Lyndon Johnson: Complicated

林登·约翰逊：复杂

VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents.
美国之音慢速英语介绍美国总统栏目。

Today we are talking about Lyndon Johnson. He was the vice president under John F. Kennedy.
今天，我们来谈论一下林登·约翰逊。他是约翰·F·肯尼迪时期的副总统。

Many Americans recognize Johnson from a photograph of his swearing-in on November 22, 1963.
很多美国人是从一张1963年11月12日宣誓的照片上认识约翰逊的。

Kennedy had just been shot during a visit to Dallas, Texas. Johnson and his wife also were visiting the city.
肯尼迪当时造访德州达拉斯时被枪杀。约翰逊和他的妻子也在访问这座城市。

After doctors announced that Kennedy had died, the Johnsons were taken to the presidential airplane. There, Johnson took the oath of office as president.
医生宣布肯尼迪死亡后，约翰逊被带到总统专机上。约翰逊是在专机上宣誓就任总统的。

Men wearing suits look on, while three women stand around him. His wife, Lady Bird Johnson, is at one side. Former first lady Jackie Kennedy is at the other. She is still wearing clothing covered with her husband’s blood. The judge who is administering the oath, Sarah Hughes, stands in front of Lyndon Johnson. She holds a prayer book on which Johnson places one hand and swears to follow the Constitution.
穿西装的男人们在旁观看，三位女士围绕着他。他的妻子伯德夫人·约翰逊站在一边。前第一夫人杰基·肯尼迪站在另一边，她的身上还穿着带有她丈夫血迹的衣服。主持宣誓的女法官萨拉·休斯，站在他的对面。她手拿一本圣经，约翰逊一只手按在圣经上，宣誓效忠宪法。

The photograph showed the American people that the federal government could and would continue in an orderly way.
这张照片向美国人民展示了联邦政府可以，也会继续有序运行。

But Johnson’s position was difficult. Many people were shocked and in mourning for the assassinated president.
但约翰逊的处境很艰难。许多人非常震惊，都在为总统被暗杀而哀悼。

But as the conflict in Vietnam increased, and some Americans rejected Johnson’s reforms, he found his position difficult again.In the next election, Johnson was elected president in his own right.
随着越南冲突的升级，以及一些美国人反对他的改革，约翰逊再次发现自己的处境很艰难。接下来的大选中，约翰逊凭借自己的能力当选为总统。

Early life 早年生活

Lyndon Baines Johnson was born in Texas, where his family had lived for generations. A town called Johnson was even named after his relatives.
林登·贝恩斯·约翰逊出生于德克萨斯州，他的家族已经好几代人住在那儿。一个叫约翰逊的小镇甚至是以他祖父的名字命名的。

Lyndon was the oldest of five children. His mother was a teacher and writer, and his father was a farmer and political leader.
林登是五个孩子中的老大。他的母亲是一位教师和作家，父亲是一位农场主以及政治领袖。

In time, the Johnson family experienced financial difficulties. They had little money to give their children much of an education, but Lyndon was able to attend a teaching college.
后来，约翰逊一家陷入了财政困难，父母无法负担起孩子们太多的教育，但林登能够上师范学院。

Johnson excelled as a teacher. He also learned from his students. Many were even poorer than he was. They also faced discrimination because they came from Mexican families. Johnson promised to help them.
约翰逊是一位出色的教师。他也向他的学生学习。许多人甚至比他还穷。他们因来自墨西哥家庭而面临种族歧视。约翰逊承诺会帮助他们。

But he found he could do more to improve people’s lives as a politician than as a teacher.
就提高人们的生活水平而言，他发现做政治家比做老师能够做得更多。

He volunteered for some political campaigns, became an aide to a member of the United States Congress, and in time became a member of Congress himself.
他自愿参加一些政治活动，当上了一名美国国会议员的副官，并且最终自己成为了一名国会议员。

Along the way, he married a woman named Claudia Taylor. But everyone called her Lady Bird. They went on to have two daughters.
这期间，他娶了一位名叫克劳迪娅·泰勒的女人。但所有人都叫她伯德夫人。再后来，他们生了两个女儿。

Johnson served for 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1948, he was narrowly elected to the Senate, becoming one of the two senators from the state of Texas.
约翰逊当了12年的众议员。1948年，他勉强被选进了参议院，成为了德克萨斯州两名参议员的其中一个。

From there, Johnson rose quickly. He took on increasingly important jobs in the Senate. By 1954, he was the Senate majority leader – the Democratic Party’s top spokesman in the Senate.
从那开始，约翰逊平步青云。他逐渐在参议院中承担重要工作。到了1954年，他成为了多数派领袖 — 参议院中民主党派的最高发言人。

The Senate website notes that the person with that job needs to be able to work well with others, especially members of other parties.
参议院官网上注明，这样的人需要能够与其他人，尤其是其他党派人士很好地合作。

Historians also note that Johnson worked very hard, and was always prepared.
历史学家也认为约翰逊工作非常努力，而且随时做好准备。

A well-known biography of Johnson is called “Master of the Senate.” The book describes Johnson as extremely ambitious, sometimes cruel, and often willing to praise others to get what he wanted. At the same time, he could be very concerned about other people’s well-being.
一本关于约翰逊非常有名的传记叫《Master of the Senate》。这本书将约翰逊描述为一位非常有野心，有时甚至是残酷的人，经常为了达到目的而称赞他人。同时，他也会非常关心他人的幸福。

In other words, the picture of Johnson is a complicated one.
换句话说，约翰逊拥有复杂的性格。

In 1960, he competed against John F. Kennedy for the Democratic presidential nomination. Johnson lost that race – but the party asked him to be their vice presidential candidate instead.
1960年，他与约翰·F·肯尼迪竞争民主党的总统提名。约翰逊输掉了 — 但民主党让他去当副总统候选人。

Johnson agreed, not knowing that in a little more than three years, he would enter the White House as president.
约翰逊同意了，而且并不知道三年多后，他会以总统的身份进入白宫。

Presidency 总统生涯

After being sworn-in, Johnson used his political experience in the Senate to pass a number of reforms. They were aimed at carrying on, in his words, a “War on Poverty.”
宣誓就任总统后，约翰逊利用他在参议院的政治经验通过了一系列改革措施。这些改革措施的目的在于，用他的话来说，继续“向贫困宣战”。

The new laws created healthcare and education programs. They also used federal money to make food less costly for some people, and to train workers for jobs.
新的法案成立了医疗健康和教育项目。动用联邦资金来为一些人降低食物的价格，以及培训上岗工人。

Johnson also continued the work Kennedy began by signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act made segregation because of race, religion, or national origin illegal.
通过签署《1964年民权法案》，约翰逊延续了肯尼迪已开始的相关工作。改法案规定因种族、宗教信仰、或国籍而发生种族隔离是非法的。

The Civil Rights Act also made it illegal for employers to discriminate against someone because of race, religion, national origin, or gender
该民权法案还规定雇主因种族、宗教信仰、国籍或性别而歧视雇员也是非法的。

The reforms had their critics, then and today. But in the presidential election of 1964, Johnson won “by the widest margin of popular votes in American history.” Historian Kent Germany says that vote gave the Democrats a rare opening “to pass a comprehensive liberal program.”
这些改革也受到了批评，不管是当时还是现在。但在1964年总统大选中，约翰逊以“美国历史上最大的普选差额”获胜。历史学家肯特·德曼说那次投票给了民主党一个罕见的机会来“通过一个全面的自由主义计划。”

Presidency after 1964
1964年后的总统生涯

Johnson had a name for such a program. He called it the “Great Society.” He said the United States should aim not only to be a rich and powerful society, but also to “end poverty and racial injustice.”
约翰逊对该项目有一个称呼。他称之为“伟大社会”。他说，美国不仅要致力于成为富裕以及强大的社会，还要“消除贫困和种族不平等”。

Johnson followed his earlier reforms with others. They sought to prevent crime, reduce pollution, support the arts, make roads safer, and protect American consumers against bad products. His administration also created an immigration policy that valued family members, skilled workers, and refugees.
约翰逊和其他人遵循了他早期的改革。这些改革旨在预防犯罪、减少污染、支持艺术、拓宽道路以及保护美国消费者免于劣质产品。约翰逊政府还建立了一项重视家庭成员、技术工人和难民的移民政策。

Johnson also signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It sought to lift the barriers that had long prevented African-American men and women from exercising their right to vote.
约翰逊还签署了《1965年投票权法案》。该法案旨在消除长期阻碍非裔美国男性和女性行使投票权的障碍。

Later, Johnson removed legal discrimination in the process of buying and renting homes.
再后来，约翰逊废除了在购买和租赁房屋过程中的法律歧视。

Together, these actions have linked Johnson to the civil rights movement in the minds of many Americans. Yet Johnson is also strongly linked to another part of U.S. history, often known simply as “Vietnam.”
在很多美国人的心目中，所有的这一切都将约翰逊和民权运动联系在了一起。然而，约翰逊还和美国历史的另一部分，即越南战争，紧密联系在了一起。

Earlier presidents had ordered U.S. military action in the conflict between North and South Vietnam. Since 1950, Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy had slowly increased the American intervention. Their goal was to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.
在他之前的几位总统已经采取军事行动介入了北越和南越之间的冲突。自1950年以来，杜鲁门、艾森豪威尔和肯尼迪这几位总统逐步增加了美国的干预。他们的目的在于阻止共产主义在东南亚的传播。

President Johnson continued Kennedy’s policies. He also received the support of Congress to do whatever was necessary to protect U.S. forces and “prevent further aggression” by North Vietnam’s communist government.
约翰逊总统延续了肯尼迪的政策。他也得到了国会的支持去全力保护美军和阻止北越共产党政府的进一步进攻。

Yet, when he was a presidential candidate in 1964, Johnson promised not to increase U.S. involvement and send young Americans to fight in Vietnam.
然而，1964年约翰逊作为总统候选人时，承诺不会增加美国的干预以及送美国年轻人去越南战场。

The opposite happened.
然而，相反的事情发生了。

Over the next four years, Johnson called on hundreds of thousands of additional U.S. troops to fight on the ground and in the air. The North Vietnamese fought back, both on the battle field and politically.
接下来的四年中，约翰逊又派遣了数十万美军进行地面和空中打击。北越人民奋起反抗，无论是在战场上还是政治上。

In time, the American public withdrew their support of the struggle and their support for the president.
最终，美国公众反对支持这场战争和这位总统。

By early 1968, Johnson had become deeply unpopular with voters. His party lost seats in Congress, and Johnson lost his ability to persuade lawmakers to support the measures he proposed.
截止1968年初，约翰逊在选民当中非常不受欢迎。他的党派在国会中失去了席位，约翰逊无法说服议员们支持他提议的措施。

In addition, the U.S. economy was showing signs of weakness, partly because of the costs of the conflict in Vietnam and government spending at home.
另外，美国的经济呈现出疲软迹象，部分原因是由于越南冲突的成本和国内政府的开销。

As the presidential nominating process began in early 1968, Johnson was permitted to seek another four-year term. But he announced that he would not seek or accept his party’s nomination.
1968年初，总统竞选提名开始时，约翰逊是可以寻求连任的，但他宣布放弃党内提名。

Shortly after, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed. Angered by his murder, people in more than 100 cities rioted.
不久，民权领袖马丁·路德·金被枪杀。人们因谋杀而愤怒，100多个城市发生了暴动。

Then, in June, John Kennedy’s brother, Robert Kennedy, was also assassinated. Kennedy had been competing for the Democrats’ nomination for president.
此外，约翰·肯尼迪的弟弟，罗伯特·肯尼迪在六月也被谋杀了。肯尼迪参与竞选了民主党党内的总统提名。

His death, and Johnson’s withdrawal, added to the divisions in the Democratic Party. Several groups gathered to protest at the party’s nominating convention in Chicago. The meeting ended in violent clashes between protesters and police.
罗伯特的死亡和约翰逊的退选，加剧了民主党的内部分歧。多个团体聚集在芝加哥的民主党提名大会上进行抗议。大会在抗议者和警察的冲突下落下帷幕。

By the time Johnson left office in January 1969, his party had lost control of the White House, and many Americans believed the country was in disarray.
1969年1月，约翰逊离任时，他的党派已经失去了对白宫的控制，许多美国人认为国家正处于混乱之中。

Legacy 遗产

After he left the presidency, Johnson returned to his home in Texas. He wrote his memories about his White House years, and made preparations for his presidential library.
约翰逊离任后，返回了德克萨斯州的家中，撰写白宫回忆录，准备他的总统图书馆。

But he did not live much longer. He died in 1973, hours before the U.S. involvement in Vietnam officially came to a close.
但他并没有活多久。他于1973年去世，几个小时后，美国正式结束了越南战争。

Johnson was a complex person, and his image in the mind of many Americans is just as complicated. His policies opened new paths for many people, but also led to years of death and destruction in Vietnam.
约翰逊是一位复杂的人物，他在许多美国人心目中的形象也同样复杂。他的政策为许多人开辟了新的道路，但也导致了多年来在越南的死亡和毁灭。

As a president, he acted powerfully and often independently, and succeeded in passing an unusually large number of reforms. But he also failed to persuade many Americans to accept some of those measures.
作为总统，他行动有力且通常独立，并且成功通过了数量上多得异乎寻常的改革。但他也未能说服许多美国民众接受其中的一些措施。

Supporters of the free market especially strongly rejected the government controls Johnson enacted.
自由市场的支持者尤其强烈反对约翰逊颁布的政府控制法案。

Even some in his Democratic Party, which Johnson had controlled for years, lost faith in him. In 1964, anti-war activists changed his campaign slogan, “All the way with LBJ.” Instead, they said, “Part of the way with LBJ.”
甚至由约翰逊控制了多年的民主党内的一些人也对他失去了信心。1964年，反战分子将他的竞选口号从“我们永远和约翰逊总统站在一起”改成了“我们和约翰逊总统的部分旅程”。

And by 1968, they were saying, “Hey, Hey, LBJ. How many kids did you kill today?”
并且，到了1968年，他们说：“嘿，嘿，约翰逊，今天你杀死了多少小孩？”

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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Words in This Story

assassinate- v. to kill (someone, such as a famous or important person) usually for political reasons - 刺杀，暗杀

ambitious- adj. having a desire to be successful, powerful, or famous - 有雄心的

cruel - adj. causing or helping to cause suffering - 残酷的

segregation - n. the practice or policy of keeping people of different races, religions, etc., separate from each other - 隔离；种族隔离

gender- n. the state of being male or female - 性别

consumer- n. a person who buys goods and services - 消费者

disarray- n. a lack of order; a confused or messy condition - 无秩序，混乱