VOA慢速英语:A Time Capsule of the United States between the Two World Wars

1. President Warren Harding’s campaign of a Return to Normalcyafter the First World War, the fall of Wall Street that led to theeconomic depression, Presidents Coolidge, Hoover, and FranklinRoosevelt and how they – and Americans – coped with the crisis.

lead to 导致
例句：Smoking can lead to lung cancer.
抽烟可能导致肺癌。
cope with 对付;处理
I was amazed at her ability to cope with the difficult situation. 
例句：她对付困境的能力使我惊讶。 

2. And we’ll look ahead to the United States entry into a secondworld war as a result of the Japanese invasion of Pearl Harbor inDecember, nineteen forty-one.

look ahead 考虑到将来
例句：We must look ahead before we make a decision. 
我们作出决定之前必须想得远一点。 

3. However, the attack on Pearl Harbor had more than a militarymeaning.

more than 多于
例句：Margaret needed support more than ever. 
玛格丽特比以往更需要关心。

4. But today, we look back at the years before the United Statesentered that war.

look back 回顾
例句：We look back over all that has happened during the lastyear. 
我们回顾了在过去一年中所发生的一切。

5. The change happened mainly because of economic troubles.

because of 因为
例句：Because of their relative rarity, they are often missed. 
因为相对少见，它们常被漏诊。 

6. And wages for workers increased as well.

as well 也
例句：Of course, his bluster was directed against me as well. 
当然，他指桑骂槐，矛头是针对我的。 

7. Soon, the economy was in ruins, and businesses were closingtheir doors.

in ruins 成为废墟
例句：The castle is now in ruins.
城堡现在已成废墟。

8.  But he was not willing to take the strong actions that wereneeded to end it.

be willing to 乐于，愿意
例句：He is willing to go through the mill. 
他愿接受磨炼。 

9. The nineteen twenties and thirties also brought basic changesin how Americans dealt with many of their social and economicproblems.

deal with 处理
例句：Firstly, let us deal with the most important issue. 
首先让我们来处理最紧要的问题。 

10. Some black Americans began to speak out more actively aboutunfair laws and customs. Blacks in great numbers moved from thesouthern part of the country to northern and central cities.

speak out 开口
例句：Speak out. Don't just brood over things. 
你有什么事就说吧, 别圈在心里。 

11. Washing machines and other inventions allowed them to spendless time doing housework.

spend doing sth 花(时间、精力)做某事
例句：I had to spend some time doing last-minute rewrites. 
我不得不花一些时间作最后的改写。 

12. Millions of Americans could watch or listen to the same showat the same time.

at the same time 同时
例句：He may be very rude sometimes but at the same time he is very kind.
有时候他可能很粗鲁,然而他还是很善良。