经济学人122:肯尼迪最后的日子 整个美国为之哭泣

 　　Books and arts

　　文艺

　　John Kennedy's final days

　　肯尼迪最后的日子

　　When America wept

　　整个美国为之哭泣

　　JFK's Last Hundred Days: The Transformation¹ of a Man and the Emergence³ of a Great President.

　　肯尼迪的最后百天：一个男人的转变，一位伟大总统的诞生

　　FOR Americans of a certain age, memories of November 22nd 1963 remain painful.

　　对于那个年代的美国人来说，1963年11月22日的记忆是沉痛的。

　　Their dashing young president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was assassinated⁴ in Dallas.

　　他们年轻而又风度翩翩的总统，约翰杰茨弗拉德?肯尼迪在达拉斯市遭到暗杀。

　　Shock and mourning ensued.

　　这个消息让人为之一震，人们纷纷悲恸哀悼。

　　肯尼迪.jpg

　　The loss may have been all the harder because Kennedy had been growing steadily⁵ on the job.

　　肯尼迪在工作上的表现蒸蒸日上，因此他的逝去让人们感到惋惜。

　　His first year in office was marked by the ignominious⁶ Bay of Pigs, his failed effort to eject Fidel Castro from Cuba.

　　他执政的第一年因“猪湾事件”将菲德尔?卡斯特罗驱逐出古巴的失败尝试而蒙羞。

　　A year and a half later, the Cuban missile crisis brought America and the Soviet⁷ Union to the terrifying brink⁸ of nuclear war.

　　一年半之后，古巴导弹危机将美国和苏联推向核战争的边缘。

　　But by the autumn of 1963, Thurston Clarke argues in this study of the president's final days, Kennedy had begun to “realise his potential as a man and a president".

　　瑟斯顿克拉克在他《肯尼迪最后的时光》这本书里谈论道，1963年的秋天，肯尼迪已经开始“意识到他作为一个男人和一位总统的责任”。

　　His confidence was rising.

　　他的自信心倍增。

　　Having narrowly avoided nuclear war, he was determined⁹ to have peace.

　　微妙地避开了核战争的爆发，他希望和平。

　　Finding like-mindedness in Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, he secured a treaty that banned nuclear tests in the atmosphere, in space and underwater.

　　在这一点上他和苏联领导人尼基塔?赫鲁晓夫的观点并无二致。他确立了一项“部分禁止核试验条约”，条约中禁止在太空和水下进行核试验。

　　It was, Kennedy told the nation, “a step away from war”.

　　肯尼迪向美国民众宣称，这个条约的签署“离战争又远了一步”。

　　Vietnam also dominated his final months.

　　在最后的几个月里，越南也是他的心头之忧。

　　Even while half-heartedly encouraging a coup¹⁰ that toppled and killed Ngo Dinh Diem, the South Vietnamese leader, Kennedy seemed determined to draw down the American presence and avoid a future quagmire¹¹ there.

　　尽管他并无决心支持发动一场政变，颠覆南越政权并杀死领导人吴廷琰，但是肯尼迪似乎意在减少美国在越南投入的兵力，避免泥足深陷。

　　He spent time, too, on civil rights and the space race.

　　另外，他在公民权利和太空竞赛方面也投入了精力。

　　He began planning his re-election and even laid the groundwork for secret talks with Mr Castro.

　　他开始筹划连任，甚至为与卡斯特罗的密谈做了准备工作。

　　His relationship with his glamorous¹² wife, Jacqueline, also improved.

　　他同他漂亮迷人的妻子，杰奎琳的关系也有所改善。

　　In August 1963 their second son, Patrick, was born prematurely¹³ and died within days.

　　1963年8月他们的第二个儿子，帕特里克早产并在几天后夭折。

　　After that, Mr Clarke shows, Kennedy was more solicitous¹⁴ towards his wife.

　　克拉克觉得从那以后，肯尼迪对妻子多了些关怀。

　　Evidently he cut back on his reckless womanising, though whether this would have lasted will never be known.

　　很明显的是他没有再流连于女色，虽然这个做法有没有持久下去我们不得而知。

　　“I think we're going to make it.

　　“我觉得我们都在努力。

　　I think we're going to be a couple,” the first lady told a friend not long before the fateful trip to Dallas.

　　使我们逐渐回到原来那种亲密的关系，”这是那次命运攸关的达拉斯之行前，第一夫人这样对她朋友说道。

　　Kennedy's lifelong health problems also diminished.

　　困扰肯尼迪终生的健康问题也有所好转。

　　Mr Clarke is a good storyteller, and his account—one of many JFK books timed for the 50th anniversary of the assassination—offers an enjoyable snapshot of the day-to-day workings of the presidency¹⁵.

　　克拉克是一位优秀的作者，他的著作—众多纪念肯尼迪遇刺50周年书籍中的一本——生动地介绍了总统的日常工作。

　　One moment sees Kennedy holding a meeting on poverty in Kentucky; the next finds him romping¹⁶ with his children, Caroline and John.

　　在某个时刻，肯尼迪在肯塔基州召开关于贫困问题的会议，下一幕你会发现他同女儿凯若琳，儿子小约翰在一起玩耍。

　　The format² also affords passing glimpses into Kennedy's views on issues such as the space race and getting out of South-East Asia.

　　书中还有肯尼迪对诸如太空竞赛此类问题的看法。并且逐渐撤出东南亚。

　　The book's core argument—that Kennedy came into his own during his final 100 days—is not entirely¹⁷ persuasive¹⁸.

　　这本书的核心内容是—在他最后的100天里，肯尼迪活出了自我—这一点并不完全具有说服力。

　　His biggest triumph had come when he averted¹⁹ a nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis.

　　他最大的功绩是在处理古巴导弹危机时，避免了核战争的爆发。

　　The nuclear test-ban treaty was significant, and it gave hope to cold war-weary Americans.

　　“禁止核试验条约”意义重大，它给冷战时期厌战的美国人带来了希望。

　　But whether Kennedy could have sustained improvements to his marriage and his health, and got a strong civil-rights bill past Southern segregationists in Congress, is less clear-cut.

　　但肯尼迪的婚姻和健康状况是否有了持久的改善，是否在国会通过了反对南方种族隔离的民权法案，就不得而知了。

　　Ultimately, finishing the job fell to a man Kennedy despised.

　　最后，重任落在了为肯尼迪所不齿的一个身上。

　　Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, a former majority leader of the Senate, was disparaged²⁰ by the Kennedy White House as “Old Lyin' Down” and “Uncle Cornpone”.

　　副总统林登?约翰逊，曾经的参议院多数党领袖，肯尼迪政府戏称他为“Old Lyin' Down”，和“玉米饼大叔”。

　　But after Kennedy was shot, the ambitious and often ruthless Texan took the reins²¹ and pushed through a host of Kennedy initiatives, including an important bill that banned discrimination in schools and other public places.

　　但在肯尼迪遇刺后，这个胸怀大志，并且冷酷无情的德州人执掌大权，推动了肯尼迪定下的议程，包括一项在学校及其他公共场合反对种族歧视的法案，约翰逊还将美国势力更加深入越南。

　　Johnson also led the nation further into Vietnam. Had Kennedy lived—had his last 100 days in office come in 1968-69, not 1963—things would have been different.

　　如果肯尼迪还活着，他在任的最后100天是在1968和1969年间，不是在1963年，事情将会变得大相径庭。

　　1.determine to 确定

　　We determine to fulfil the task ahead of time.

　　我们决定提前完成任务。

　　Describes the rules that determine to what degree reflection can be used to discover type information and access types.

　　描述用于确定反射是否适合用于了解类型信息和访问类型的规则。

　　2.nuclear war 核战争

　　Do you predict a nuclear war?

　　你认为会发生核战争吗？

　　Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war.

　　希望和平的人不可在一些国家为发动核战争建立军备时袖手旁观。

　　3.step away 远离

　　We are only a step away from success.

　　我们离成功只有一步之遥。

　　That could represent a long-awaited first step away from it's intel-only strategy.

　　这将是人们期待已久的转变其纯英特尔战略的第一步。

　　4.space race 太空竞赛

　　Winning the space race continued to drive the apollo program.

　　赢得太空竞赛不断推动着阿波罗计划的实施。

　　This was the favoured post-war model, especially in america during the space race.

　　这一模式在战后风行一时，尤其在太空竞赛时为美国所采用。

1 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

2 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

3 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

4 assassinated   

v.暗杀( assassinate的过去式和过去分词 )；中伤；诋毁；破坏

参考例句：

• The prime minister was assassinated by extremists. 首相遭极端分子暗杀。
• Then, just two days later, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. 跟着在两天以后，肯尼迪总统在达拉斯被人暗杀。 来自辞典例句

5 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

6 ignominious   

adj.可鄙的，不光彩的，耻辱的

参考例句：

• The marriage was considered especially ignominious since she was of royal descent.由于她出身王族，这门婚事被认为是奇耻大辱。
• Many thought that he was doomed to ignominious failure.许多人认为他注定会极不光彩地失败。

7 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。

8 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

11 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

12 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

13 prematurely   

adv.过早地，贸然地

参考例句：

• She was born prematurely with poorly developed lungs. 她早产，肺部未发育健全。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His hair was prematurely white, but his busy eyebrows were still jet-black. 他的头发已经白了，不过两道浓眉还是乌黑乌黑的。 来自辞典例句

14 solicitous   

adj.热切的，挂念的

参考例句：

• He was so solicitous of his guests.他对他的客人们非常关切。
• I am solicitous of his help.我渴得到他的帮助。

15 presidency   

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。

16 romping   

adj.嬉戏喧闹的，乱蹦乱闹的v.嬉笑玩闹( romp的现在分词 )；（尤指在赛跑或竞选等中）轻易获胜

参考例句：

• kids romping around in the snow 在雪地里嬉戏喧闹的孩子
• I found the general romping in the living room with his five children. 我发现将军在客厅里与他的五个小孩嬉戏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

17 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

18 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

19 averted   

防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移

参考例句：

• A disaster was narrowly averted. 及时防止了一场灾难。
• Thanks to her skilful handling of the affair, the problem was averted. 多亏她对事情处理得巧妙，才避免了麻烦。

20 disparaged   

v.轻视( disparage的过去式和过去分词 )；贬低；批评；非难

参考例句：

• French-Canadian fur trappers and Sioux disparaged such country as "bad lands. " 法语的加拿大毛皮捕兽器和苏人的贬低国家作为“坏土地”。 来自互联网
• She disparaged her student's efforts. 她轻视她的学生做出的努力。 来自互联网

21 reins   

感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带

参考例句：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。