VOA慢速英語：美國總統(tǒng)就職典禮歷史上的難忘瞬間

Memorable Moments in US Inauguration History

美國總統(tǒng)就職典禮歷史上的難忘瞬間

Washington, 1789

1789年，華盛頓

The first U.S. president, George Washington, was inaugurated in New York City. At the time, New York was the temporary capital of the country.

美國第一任總統(tǒng)喬治·華盛頓(George Washington)是在紐約市就職，當時紐約是美國的臨時首都。

Because Americans had never had a president before, George Washington had to wait a week before lawmakers could agree on what an inauguration ceremony should look like.

因為美國人之前從來沒有過總統(tǒng)，華盛頓不得不等了一個星期，讓議員們得以就這次就職典禮怎么搞達成一致。

Finally, on April 30, the president- and vice president-to-be, along with other lawmakers, gathered at the senate building. They walked to the balcony and waved at the crowd.

最終在4月30日，即將就職的總統(tǒng)、副總統(tǒng)以及其他議員聚集在參議院大樓。他們走到了陽臺，向人群揮手。

Then, a judge asked Washington to swear to "faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States." Those are the words the U.S. Constitution requires.

然后，一名法官請華盛頓宣誓“忠實履行美國總統(tǒng)職務”。這些是美國憲法所要求的誓詞。

The judge wanted Washington to swear on a Bible. But at the last minute, the judge realized he did not have one. A messenger had to find and borrow one quickly.

法官希望華盛頓手按圣經(jīng)發(fā)誓。但是在最后時刻，法官發(fā)現(xiàn)他沒有圣經(jīng)。一位通訊員不得不馬上去借了一本。

After the oath, Washington read a speech to the senators. One of those senators described the scene in his diary. William Maclay wrote that Washington appeared nervous and uncomfortable. Washington trembled and had difficulty reading his speech.

華盛頓在宣誓后向參議員們發(fā)表了演講。其中一名參議員在他的日記中描述了這一場景。威廉·麥克雷(William Maclay)寫道，華盛頓似乎很緊張，他渾身顫抖著，磕磕巴巴地念著演講稿。

The ceremony was short, sweet, and – according to Maclay – awkward.

就職儀式非常短暫、美好，根據(jù)麥克雷描述的，還很尷尬。

Jefferson, 1801

杰斐遜，1801年

Thomas Jefferson, the third president, had an inauguration that was reportedly even simpler. He walked to the ceremony instead being driven in a carriage, as the first two presidents had done.

據(jù)說第三任總統(tǒng)托馬斯·杰斐遜(Thomas Jefferson)的就職典禮非常簡單。他走進了典禮現(xiàn)場，而不是像前兩任總統(tǒng)一樣乘坐馬車。

When Jefferson arrived at the Capitol, a large crowd met him. The president-elect had prepared a speech. But when Jefferson gave it, his voice was so soft that few people heard him.

當杰斐遜來到國會大廈，遇到了一大群人。這位候任總統(tǒng)已經(jīng)做好了演講準備。但是當他發(fā)表演講時，他的聲音太小了，幾乎沒人聽到他的聲音。

Today, Jefferson's first inaugural speech is well-known among Americans. It is famous for trying to ease the ugly dispute between political parties during the campaign.

杰斐遜的首次就職演講如今在美國人之中眾所周知。它以試圖緩解競選期間政黨之間的激烈交鋒而聞名。

But apparently the bitter taste of the election remained. Jefferson's rival in the election – former president John Adams – did not attend the inauguration. In the dark hours just before the ceremony, Adams packed his bags, quit the White House, and took a coach back to Boston.

但是顯然選舉的苦澀尚存，杰斐遜的競選對手--前總統(tǒng)約翰·亞當斯(John Adams)沒有參加這次就職典禮。在典禮開始前的暗淡時刻，亞當斯收拾好行李離開白宮，坐車回到了波士頓。

William Henry Harrison, 1841

威廉·亨利·哈里森，1841年

No history of presidential inaugurations would be complete without noting William Henry Harrison, the country's ninth president.

如果不提到美國第九任總統(tǒng)威廉·亨利·哈里森(William Henry Harrison)，總統(tǒng)就職典禮的歷史就不是完整的。

At 68, Harrison was the oldest person to take office at the time. On his Inauguration Day, he reportedly wanted to show that he was strong enough to serve as president by delivering a very, very long speech. It was a cold day, and Harrison did not wear a coat or hat.

68歲的哈里森是當時最年長的就任者。據(jù)傳聞，他在總統(tǒng)就職日想通過長篇演講表明自己身體足夠強壯來擔任總統(tǒng)。這天很冷，哈里森沒穿外套，也沒戴帽子。

One month later, Harrison died – the first president to die in office. His doctor recorded that Harrison died of pneumonia. The usual story is that his long speech killed him.

一個月之后，哈里森去世了，成為了首位死在任上的總統(tǒng)。他的醫(yī)生記錄說，哈里森死于肺炎。通常說法是他的長篇演講害死了他。

But researchers reviewed Harrison's case and in 2014 proposed a different reason for his death. Jane McHugh and Philip Mackowiak say Harrison did not get sick until three weeks after his inauguration. And he complained of being tired and anxious, not of pain in his lungs.

但是研究人員重新審查了哈里森的病例，并在2014年提出了一種不同的死因。簡·麥休(Jane McHugh)和菲利普·馬科維亞克(Philip Mackowiak)表示，哈里森直到就職典禮三個星期之后才生病。他抱怨非常疲倦和焦慮，沒說肺部疼痛。

The researchers point out that, at the time, Washington, DC did not have a good sewer system. Human waste "simply flowed onto public grounds a short distance from the White House," they wrote in the New York Times.

研究人員指出，當時華盛頓特區(qū)沒有良好的下水道系統(tǒng)。他們在紐約時報上寫道，人體排泄物流到了距離白宮不遠的公共場所。

Some of the bacteria probably entered the president's pipes – so to speak. The researchers conclude that Harrison probably died from drinking dirty water.

一些細菌可能進入了總統(tǒng)的氣管--可以這么說。研究人員得出結論，哈里森可能死于飲用了不干凈的水。

Calvin Coolidge, 1923

卡爾文·柯立芝，1923年

Not all presidents have memorable inaugurations. But the inauguration of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, is notable for being the least memorable.

并不是所有總統(tǒng)都有令人難忘的就職典禮。但是第30任總統(tǒng)卡爾文·柯立芝(Calvin Coolidge)的就職典禮就以難忘而聞名。

In August of 1923, Coolidge was the vice president. He did not have many duties and went on vacation at his family's house in Vermont.

1923年8月，柯立芝還是副總統(tǒng)。他沒有承擔多少職責，正在佛蒙特州的家中度假。

In the middle of the night, his father woke him up with a telegram. It said that the president, Warren Harding, had died. Coolidge was now president.

他的父親半夜拿著一份電報叫醒了他。電報稱總統(tǒng)沃倫·哈丁(Warren Harding)去世了，柯立芝當即成為了總統(tǒng)。

Coolidge wrote in his diary that his first act was to stop and pray. Then he found the text of the inaugural oath from the Constitution. He gave it to his father. Mr. Coolidge Senior administered the oath in the family's living room, by the light of a kerosene lamp.

柯立芝在日記中寫道，他的第一動作是停下來祈禱。然后他從憲法上找到了宣誓就職的文本，并將其交給了他的父親，老柯立芝先生在家中客廳的煤氣燈下主持了這次宣誓。

51VOA注：Senior加在名字后，是指父子中的父親。例如老布什Bush Senior。

Within half an hour, the new president was back in bed.

半小時后，這位新總統(tǒng)重新上床睡覺。

Lyndon Johnson, 1963

林登·約翰遜，1963年

In contrast, most Americans can call to mind the dramatic, emotional inauguration of Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president, an hour and a half after John F. Kennedy's death.

相比之下，大多數(shù)美國人都能記得第36任總統(tǒng)林登·約翰遜(Lyndon Johnson)突如其來、情緒化的就職典禮。這次典禮發(fā)生在約翰·肯尼迪(John F. Kennedy)去世一個半小時之后。

The event is captured in an iconic image of Johnson on the president's plane, Air Force One. Johnson is raising his hand as he takes the oath of office. His wife is on one side. Jackie Kennedy, the former president's widow, stands at his other.

約翰遜在空軍一號上的這一經(jīng)典畫面被捕捉了下來。約翰遜宣誓就職時舉起了手。他的妻子站在一邊，另一邊是前總統(tǒng)遺孀杰基·肯尼迪(Jackie Kennedy)。

The judge administering the oath is also a woman – she is the first and only female judge to swear in a U.S. president.

主持這次宣誓的也是一名女性。她是第一位也是唯一一位讓美國總統(tǒng)宣誓就職的女法官。

The image is famous because it shows the shock on Mrs. Kennedy's face. She still has on the suit she was wearing when her husband was shot.

這幅畫面非常著名，因為它顯示了肯尼迪女士臉上的震驚。她還穿著她丈夫遇刺時她所穿的衣服。

The image also provided proof to the American people that a new president had been sworn in. It promised that even in moments of chaos, the U.S. government continued.

這幅畫面還向美國人民證明，一位新總統(tǒng)已經(jīng)宣誓就職。這預示著即使在混亂時刻，美國政府還在。

And, finally, inaugurations gone wrong

最后是搞砸了的就職典禮

But that is not to say that the U.S. government always operates smoothly. Many inaugurations go wrong.

但是并不是說美國政府總是運轉順利。很多就職典禮就搞砸了。

After Andrew Jackson's inauguration in 1829, supporters at the White House were so eager to shake the new president's hand that they almost crushed him against a wall. Jackson had to leave his own party by escaping out a window.

在安德魯·杰克遜于1829年就職后，白宮內(nèi)的支持者非常渴望同這位新總統(tǒng)握手，他們幾乎把他擠到了墻上。杰克遜不得不從一個窗口逃走了，把他的黨內(nèi)同仁留在了現(xiàn)場。

In 1865, another Andrew, Andrew Johnson, delivered his vice presidential speech drunk. In his defense, he was sick; he had been using whiskey as medicine.

1865年，另一位安德魯先生，安德魯·約翰遜(Andrew Johnson)醉意醺醺地發(fā)表了他的副總統(tǒng)講話。他辯護稱他生病了，不得不以威士忌作為藥物。

Ulysses S. Grant in 1873 wanted live birds at his inaugural ball. Unfortunately, the day was very cold. The birds froze to death.

尤利西斯·格蘭特(Ulysses S. Grant)想要在他的就職舞會上弄很多活鳥。但不幸的是，這天非常冷，這些鳥都凍死了。

Similarly, in 1973, Richard Nixon aimed to clear pigeons from the path of the inaugural parade by spraying chemicals. He succeeded … sort of. On Inauguration Day, the crowd had to step over the bodies of the dead birds all along Pennsylvania Avenue.

同樣，在1973年，理查德·尼克松(Richard Nixon)意圖通過噴灑化學藥品清除就職游行路線上的鴿子。他差不多算是成功了。在就職典禮日，人群不得不跨過賓夕法尼亞大道一路上的死鳥尸體行進。

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

凱利·吉恩·凱利報道。

And I'm Anne Ball.

安妮·波爾報道。