatic news: President Harding had died.

Reporters quickly gathered at the small farmhouse10. Colonel Coolidge had not put electricity in the house. So everyone watched by the light of an oil lamp.

Colonel Coolidge was a public official. He used the family Bible and a copy of the Constitution to swear in his son as the 30th U.S. president.

Then the country's new leader did a very sensible thing: he went back to bed.

Presidency

President Coolidge believed in limited government, especially limited federal government. He permitted state and Cabinet officials to decide as many issues as they could.

Coolidge used his authority to focus mostly on the country's economy.

At the time he took office, the U.S. was at the start of an economic boom. Coolidge tried to maintain that prosperity. He did not regulate businesses too much, and he sharply reduced taxes, especially on the wealthy.

By nearly every measure, the economy grew.

But the policies also widened the divide between rich and poor Americans, and put the country's economy in a risky11 situation.

More and more people began to invest their money in the stock market. Some put their dollars in dangerous investments.

And business owners produced more goods than most members of the public could really afford. Increasingly, people borrowed money on credit to pay for luxury goods.

At the same time, the economic situation of many American farmers was getting worse. The weather had been unusually dry in some places. And the price of food was falling.

Farmers asked the federal government for assistance. But Coolidge rejected several bills that might have helped them. The bills had other problems, Coolidge reasoned, and he did not think that the federal government should intervene in the situation.

So the farmers continued to suffer.

But most voters remained supportive of Coolidge. Even though the president was considered a quiet person, he spoke often on the radio, appeared in a talking film, met with reporters regularly, and posed in funny costumes for photographers.

He easily won elected in 1924. Historians believe he could have won another term, too, in 1928. But Coolidge chose not to seek office.

Some believed he was too saddened by the death of his teenaged son. Shortly after Coolidge became president, the boy had been playing tennis and slightly wounded his toe. The wound became infected. The infection spread to the boy's blood. A few days later, he died.

Although Coolidge continued his presidency, he later said the joy had gone from the job.

But when he decided12 not to seek re-election, he did not talk about his feelings. Instead, he simply wrote a note to reporters saying: "I do not choose to run for President in 1928."

His secretary of commerce, Herbert Hoover, was elected instead. Coolidge retired13 to his home in Massachusetts and led a quiet private life.

Legacy14

President Coolidge was well-liked by most Americans. Later presidents – including Ronald Reagan – sought to follow some of his economic policies.

But many historians have questioned those policies. They say that Coolidge did not pay enough attention to the situation of farmers. And they say the stock market was rising too fast.

Seven months after Coolidge left office, the U.S. economy collapsed15.

The country was still deep in the Great Depression when Coolidge passed away. He died – quietly, of course – during an afternoon nap at the age of 60.

His will was but a single sentence.

Words in This Story

casual - adj. happening by chance : not planned or expected

conversation - n. talking in an informal way

fondly - adv. in a loving way

thrift - n. careful use of money so that it is not wasted

grief - n. deep sadness caused especially by someone's death

wit - n. an ability to say or write things that are clever and usually funny

ticket - n. a list of the candidates supported by a political party in an election

engagement - n. the act or state of being involved with something

sensible - adj. having or showing good sense or judgment


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 vice NU0zQ     
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。
2 automobile rP1yv     
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。
3 alcoholic rx7zC     
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 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
5 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。
6 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。
7 thrift kI6zT     
adj.节约,节俭;n.节俭,节约
参考例句:
  • He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
  • His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。
8 democrat Xmkzf     
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。
9 landslide XxyyG     
n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票;一面倒的胜利
参考例句:
  • Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
  • An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。
10 farmhouse kt1zIk     
n.农场住宅(尤指主要住房)
参考例句:
  • We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
  • We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。
11 risky IXVxe     
adj.有风险的,冒险的
参考例句:
  • It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险,但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
  • He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。
12 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。
13 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。
14 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。
15 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。
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