历届美国总统介绍:第8任总统 马丁范布伦

 　　Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States, serving one term in office. He was born on December 5, 1782 in Kinderhook, New York and died of heart failure in 1862. His father was a tavern¹ keeper and farmer. Van Buren was the first president born as a citizen of the U.S.A., as all previous presidents were born before the American Revolution.

　　马丁·范布伦是美国第8任总统，任期为一届。1782年11月5日，他出生在美国纽约州的肯德胡克，并于1862年因心脏衰竭逝世。他父亲是位酒馆老板兼农民。马丁·范布伦是第一位以美国公民身份出生并当选美国总统的人。因为前7位美国总统均出生在美国独立战争之前。

　　Van Buren studied law and entered New York politics at the age of 17. He faithfully fulfilled his official duties for a decade and a half. His skill at gathering² support for his party earned him the nickname "The Little Magician". In 1821, he was elected to the United States Senate representing New York. President Andrew Jackson rewarded Van Buren's loyalty³ by appointing him Secretary of State in 1829.

　　17岁时，马丁·范布伦学习法律，并跨入纽约政坛。在十年零6个月的时间里，他忠实地履行了自己的公务。他善于为自己所在的党派争取支持，并因此获得“小魔术师”的绰号。1821年，他被推选进了纽约州参议院。1829年，安德鲁·杰克逊总统为表彰马丁·范布伦的忠诚，将他推选为美国国务卿。

　　马丁·范布伦.jpgVan Buren's rise to the Presidency⁴ continued in 1833 when he was appointed Andrew Jackson's Vice⁵ President. Van Buren was President Jackson's first choice to take over from him from 1837. He easily won the 1836 election. Van Buren devoted⁶ his Inaugural⁷ Address to explaining how the American experiment and its prosperity was an example to the rest of the world.

　　1833年，马丁·范布伦被任命为安德鲁·杰克逊的副总统，自此，他离美国总统之职也不远了。美国总统杰克逊希望，马丁·范布伦能在1837年接任美国总统之职——他是杰克逊心中的总统第一人选。1836年，马丁·范布伦在美国总统大选中轻松获胜。他的就职演说主要解释了美国是如何创建起来的，同时还声明了美国的繁荣是世界的榜样。

　　His Presidency was largely dominated by the recession that followed the "Panic of 1837". Hundreds of banks and businesses failed. Thousands lost their land. It was the worst depression to hit America in its short history. Many blamed him for it and nicknamed him "Martin Van Ruin". He was voted out of office in 1840 and was an unsuccessful candidate for President as an independent in 1848. He died in 1862.

　　马丁·范布伦在担任美国总统时，主要是在经济衰退中度过的，这次的经济衰退发生在“1837年恐慌”之后。当时，数以百计的银行及公司倒闭，上千人失去自己的土地——这是出现在美国短暂历史上最严重的一次经济衰退。许多人责备马丁·范布伦，并给他起绰号为“马丁·范祸根”（"Martin Van Ruin"）。1840年，马丁·范布伦在美国总统大选中竞选失败，并卸任了美国总统的职务。1848年，作为一个独立的美国总统候选人，马丁·范布伦还是遭到了落选。1862年，马丁·范布伦逝世。

1 tavern   

n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店

参考例句：

• There is a tavern at the corner of the street.街道的拐角处有一家酒馆。
• Philip always went to the tavern,with a sense of pleasure.菲利浦总是心情愉快地来到这家酒菜馆。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

4 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。

5 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。

6 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

7 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。