VOA新闻杂志2023--John Kennedy: Young

John Kennedy: Young

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are talking about John Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was also known as Jack¹ Kennedy, or by the letters JFK.

When he took office in 1961, Kennedy was 43 years old. He was the youngest elected president in United States' history.

Kennedy was also the first Catholic to be elected U.S. president.

Kennedy's youth and religion raised questions in the minds of some Americans that Kennedy could lead the country. They wondered if he would always follow the policies of the Roman Catholic Church.

But Kennedy became well-known as a statesman, and popular with people around the world. He was intelligent, funny and good-looking. For many, Kennedy was a sign of new energy and hope.

The public was shocked, then, when the president's term was violently cut short.

Early life

John F. Kennedy was born in 1917 near Boston, Massachusetts. He was the second of nine children.

Both his parents were Catholic, with ancestors from Ireland. Many years ago, Irish Catholics often faced discrimination in the United States. But the Kennedy family was also politically powerful and wealthy.

As a result, young Jack Kennedy grew up in big, beautiful houses and received a top quality education. His family did not suffer during the Great Depression, as many Americans had. Instead, the Kennedy children swam, sailed boats and played sports.

Jack also enjoyed reading books and following the news. His older brother Joe wanted to enter politics, but Jack said he might become a teacher or writer. When he was a college student at Harvard, Jack wrote a long paper about Britain in the years leading up to World War II. A version of it was published in 1940 as a book.

The war changed Jack's thinking about his future plans. During World War II, both Jack and his older brother joined the U.S. Navy. In the Pacific, Jack became a hero. He won medals for leading some of his troops to safety after a Japanese warship² struck a boat they were on.

But Joe was killed. In 1944, his airplane exploded over Europe.

When the war ended, Jack's father urged him to follow his brother's dream of succeeding in politics. Jack agreed, and he set his sights on becoming the country's first Catholic president.

Presidency³

Kennedy was nominated as the Democratic Party's candidate, and he was elected in 1960.

He easily defeated Vice⁴ President Richard Nixon, the Republican candidate, in the Electoral College. But Kennedy won only narrowly in the popular vote.

Though he was young, Kennedy brought experience to the job. In addition to being a naval⁵ officer, Kennedy had been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives as well as a senator from Massachusetts.

He also published a Pulitzer Prize-winning book called "Profiles in Courage."

And he had become a husband and father. He married a wealthy, well-educated woman who had been working as a newspaper photographer. Her name was Jacqueline Bouvier, but she was sometimes called Jackie.

She became pregnant five times, but only two of her children would survive: a daughter named Caroline, and a son, John F. Kennedy, Junior.

The family of four moved into the White House in January 1961. On the day he was sworn-in, Kennedy gave a speech that many people still remember today. It celebrated⁶ the "new generation of Americans," and promised to "pay any price" for liberty.

Supporters of the new president loved his energy and sense of hope. In his most famous line, Kennedy said, "Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country."

Many young people remembered that line when they volunteered for a program Kennedy created in 1961: the Peace Corps⁷.

Other Americans remembered the line when they watched two Apollo 11 astronauts walk on the moon in 1969. Kennedy strongly supported the country's space program. He promised that Americans would land on the moon by the end of the 1960s, and they did.

Kennedy also supported efforts to improve civil rights across the U.S., although his administration moved slowly. Calls to end legalized racism⁸ were growing stronger during Kennedy's time in office, particularly because of the leadership of Martin Luther King, Junior.

In June of 1963, King spoke⁹ to hundreds of thousands of people at a civil rights protest called the March on Washington. He told the crowd that he dreamed "my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

The March on Washington, among other events, showed the power of the civil rights movement. In late 1963, President Kennedy sent a civil rights bill to Congress and spoke to Americans about the injustice¹⁰ that remained in the country.

The Peace Corps, the Space Race, and civil rights are all part of Kennedy's legacy¹¹.

Kennedy is also remembered for several troubling international events. In one, known as the Bay of Pigs, Americans supported Cuban refugees in an effort to oust¹² the government of Fidel Castro. Not only did the refugees fail, but Kennedy's government was found to be lying about their support of the effort.

And Kennedy faced off with the leader of the Soviet¹³ Union, Nikita Khrushchev. In 1962, American leaders learned that the Soviets¹⁴ had hidden nuclear weapons in Cuba. The missiles would be able to reach the U.S. mainland easily.

Kennedy ordered a blockade of Cuba. People around the world held their breath as they waited to see if the U.S. and the Soviet Union would launch a nuclear war. They did not. After several very tense weeks, Kennedy and Khrushchev reached an agreement that ended the crisis.

Kennedy went on to reach an agreement with the Soviet Union and Britain to limit nuclear weapons testing. He said the agreement was one of the presidential acts of which he was most satisfied.

Historians still debate Kennedy's actions, and what else might have happened during his presidency. They wonder especially what he would have done about the increasing conflict in Vietnam.

But Kennedy did not live to finish his first term.

Death

By November 22, 1963, Kennedy had been president for just under three years. The next election was still a year away, but it was time to start campaigning again.

So the president and his wife went to Dallas, Texas to connect with voters. They were riding in a car with other official vehicles that drove slowly through the center of the city. Jack, Jackie, and the Texas governor and his wife sat in a convertible¹⁵ – an automobile¹⁶ without protection over the seats.

The president was waving at the crowd. Suddenly, several gunshots were fired. The president was struck twice.

The governor was also hit and injured.

Kennedy was hurried to a hospital, but doctors were unable to help him. News reporters announced his death to a stunned¹⁷ public.

Hours later, Jackie Kennedy appeared next to the former vice president – now president – Lyndon Johnson. She still wore the clothes with her husband's blood on them.

The events remain intense in the minds of many Americans who were alive at the time. The images remain easily recognizable parts of American history. The pictures of Kennedy's family at his funeral are especially memorable¹⁸. In one, three-year-old John holds up his arm and salutes¹⁹ his father's casket.

Attention quickly turned to the gunman. It was reportedly a 24-year-old man named Lee Harvey Oswald. Shortly after the president and the governor were shot, Oswald shot a policeman who questioned him.

Oswald was eventually detained. Officials planned to bring him to court for the death of the president and the policeman. But on the way from the police station to the jail, a local night-club owner shot and killed Oswald.

As a result, the case never came to trial. Many Americans believe the reason for the attack has yet to be clarified.

Legacy

Historians have a mixed reaction to Kennedy's years as a president, although their opinions are generally positive.

His image with the public suffered some years after his death because of reports that he had romantic relationships with women other than Jackie throughout his marriage.

In time, the public also learned about Kennedy's health problems. He suffered from severe back pain and Addison's disease. He often used strong medicine to help control the conditions. The health problems are at odds²⁰ with Kennedy's image of health and love of sports.

Yet even with these new details, Kennedy is still one of the country's best-remembered leaders. He was a charismatic man whose career influenced many other Americans to enter public service.

Americans also remember his stylish²², cultured wife. Jackie Kennedy compared the Kennedy years at the White House to Camelot, the legendary²³ court of King Arthur.

Their remains²⁴, along with those of two of their children, are buried at Arlington National Cemetery²⁵, across the Potomac River from Washington. They are honored there with an eternal flame – one designed so the fire will never go out.

Words in This Story

content - n. the things that are in something

legacy - n. something that happened in the past or that comes from someone in the past

casket - n. coffin²⁶

nightclub - n. a place that is open at night, has music, dancing, or a show, and usually serves alcoholic²⁷ drinks and food

positive - adj. showing or expressing support, approval, or agreement

at odds - n. not agreeing with each other : in a state of disagreement

charismatic - adj. having great charm or appeal : filled with charisma²¹

eternal - adj. having no beginning and no end in time : lasting²⁸ forever

flame - n. the hot, glowing gas that can be seen when a fire is burning

1 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

2 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

3 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。

4 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。

5 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

6 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

7 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

9 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。

10 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。

11 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

12 oust   

vt.剥夺，取代，驱逐

参考例句：

• The committee wanted to oust him from the union.委员会想把他从工会中驱逐出去。
• The leaders have been ousted from power by nationalists.这些领导人被民族主义者赶下了台。

13 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

14 soviets   

苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式）

参考例句：

• A public challenge could provoke the Soviets to dig in. 公开挑战会促使苏联人一意孤行。
• The Soviets proposed the withdrawal of American ballistic-missile submarines from forward bases. 苏联人建议把美国的弹道导弹潜艇从前沿基地撤走。

15 convertible   

adj.可改变的，可交换，同意义的；n.有活动摺篷的汽车

参考例句：

• The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.有了这张折叠沙发，公寓里可以睡下4个人。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了。

16 automobile   

n.汽车，机动车

参考例句：

• He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
• The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。

17 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

18 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

19 salutes   

n.致敬，欢迎，敬礼( salute的名词复数 )v.欢迎，致敬( salute的第三人称单数 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• Poulengey salutes, and stands at the door awaiting orders. 波仑日行礼，站在门口听侯命令。 来自辞典例句
• A giant of the world salutes you. 一位世界的伟人向你敬礼呢。 来自辞典例句

20 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

21 charisma   

n.(大众爱戴的)领袖气质，魅力

参考例句：

• He has enormous charisma. He is a giant of a man.他有超凡的个人魅力，是个伟人。
• I don't have the charisma to pull a crowd this size.我没有那么大的魅力，能吸引这么多人。

22 stylish   

adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的

参考例句：

• He's a stylish dresser.他是个穿着很有格调的人。
• What stylish women are wearing in Paris will be worn by women all over the world.巴黎女性时装往往会引导世界时装潮流。

23 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

24 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

25 cemetery   

n.坟墓，墓地，坟场

参考例句：

• He was buried in the cemetery.他被葬在公墓。
• His remains were interred in the cemetery.他的遗体葬在墓地。

26 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

27 alcoholic   

adj.（含）酒精的，由酒精引起的；n.酗酒者

参考例句：

• The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
• Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

28 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。