美国国家公共电台 NPR Obama's Farewell Address: How Presidents Use This Moment Of Reflection

 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: 

Tonight in Chicago, President Barack Obama will follow a tradition that dates back to America's first president - the farewell address. NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith has this look at how past presidents have used this moment of reflection.

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE¹: It all started with George Washington, who offered a series of warnings, what he called a solemn contemplation. His parting words have been deemed so valuable that they're read on the floor of the U.S. Senate each year, including his warning about the dangers of partisanship².

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: It serves always to distract the public counsel...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #1: And enfeeble the public administration...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #2: It agitates³ the community with ill-founded jealousies⁴ and...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: False alarms, kindles⁵ the animosity of one part against another...

UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: Foments⁶ occasional riot and insurrection. It opens the door to...

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN #3: Foreign influence and corruption⁷, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through channels of party passions.

KEITH: The presidential farewell address became a fixture⁸ in the 20th century right along with the arrival of television in American homes. In these modern farewell speeches, almost all of them talk about the difficulty of the job and urge the American people to be nice to the next guy, as President Harry⁹ Truman did.

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HARRY TRUMAN: I want all of you to realize how big a job and how hard a job it is, not for my sake because I'm stepping out of it, but for the sake of my successor. He needs the understanding and help of every citizen.

KEITH: All the presidents look back on their years in office, some lingering on their legacies¹⁰ longer than others. There is pride in accomplishment¹¹, as expressed by President Ronald Reagan, who thanked the men and women of the Reagan Revolution and talked of proving the pundits¹² wrong.

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RONALD REAGAN: Once you begin a great movement, there's no telling where it'll end. We meant to change a nation, and instead we changed a world.

KEITH: But there is often talk of regret, like not securing peace. Gerhard Peters is co-director of the American Presidency¹³ Project.

GERHARD PETERS: They're almost very respectful in the way that they present their administration's accomplishments¹⁴. You know, at times they're also very humble¹⁵.

KEITH: Peters says in most cases it has been a president of one party handing the presidency off to a successor from the other party, and yet...

PETERS: They're very grateful to their successor and I'd expect President Obama to be, even though this has been a very political climate - this transition. I would expect him to be somewhat graceful¹⁶ as well.

KEITH: As with Washington's address, many of these final speeches contain warnings. President Dwight Eisenhower coined a term.

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DWIGHT EISENHOWER: In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous¹⁷ rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

KEITH: Many presidents talk with pride about the peaceful transfer of power and of the balance of power built into the American system of government. Here's President Gerald Ford¹⁸.

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GERALD FORD: This often results in difficulty and delay, as I well know. But it also places supreme¹⁹ authority under God, beyond any one person, any one branch, any majority great or small, or any one party. The Constitution is the bedrock of all our freedoms.

KEITH: Guard it and cherish it, he said. President Jimmy Carter said it could be tempting²⁰ in times of tension and economic distress²¹ to abandon principles.

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JIMMY CARTER: We must never yield to this temptation. Our American values are not luxuries, but necessities - not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself.

KEITH: American values come up again and again in these speeches. Listening to President Bill Clinton in early 2001, you could imagine President Obama striking a similar theme tonight.

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BILL CLINTON: We must treat all our people with fairness and dignity, regardless of their race, religion, gender²² or sexual orientation²³, and regardless of when they arrived in our country - always moving toward the more perfect union of our Founders²⁴' dreams.

KEITH: And ultimately, as so many have before him, President Obama will have to say goodbye. Tamara Keith, NPR News.

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1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 Partisanship   

n. 党派性, 党派偏见

参考例句：

• Her violent partisanship was fighting Soames's battle. 她的激烈偏袒等于替索米斯卖气力。
• There was a link of understanding between them, more important than affection or partisanship. ' 比起人间的感情，比起相同的政见，这一点都来得格外重要。 来自英汉文学

3 agitates   

搅动( agitate的第三人称单数 )； 激怒； 使焦虑不安； （尤指为法律、社会状况的改变而）激烈争论

参考例句：

• A cement mixer agitates the cement until it is ready to pour. 水泥搅拌机把水泥搅动得可以倒出来用为止。
• He agitates for a shorter working-day. 他鼓动缩短工作时间。

4 jealousies   

n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡

参考例句：

• They were divided by mutual suspicion and jealousies. 他们因为相互猜疑嫉妒而不和。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• I am tired of all these jealousies and quarrels. 我厌恶这些妒忌和吵架的语言。 来自辞典例句

5 kindles   

（使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的第三人称单数 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光

参考例句：

• And as kindles hope, millions more will find it. 他们的自由又将影响周围，使更多的人民得到自由。
• A person who stirs up trouble or kindles a revolt. 煽动叛乱者，挑动争端者挑起麻烦或引起叛乱的人。

6 foments   

v.激起，煽动（麻烦等）( foment的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

7 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

8 fixture   

n.固定设备；预定日期；比赛时间；定期存款

参考例句：

• Lighting fixture must be installed at once.必须立即安装照明设备。
• The cordless kettle may now be a fixture in most kitchens.无绳电热水壶现在可能是多数厨房的固定设备。

9 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

10 legacies   

n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症

参考例句：

• Books are the legacies that a great genius leaves to mankind. 书是伟大的天才留给人类的精神财富。 来自辞典例句
• General legacies are subject to the same principles as demonstrative legacies. 一般的遗赠要与指定数目的遗赠遵循同样的原则。 来自辞典例句

11 accomplishment   

n.完成，成就，（pl.）造诣，技能

参考例句：

• The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。

12 pundits   

n.某一学科的权威，专家( pundit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The pundits disagree on the best way of dealing with the problem. 如何妥善处理这一问题，专家众说纷纭。 来自辞典例句
• That did not stop Chinese pundits from making a fuss over it. 这并没有阻止中国的博学之士对此大惊小怪。 来自互联网

13 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。

14 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》

15 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

16 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

17 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。

18 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

19 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

20 tempting   

a.诱人的, 吸引人的

参考例句：

• It is tempting to idealize the past. 人都爱把过去的日子说得那么美好。
• It was a tempting offer. 这是个诱人的提议。

21 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

22 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

23 orientation   

n.方向，目标；熟悉，适应，情况介绍

参考例句：

• Children need some orientation when they go to school.小孩子上学时需要适应。
• The traveller found his orientation with the aid of a good map.旅行者借助一幅好地图得知自己的方向。

24 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句