历届美国总统简介：卡尔文·库利奇

卡尔文·库利奇是美国第30任总统，生于佛蒙特州，父亲是一位村庄店主、州议会议员，母亲在他12岁时去世。库利奇从阿默斯特学院毕业后参加政治活动，职业是律师。1905年，库利奇与格雷丝·安娜·古德林结婚，生有二子。

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States, serving between 1923 and 1929. He was born in Plymouth, Vermont, on July 4, 1872, the son of a village storekeeper. He graduated from Amherst College with honors, and entered law and politics in Massachusetts. Slowly, he went up the political ladder from councilman in Northampton to Governor of Massachusetts.

 

One of his first duties as Governor was to deal with the Boston police strike in 1919. He brought in the National Guard and fired all striking officers. Newspapers across the nation reported on his decisive action and gave him the reputation of a strong leader. He became Vice¹ President in 1921 and attended many of President Warren Harding’s cabinet meetings – the first Vice President to do so.

 

On August 2, 1923, President Harding died suddenly. Coolidge was in Vermont visiting his family. He found out about the President’s death via messenger. He took the oath of office in his family’s home under the light of a kerosene² lamp, as they had no electricity. As President, Coolidge promised to preserve the traditional American ways amid the economic prosperity that many Americans were enjoying.

 

Coolidge was re-elected in 1924 because of what was known as "Coolidge prosperity." In his inaugural³ speech he stated that the country had achieved "a state of contentment seldom before seen." He spoke⁴ out in favor of the civil rights of African Americans. He became even more popular by lowering taxes. After he left office, he wrote his autobiography⁵ in 1929. He died of a heart attack in 1933.

 

1 vice   

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 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

3 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

4 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。

5 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。