[林肯小传_955204138] 自己小传

　 1 林肯小传

　Lincoln Portrait

　Americans celebrate Presidents' Day each year on the third Monday of February. But they did not always do so. They used to observe the birthdays of two of the greatest American presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Both men were born in the month of February. Abraham Lincoln's birthday is February twelfth. George Washington's is February twenty-second.

　 In Nineteen-Seventy-One, Congress approved a law that affected some national holidays. It changed the official celebration of the holiday to the Monday closest to the real date. The birthdays of the two Presidents were celebrated on one day -- the third Monday in February. Later, Congress said the holiday would honor all American presidents.

　 VOICE TWO:

　 Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth American president. He is considered one of the greatest leaders of all time. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky in Eighteen-Oh-Nine. He grew up in Illinois. His family was poor and had no education. Abraham Lincoln taught himself what he needed to know. He became a lawyer. He served in the 1)Illinois state 2)legislature and in the United States Congress. In Eighteen-Sixty, he was elected to the country's highest office.

　 VOICE ONE:

　 President Lincoln led the United States during the Civil War between the northern and southern states. This was the most serious crisis in American history. President Lincoln helped end slavery in the nation. And he helped keep the American union from splitting apart during the war. President Lincoln believed that he proved to the world that democracy can be a lasting form of government.

　 VOICE TWO:

　 In Eighteen-Sixty-Three, President Lincoln gave what became his most famous speech. Union armies of the north had won two great victories that year. They defeated the Confederate armies of the south at Vicksburg, Mississippi and at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Ceremonies were held to honor the dead soldiers at a burial place on the Gettysburg battlefield.

　 President Lincoln spoke at Gettysburg for only about two minutes. But his speech has never been forgotten. Historians say the speech defined Americans as a people who believed in freedom, democracy and equality.

　 Abraham Lincoln wrote some of the most memorable words in American history. He was murdered a few days after the Civil War ended, in Eighteen-Sixty-Five. Yet his words live on.

　 VOICE ONE:

　 In Nineteen-Forty-Two, 3)orchestra conductor Andre Kostelanitz asked composer Aaron Copland to write a piece of music about Abraham Lincoln. Copland was one of the best modern American composers. He wrote many kinds of music. His music told stories about the United States.

　 Aaron Copland wrote "Lincoln Portrait" to honor the president. Copland's music included parts of American folk songs and songs popular during the Civil War. Here is the Seattle 4)Symphony playing part of "Lincoln Portrait."

　 (TAPE CUT ONE: LINCOLN PORTRAIT)

　 VOICE TWO:

　 Aaron Copland added words from President Lincoln's speeches and letters to his "Lincoln Portrait." It has been performed many times in the United States. Many famous people have read the words. To celebrate Presidents' Day, here is actor James Earl Jones reading part of Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait."

　 (TAPE CUT TWO: JAMES EARL JONES, LINCOLN PORTRAIT:)      "Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history." That is what he said, That is what Abraham Lincoln said: "Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history. We of this Congress and this administration will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The 5)fiery (22)trial through which we pass will light us down in honor or (23)dishonor, to the latest generation. We - even we here - hold the power and bear the responsibility"… Lincoln was a quiet man. Abe Lincoln was a quiet and melancholy man. But, when he spoke of 6)Democracy, this is what he said:

　 He said: "As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of Democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy."

　 Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of these United States, is (24)everlasting in the memory of his countrymen, for on the battleground at Gettysburg this is what he said:

　 He said: "that from these honored dead we take increased (25)devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion: that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; and that this nation under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

　 VOICE ONE:

　 This program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Shirley Griffith.

　 (LINCOLN PORTRAIT INSTEAD OF CLOSING THEME)

　VOICE TWO:

　 And I'm Rich Kleinfeldt. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

　注释：

　1) Illinois  n. 伊利诺斯州 (美国州名)

　2) legislaturen. 立法机关，立法机构

　3) orchestra] n. 管弦乐队，乐队演奏处

　4) symphony n. 交响乐，交响曲

　5) fiery  adj. 火的，火焰的，炽热的，热烈的，暴躁的，眼睛炯炯有神的

　6) democracy n. 民主政治，民主主义

　2 迈克尔 乔丹

　Michael Jordan

　Ten years ago, Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls. At the time, he said he might consider returning to basketball one day. Michael Jordan did return to the game--not once, but twice. Last month, he retired for the third time. Shep O-Neal reports.

　ANNCR:

　Michael Jordan is widely considered basketball’s best player ever. He became known as Air Jordan. He seemed to fly through the air with the ball. He also gained wide notice by helping to sell products. Businesses paid him tens of millions of dollars.

　Michael Jordan attended the University of 1)North Carolina. He joined the Chicago Bulls in nineteen-eighty-four. He led the Bulls to six world championships during his thirteen years with the team.

　Michael Jordan first retired from the Bulls in nineteen-ninety-three. He played baseball for a short time, but returned to the team in nineteen-ninety-four. He retired again five years later. He said it was time to do something else. But he could not end his relationship with basketball.

　 Michael Jordan became president of operations for the Washington Wizards, the team in the nation’s capital. But the Wizards were not a very good team. So Michael Jordan decided to help by playing again.

　 His 2)involvement as a player brought more people to watch the games. But the Wizards did not reach the 3)playoffs in the two years that Michael Jordan played with them.

　He plans to continue as president of basketball operations for the Wizards. He says his experience playing with the team will help him in that job. For example, he is in a better position to decide who should play on the team in the future.

　 Michael Jordan is forty years old now. He says it was fun to be around the young players. He says playing again helped him understand how the game has changed.

　注释：

　1) North Carolina] n. 美国北卡罗来纳州

　2) Involvement n. 连累，包含

　3) playoff  (双方得分相等时的) 最后决赛

　3 比尔 克林顿

　Bill Clinton

　VOICE ONE:

　This is Mary Tillotson.

　VOICE TWO:

　And this is Steve Ember with THE MAKING OF A NATION, a VOA Special English program about the history of the

　 United States. Today we continue telling about America’s forty-second president, Bill Clinton. He became only the second American president to be charged and tried for wrongdoing by Congress.

　VOICE ONE:

　For years, critics of Bill Clinton had accused him of financial wrongdoing before he became president. Some critics also accused his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton. The Clintons denied any dishonest actions. However, unconfirmed reports repeatedly said that they were involved in illegal business activities in Arkansas during the nineteen-eighties.

　 In January of nineteen-ninety-four, the president asked Attorney General Janet Reno to appoint an independent lawyer to lead an investigation. Mizz Reno named a Republican lawyer. However, some people said this man was too friendly to the Clinton administration. He was replaced by Kenneth Starr, also a Republican.

　VOICE TWO:

　Congress also investigated the president during his two terms in office. For example, the Senate Judiciary Committee began an investigation in nineteen-ninety-five. The majority of Judiciary Committee members reported that the evidence did not show Mister Clinton responsible for a crime. But the majority belonged to his political party, the Democrats. 1)Suspicion of the president continued.

　The main cause of the suspicion developed from a financial investment made years earlier. Bill and Hillary Clinton had bought land in Arkansas in nineteen-seventy-eight. The Clintons formed the Whitewater Development Corporation with Susan and James McDougal. The goal was to sell holiday homes on a river. However, the company did poorly.

　VOICE ONE:

　James McDougal also owned a loan company. Hillary Clinton, a lawyer, did legal work for this company. The company failed during the nineteen-eighties. James McDougal and Susan McDougal were found guilty of wrongdoing in connection with the loan company.

　 Bill and Hillary Clinton’s business connection to the McDougals in the Whitewater Company helped make the Clintons targets of suspicion.

　 VOICE TWO:

　A former judge also became linked to legal questions about the Whitewater Corporation. David Hale owned a savings and loan company that received public money. In nineteen-ninety-six, Mister Hale said Bill Clinton had pressured him to loan money to Susan McDougal about eleven years earlier. The Whitewater Development Corporation received some of that money. Mister Clinton was governor of Arkansas at the time. So such an action would have been illegal. Bill Clinton denied the 2)accusation.

　(MUSIC)

　VOICE ONE:

　Investigators asked Missus Clinton several times for records of her legal work for James McDougal during the nineteen-eighties. Officials wanted to know how much time she had spent on legal advice for his loan company. She said she could not find the records. Then, in January of nineteen-ninety-six, the records appeared in the White House. Missus

　 Clinton could not explain their presence.

　 Bill and Hillary Clinton continued to deny wrongdoing. Some Americans did not believe them. Others, however, said Kenneth Starr was wasting millions of dollars on his investigation. They said Mister Starr was acting against the president for political reasons.

　 Media reports said Mister Starr had offered shorter prison sentences to David Hale and others involved with Whitewater if they cooperated with his investigation. Defenders of the president said this meant these people had good reason to lie.

　Investigators said such offers are common. Other media reports said David Hale had received large amounts of money from a conservative organization that had strongly criticized Mister Clinton.

　 (MUSIC)

　VOICE TWO:

　The president was threatened with removal from office after a sexual relationship with a young woman became public.

　It started when a former Arkansas state employee named Paula Corbin Jones took legal action against President Clinton in nineteen-ninety-four. She charged that he had asked her for sex while he was governor of Arkansas. A federal judge dismissed her case for lack of evidence. But Missus Jones 3)appealed the case.

　 Her lawyers wanted to prove that Mister Clinton had had sex with several female workers. They suspected these included a young woman, Monica Lewinsky, who had worked as a White House assistant. They believed Mizz Lewinsky had sexual relations with President Clinton between nineteen-ninety-five and nineteen-ninety-seven.

　 VOICE ONE :

　Kenneth Starr was still investigating the Whitewater case early in nineteen-ninety-eight. He received permission to include Mizz Lewinsky in his investigation.

　A former friend of Mizz Lewinsky had given Mister Starr tape recordings of her telephone calls with the young woman. On the recordings, Monica Lewinsky talked about her relationship with the president.

　 Earlier, Mizz Lewinsky and Mister Clinton had separately answered questions from lawyers representing Paula Jones. Both Mister Clinton and Mizz Lewinsky denied having a sexual relationship. In January of nineteen-ninety-eight, Mister Clinton also denied publicly that he had a sexual relationship with Mizz Lewinsky.

　 VOICE TWO:

　Six months later, Mister Clinton agreed to answer questions before a federal investigating jury. He told the grand jury about his relationship with Mizz Lewinsky. This meant he had lied during earlier official questioning. That night, the president admitted on national television that he had had a relationship with Monica Lewinsky that was wrong. He told the nation his actions were a personal failure. But he denied trying to get her to lie about the relationship.

　 Kenneth Starr sent his final report to the House of Representatives. The report suggested that Mister Clinton may have committed impeachable crimes in trying to hide his relationship with the young woman.

　 VOICE ONE:

　In December, the House of Representatives impeached President William Jefferson Clinton. This meant the Senate would hold a trial and decide if he was guilty. If found guilty, Mister Clinton would be removed from office, as required by the Constitution.

　 Only one other president had ever been 4)impeached. In eighteen-sixty-eight, the House of Representatives had brought charges against President Andrew Johnson. The Senate had failed by one vote to remove him from office.

　 VOICE TWO:

　The House of Representatives approved two charges against President Clinton to send to the Senate. One charge accused him of lying during the official investigation of his relationship with Mizz Lewinsky. The other accused him of trying to hide evidence.

　Mister Clinton still had two years left to serve as president. Opinion studies showed the American public wanted him to finish his term. Two-thirds of the people asked said they opposed removing him from office.

　 VOICE ONE:

　The Senate decided Mister Clinton’s future in February of nineteen-ninety-nine. The one-hundred senators held a trial to consider the charges and decide if Mister Clinton should be removed from office. The trial required sixty-seven votes for a judgment of guilt on each charge.

　 The Senators voted Mister Clinton not guilty on one charge. They evenly divided their votes on the other charge.

　Bill Clinton remained president of the United States. But the forty-second president had hoped to be remembered for his leadership and the progress made during his administration. Instead, many people said he will be remembered for the charges against him.

　 In October, nineteen-ninety-nine, Kenneth Starr resigned as the independent investigator. An assistant, Robert Ray, completed a final report on the Whitewater investigation. He issued his report in September, two-thousand. No charges were brought against the Clintons. The report said there was not enough evidence to prove any wrongdoing by President or Missus Clinton.

　 Political experts disagree about what place in history William Jefferson Clinton will occupy. But the experts agree that Mister Clinton’s influence on the United States will be debated for many years to come.

　 VOICE TWO:

　This program of THE MAKING OF A NATION was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by George Grow. This is Steve Ember.

　VOICE ONE:

　And this is Mary Tillotson. Join us again next week for another VOA Special English program about the history of the United States.

　注释：

　1) suspicion [s[s5pIF[n] n. 猜疑，怀疑

　2) accusation [Akju(:)5zeIF[n] n. 谴责，指控

　3) appeal [[5pi:l] vt. 控诉

　4) impeach [Im5pi:tF] vt. 控告，弹劾