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1、UnitTwo:HistoryandPersonalityTextAVoiceofCourageByJonathanAlter?勇氣之聲〔美國〕喬納森·奧爾特?AfewdaysafterFranklinDelanoRooseveltwasswornintooffice,hesatintheWhiteHouseworkingonaradiospeechaboutthecountry'sbankingcrisis,scheduledfordeliveryonSunday,March12,1933.ItwasthedepthsoftheDepres
2、sion,withaquarterofAmericansoutofwork,homelessanddestitute.Glancingoutthewindow,FDRsawaworkmantakingdowntheinauguralscaffoldingontheWhiteHousegrounds.在富蘭克林·德拉諾·羅斯福宣誓就職的幾天后,他坐在白宮里起草一份關(guān)于美國銀行業(yè)危機的廣播演說,它將于1933年3月12日這個星期天播出。此時此刻,美國正處于經(jīng)濟大蕭條的水深火熱之中,四分之一的美國人不是失業(yè),就是無家可歸,窮困潦倒。羅斯福向窗外望去
3、,只見一個工人正在拆掉白宮臨時搭建的總統(tǒng)就職演說的平臺。?"IdecidedI'dtrytomakeaspeechthatthisworkmancouldunderstand,"hetoldLouisHowe,hischiefaide.“我一定要讓這樣的普通工人也能聽得懂我的演講?!彼麑κ紫砺芬姿埂せ舴蛘f。??TheAmericaneconomicsystemwasinastateofshock.OnSaturday,March4,afewhoursbeforeFDR'sswearing-in,thegovernorsofNewYork,
4、IllinoisandPennsylvaniasignedordersclosingbanksinthosestates.TheNewYorkStockExchangehadsuspendedtrading,andtheChicagoBoardofTradebolteditsdoorsforthefirsttimesinceitsfoundingin1848.Theterrifying"runs"thatbegantheyearbeforeonmorethan5,000failingbankshadstrippedruralareasofca
5、pitalandnowthreatenedtooverwhelmAmericancities.美國的經(jīng)濟體系正處于危難之中。3月4日星期六,就在羅斯福宣誓就職前幾個小時,紐約州、伊利諾斯州和賓夕法尼亞州的州長們剛剛簽署了指令,關(guān)閉這些州的銀行。紐約證券交易所已經(jīng)暫停了交易。而自從1848年成立以來,芝加哥期貨交易所也頭一次關(guān)上了大門。始于前一年的“擠兌”現(xiàn)象令人驚慌,?5000多家銀行倒閉,農(nóng)村資金極度匱乏,而現(xiàn)在美國的城市也面臨著全面的危機。Thiswasthebottom.Ifyouhadyourmoneyinabankthatwentb
6、ust,youwerewipedout.Withnoideawhetherbankswouldreopen,millionsofpeoplehidtheirfewremainingassetsundertheirmattresses,wherenoonecouldstealthemwithoutafight.這就是底線了。如果你存錢的銀行倒閉了,那么你也就完蛋了。數(shù)以百萬計的美國人無法確定銀行是否能夠重新開門,于是把自己僅剩的那點財產(chǎn)都藏在褥墊下面。除非經(jīng)過一場激戰(zhàn),藏在這里的錢誰也偷不走。Roosevelt'sinauguraladdres
7、sattheCapitolhadbeguntorestorehope,withhisstandoutline,"Theonlythingwehavetofearisfearitself."Yetthegreatestapplausecamewhenhesaidthatifhisreformprogramwasnotadopted,"IshallaskCongressfortheoneremaininginstrumenttomeetthecrisis:broadexecutivepowertowageawaragainsttheemergen
8、cy."羅斯福在國會的就職演講給人們重新帶來了希望,他那句最著名的話給人們留下了深刻的印象:“唯一值得恐懼的就是恐懼本身?!碑?dāng)提到若改革措施不被接受時,他的決心得到