Calvin Coolidge: Silent

卡尔文·库利奇：沉默

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
美国之音学习英语节目介绍美国总统。

Today we are talking about Calvin Coolidge. He was the vice president under Warren Harding. When Harding died suddenly a little more than two years into his term, Coolidge became president.
今天我们谈论的是卡尔文·柯立芝。他是沃伦·哈丁领导下的副总统。哈丁在任期两年多后突然去世，柯立芝成为总统。

Coolidge is linked to two opposing ideas. The first idea is quiet restraint.
柯立芝与两种相反的观点联系在一起。第一个想法是安静克制。

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.
总统的绰号是“沉默的卡尔”。他很少参加随意的谈话。作为一名领导者，他经常认为最好的行动是不采取任何行动。

Many voters liked his "cool" style. Coolidge quickly earned a public image as a serious man who did not spend money or words easily.
许多选民喜欢他的“酷”风格。柯立芝很快就赢得了公众的形象，他是一个严肃的人，不轻易花钱，也不轻易说话。

But Coolidge is also linked to a period in U.S. history known as the Roaring Twenties.
但柯立芝也与美国历史上一个被称为“咆哮的二十年代”的时期有关。

In those years, the 1920s, the American economy was generally good. Many people spent money on exciting things – such as the still-new automobile – and on entertainment, including alcoholic drinks, cigarettes, and dancing. Creative expression such as jazz and Art Deco architecture became popular.
在20世纪20年代的那些年里，美国经济总体良好。许多人把钱花在了令人兴奋的事情上——比如仍然崭新的汽车——以及娱乐上，包括酒精饮料、香烟和舞蹈。爵士乐和装饰艺术建筑等创造性的表达方式开始流行起来。

Calvin Coolidge is often given credit for helping fuel the Roaring Twenties with his pro-business economic policies.
卡尔文·柯立芝常因其支持商业的经济政策帮助推动了咆哮的二十年代而受到赞扬。

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 presidency.
但一些历史学家告诫人们不要过于怀念柯立芝的商业自由政策。他们说，他帮助为他担任总统后的严重经济萧条创造了条件。

Calvin Coolidge and his sister were born and raised on a farm in the northeast state of Vermont.
卡尔文·柯立芝和他的妹妹在佛蒙特州东北部的一个农场出生和长大。

Coolidge spoke highly of both his parents.
柯立芝高度评价他的父母。

His father owned a store, and also held local political offices. He had a public image for honesty, public service, and thrift.
他的父亲开了一家商店，还担任过当地的政治职务。他以诚实、公共服务和节俭为公众形象。

Young Calvin Coolidge helped his father in the store, and hoped to be just like him.
年轻的卡尔文·柯立芝在商店里帮助他的父亲，并希望能像他一样。

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."
柯立芝也钦佩他母亲坚强的性格。她去世时，他12岁，他写道失去她是“一个男孩最大的悲痛”。

Six years later, his sister also died.
六年后，他的妹妹也去世了。

Their deaths made young Calvin Coolidge even more serious than he already was.
他们的死使年轻的卡尔文·柯立芝变得更加严重。

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.
但柯立芝也以他的机智而闻名——这种幽默往往取决于文字游戏或智力。作为马萨诸塞州阿默斯特学院的一名学生，柯立芝以一位能干而风趣的演说家而闻名。

That skill helped him rise in politics. He began with lower-level offices in Massachusetts, and later served as that state's governor.
这项技能帮助他在政界崭露头角。他最初在马萨诸塞州担任较低级别的办公室，后来担任该州州长。

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.
一路上，他嫁给了聋人教师格蕾丝·安娜·古德休。众所周知，她热情、善于交际，据报道，这对夫妇有着恩爱的婚姻。他们后来有了两个儿子。

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 Democrat Woodrow Wilson.
1920年，共和党提名柯立芝为副总统候选人。总的来说，选民喜欢共和党的选票。在民主党人伍德罗·威尔逊的改革政策和国际参与之后，他们已经做好了改变的准备。

Sure enough, the Republicans won the election in a landslide.
果不其然，共和党以压倒性优势赢得了选举。

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.
但是柯立芝并不是很喜欢副总统的职位。他在政府中几乎没有权力。在会议期间，他经常保持沉默。

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.
一个夏夜，他和妻子在佛蒙特州度假。他的父亲柯立芝上校在半夜用一些戏剧性的消息把他们叫醒：哈定总统去世了。

Reporters quickly gathered at the small farmhouse. Colonel Coolidge had not put electricity in the house. So everyone watched by the light of an oil lamp.
记者们迅速聚集在小农舍。柯立芝上校没有给房子通电。所以每个人都在油灯下看着。

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.
柯立芝上校是一名公职人员。他用家庭圣经和宪法副本为儿子宣誓就任美国第30任总统。

Then the country's new leader did a very sensible thing: he went back to bed.
然后，这个国家的新领导人做了一件非常明智的事：他回到床上。

President Coolidge believed in limited government, especially limited federal government. He permitted state and Cabinet officials to decide as many issues as they could.
柯立芝总统相信有限政府，特别是有限联邦政府。他允许州和内阁官员决定尽可能多的问题。

Coolidge used his authority to focus mostly on the country's economy.
柯立芝利用他的权威主要关注国家的经济。

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.
在他上任时，美国正处于经济繁荣的开端。柯立芝试图维持这种繁荣。他没有过多地监管企业，并大幅降低了税收，尤其是对富人的税收。

By nearly every measure, the economy grew.
几乎从各个方面来看，经济都在增长。

But the policies also widened the divide between rich and poor Americans, and put the country's economy in a risky situation.
但这些政策也扩大了美国富人和穷人之间的差距，使美国经济处于危险境地。

More and more people began to invest their money in the stock market. Some put their dollars in dangerous investments.
越来越多的人开始把钱投资于股票市场。一些人把他们的美元投入到危险的投资中。

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.
企业主生产的商品比大多数公众真正负担得起的还要多。越来越多的人通过贷款购买奢侈品。

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.
与此同时，许多美国农民的经济状况正在恶化。有些地方的天气异常干燥。食品价格也在下跌。

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.
农民们请求联邦政府提供援助。但柯立芝拒绝了几项可能对他们有所帮助的法案。柯立芝认为，这些法案还有其他问题，他认为联邦政府不应该干预这种情况。

So the farmers continued to suffer.
所以农民们继续受苦。

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.
但大多数选民仍然支持柯立芝。尽管总统被认为是一个安静的人，但他经常在广播中讲话，出现在谈话电影中，定期会见记者，并穿着有趣的服装为摄影师拍照。

He easily won elected in 1924. Historians believe he could have won another term, too, in 1928. But Coolidge chose not to seek office.
1924年，他轻松当选。历史学家认为，他本可以在1928年连任。但柯立芝选择不谋求公职。

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.
一些人认为他对十几岁的儿子的去世感到太难过了。柯立芝就任总统后不久，这个男孩一直在打网球，脚趾受了轻伤。伤口感染了。感染扩散到男孩的血液中。几天后，他去世了。

Although Coolidge continued his presidency, he later said the joy had gone from the job.
尽管柯立芝继续担任总统，但他后来表示，这份工作带来的快乐已经消失了。

But when he decided 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."
但当他决定不寻求连任时，他没有谈论自己的感受。相反，他只是给记者写了一封信，说：“我不选择在1928年竞选总统。”

His secretary of commerce, Herbert Hoover, was elected instead. Coolidge retired to his home in Massachusetts and led a quiet private life.
他的商务部长赫伯特·胡佛当选。柯立芝退休后回到马萨诸塞州的家中，过着平静的私生活。

President Coolidge was well-liked by most Americans. Later presidents – including Ronald Reagan – sought to follow some of his economic policies.
柯立芝总统深受大多数美国人的喜爱。后来的总统，包括罗纳德·里根，都试图遵循他的一些经济政策。

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.
但许多历史学家对这些政策提出了质疑。他们说柯立芝没有足够重视农民的处境。他们还说股市上涨过快。

Seven months after Coolidge left office, the U.S. economy collapsed.
柯立芝卸任七个月后，美国经济崩溃。

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.
柯立芝去世时，美国仍深陷大萧条。他在一次午觉中悄然去世，享年60岁。

His will was but a single sentence.
他的遗嘱只有一句话。

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
我是凯莉-简-凯莉。

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