VOA新闻杂志2023--Supporters Remember Former President Carter's Accomplishments

Supporters Remember Former President Carter's Accomplishments¹

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's family recently announced that he is receiving special care and is preparing for the end of his life.

Carter is under hospice care. Hospice care means the former president is being looked after so he can live his remaining days comfortably. But he will not seek medical treatment to extend his life. In some cases, people under hospice care receive drugs so they can live their final days without pain.

Carter is 98 years old. He has lived longer than any president in American history.

Carter won his election in 1976 and took office in 1977. He lost the next election, however, in 1980 to President Ronald Reagan.

After his term in office, Carter continued to work in public and for charitable causes. In 1982, he started the Carter Center, which supports democracy, public health and human rights. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He also worked often with the charity organization Habitat for Humanity². The group, which was started by Millard and Linda Fuller in 1976, helps build homes for people who need a place to live.

VOA spoke³ with Suzanne Taylor of Buffalo⁴, New York, who gave her time to Habitat for Humanity and worked with Carter. She helped build homes from 2006 to 2019.

Taylor said she cried when she heard the news that Carter was preparing for the end of his life.

"So many people really appreciate him," she said.

Jonathan Alter wrote a book about Carter called His Very Best. Alter said he "led such an epic⁵ American life."

When talking about Carter, both as a politician and being married to his wife Rosalynn for almost 77 years, Alter said: "He won at life."

Alter went on to say that Carter was born in a hospital, but he does not want to die in one. Instead, he will live his final days in the home he and his wife built in the small town of Plains, Georgia. After living a long life, Carter aims to die in the same place where he was born.

"I think it is fitting," Alter said, "that Jimmy Carter is ending his journey on his own terms."

Carter lost the 1980 presidential election but kept working in public. Alter said Carter's popularity⁶ today is based on what he did after he was president. That included working to end diseases in poor countries through the Carter Center, his work with Habitat for Humanity and as an "elder statesman⁷" in world and American politics.

"Historians⁸...need to look at how a president changed the world, changed people's lives...and that takes longer and is not really directly connected to his popularity as president," Alter said.

Carter also wrote a number of books and traveled the U.S. speaking about them.

During a church service recently, Carter's niece, Kim Fuller, talked about her uncle. She said: "maybe it is time to pass the baton⁹," when speaking about the former president. "Who will pick it up, I have no clue," she added.

A baton is a short stick passed between runners in a race.

Taylor, the Habitat for Humanity volunteer, discussed a reason why Carter will be missed. She said people feel more connected to him than to other former presidents.

"I think his accessibility has created a bond with a lot of Americans that most presidents don't have," she said.

Words in This Story

charitable –adj. done to help the poor, sick and those who need help

appreciate –v. to understand the value of a person, to be thankful for something or someone

epic –adj. something long that tells of exciting events or adventures

journey –n. a long trip

elder statesman –n. a retired¹⁰ government leader who gives advice to current leaders

accessibility –n. the quality of being easy to speak with or understand

bond –n. a connection that is shared between people

1 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

3 spoke   

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。

4 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

5 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

6 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

7 statesman   

n.国务活动家，政治家

参考例句：

• Friends gathered at a memorial for the late statesman.这位已故政治家的生前好友为他举行了纪念仪式。
• The statesman is much occupied with affairs of state.那个政治家忙于国事。

8 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

9 baton   

n.乐队用指挥杖

参考例句：

• With the baton the conductor was beating time.乐队指挥用指挥棒打拍子。
• The conductor waved his baton,and the band started up.指挥挥动指挥棒，乐队开始演奏起来。

10 retired   

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。