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Herbert Hoover: Blamed

时间:2017-10-02 23:58:47

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(单词翻译)

 

VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents.

Today we are talking about Herbert Hoover. He took office in 1929.

Hoover was president for the early years of what Americans call the Great Depression. During those years, the United States economy slid into a severe recession.

Many banks and businesses failed. At times, nearly one in four people in the U.S. workforce1 were unemployed2. Millions of people lost their homes and savings3.

Hoover did not cause the depression. The conditions had been in place before he took office.

But many Americans blamed Hoover for their suffering. They believed he permitted the economic crisis to continue – and even deepen – during his time in office.

Early life

Herbert Hoover was born in a small house in the state of Iowa. His parents were Quakers. Their religion valued simplicity4, hard work, equality among people, and peaceful resolution of conflict.

Hoover and his brother and sister were influenced by these beliefs, even after their parents died.

By the time young Herbert Hoover was nine, he was an orphan5. He moved to the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest, and lived with an uncle.

Hoover did not thrive in that situation. Reports say that he usually kept to himself. And he did not do particularly well in school.

Yet one official from Stanford University liked what he saw in the young man – hard work and a desire to learn new things. At the time, Stanford University was just getting established. It admitted Hoover into its first class.

Hoover had to work hard at Stanford, both in class and to earn money to pay tuition. But the experience brought many benefits.

Hoover studied geology, and went on to work as a mining engineer. The job led to positions in Australia, China and other parts of the world. He became an internationally-known expert on mining. He also wrote a leading textbook on mining.

These experiences, along with good business investments, led to great wealth for Hoover.

At Stanford, he also met the woman who would become his wife. Her name was Lou Henry. She was the first woman from Stanford to complete a study program with a degree in geology.

The Hoovers went on to have two sons.

Humanitarian6 work

During World War I, the Hoovers’ lives changed dramatically. The family was living in London when the war began. U.S. government officials asked Hoover to organize an evacuation effort for American tourists who were in Europe. In only a few weeks, Hoover’s committee succeeded.

Later, he helped get food and supplies to people in Belgium.

As a result, Hoover earned a public image as a smart, skilled humanitarian.

When the United States entered World War I, President Woodrow Wilson asked Hoover to lead the government’s Food Administration.

In that position, Hoover led an effort to change Americans’ behavior in order to support the war effort. He asked them to limit the kinds of food they ate and goods they bought.

The effort was, for the most part, successful. Americans called their moves to limit their consumption “to Hooverize.”

Hoover went on to organize programs to aid other countries, including Russia. He also helped parts of the U.S. recover after terrible flooding.

And, as secretary of commerce, he pushed businesses, researchers, and government officials to work together. Hoover aimed to reduce “boom and bust7” cycles and keep the U.S. economy healthy.

In all his efforts, Hoover urged Americans to choose to participate. He did not believe in using government requirements to force cooperation.

Instead, he supported “individualism” – the idea that Americans must protect the qualities of creativity, equal opportunity, and service to others.

Hoover’s beliefs were popular with many Americans at the time – and with many Americans today.

In the election of 1928, Hoover easily won the presidency8. He promised to continue leading the country down the path of prosperity.

Presidency

When Hoover took office in 1929, he said, “I have no fears for the future of our country. It is bright with hope.”

That was in March.

In October, the U.S. stock market crashed. Thousands of investors9 lost their savings.

The event was part of a sharp downturn in the economies of the United States and of many other countries.

At first, Hoover believed the downturn would pass. But as time went on, the situation grew worse. Businesses could not expand their workforce. Farmers could not afford to harvest their crops. Everyday people had too little money to pay for housing costs and, in some cases, food. And then banks across the country began to fail.

President Hoover worked hard to fix the problems. He tried many approaches: creating government agencies, urging private and public groups to cooperate, and working to balance the federal budget.

But Hoover did not want to use federal money to provide direct aid to Americans. He worried that such actions would make people dependent on the government, and reduce people’s individual power and morale10.

Nor did he want to use the federal government to try to control the economy. Government intervention11, he said, would lead to socialism, and eventually destroy the country’s founding beliefs.

Instead, Hoover tried to support states and businesses indirectly12 and urged people to find ways to help one another.

Yet many lawmakers and members of the public rejected Hoover’s measures as insufficient13, and even cruel.

Some used his name differently than they had before he took office. Now, they called the dirty shelters where hungry and homeless people lived “Hoovervilles.”

And they called men’s empty pockets “Hoover flags.”

Although Hoover tried to persuade Americans that he was protecting their interests in the long run, voters refused to elect him for a second term.

Instead, they overwhelming chose a president who promised an activist14 federal government and a hopeful “new deal” for Americans.

Legacy15

After they left the White House, the Hoovers retired16 to their home in Palo Alto, California.

Lou Henry Hoover died in 1944. But Hoover lived 20 more years, many of them working for the public good. He helped international relief efforts, advised the U.S. government, and led committees to reform the presidency.

Hoover also commented on later presidents and their policy decisions. He was especially critical of government programs set up to provide aid and intervention in Americans’ lives.

Until his death from cancer at the age of 90, Hoover remained committed to his beliefs. He spoke17 for limiting the power of the federal government and for supporting freedom of opportunity for individuals.

But in the eyes of many Americans, Hoover is linked to the failure of the federal government to lessen18 the Great Depression.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

orphan - n. a child whose parents are dead

thrive - v. to grow or develop successfully : to flourish or succeed

benefit - n. a good or helpful result or effect

consumption - n. the use of something

boom and bust - n. a rapid increase in growth or economic success, followed by sudden economic losses

opportunity - n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

prosperity - n. the state of being successful usually by making a lot of money

morale - n. the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty19 that a person or group has about a task or job

insufficient - adj. not having or providing enough of what is needed : not sufficient


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1 workforce workforce     
n.劳动大军,劳动力
参考例句:
  • A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
  • A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。
2 unemployed lfIz5Q     
adj.失业的,没有工作的;未动用的,闲置的
参考例句:
  • There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
  • The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。
3 savings ZjbzGu     
n.存款,储蓄
参考例句:
  • I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假,那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
  • By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时,他的存款已全部用完。
4 simplicity Vryyv     
n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯
参考例句:
  • She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
  • The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。
5 orphan QJExg     
n.孤儿;adj.无父母的
参考例句:
  • He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大,并且把自己的医术传给了他。
  • The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。
6 humanitarian kcoxQ     
n.人道主义者,博爱者,基督凡人论者
参考例句:
  • She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业,并作了很大的贡献。
  • The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。
7 bust WszzB     
vt.打破;vi.爆裂;n.半身像;胸部
参考例句:
  • I dropped my camera on the pavement and bust it. 我把照相机掉在人行道上摔坏了。
  • She has worked up a lump of clay into a bust.她把一块黏土精心制作成一个半身像。
8 presidency J1HzD     
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。
9 investors dffc64354445b947454450e472276b99     
n.投资者,出资者( investor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
  • a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会
10 morale z6Ez8     
n.道德准则,士气,斗志
参考例句:
  • The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
  • He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。
11 intervention e5sxZ     
n.介入,干涉,干预
参考例句:
  • The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
  • Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。
12 indirectly a8UxR     
adv.间接地,不直接了当地
参考例句:
  • I heard the news indirectly.这消息我是间接听来的。
  • They were approached indirectly through an intermediary.通过一位中间人,他们进行了间接接触。
13 insufficient L5vxu     
adj.(for,of)不足的,不够的
参考例句:
  • There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
  • In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代,科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。
14 activist gyAzO     
n.活动分子,积极分子
参考例句:
  • He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
  • He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。
15 legacy 59YzD     
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。
16 retired Njhzyv     
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
参考例句:
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
17 spoke XryyC     
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。
18 lessen 01gx4     
vt.减少,减轻;缩小
参考例句:
  • Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
  • They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。
19 loyalty gA9xu     
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。

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