VOA标准英语2014--At Age 90, Former President Jimmy Carter is Still Going Strong
时间：2018-12-08 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2014年(九月)
At Age 90, Former President Jimmy Carter is Still Going Strong
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter celebrates his 90th birthday October 1.
While not the oldest living president, Carter has set the record for the longest post-presidency 1 of any former occupant of the White House, surpassing Herbert Hoover for the honor in 2012.
And he shows no signs of slowing down.
His vice 2 president, Walter Mondale, believes Jimmy Carter stands apart among former presidents.
“He’s got this part of him, this focus, this commitment. ... He gets on to something he wants to get it done, and it’s impressive to watch,” Mondale said.
Nonprofit organization
The former president and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize laureate leads an active life, centered around The Carter Center, an Atlanta-based, nonprofit organization that “wages peace,” “fights disease” and “builds hope” throughout the world.
Being called one of the most accomplished 3 “ex-presidents” of the U.S. is a term his wife of 68 years, Rosalynn, is not fond of hearing.
“I don't like that. He was a great president. People are finding it out. I like them to say, well, he is the greatest ex-president, but he was a great president, too,” Rosalynn Carter said.
The accomplishments 4 of Jimmy Carter’s presidency include normalizing relations with China, returning the Panama Canal to Panama and negotiating the Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel.
But those accomplishments tend to be overshadowed by the economic decline in the U.S. in the late 1970s and the Iran hostage crisis, which dominated much of his final years in office.
"I think it's clear that his presidency was not the greatest,” said Joe Crespino, professor of 20th century American political history at Emory University.
“That’s not all of his doing. That’s not all of his fault. A lot of that had to do with the circumstances he inherited. But I don’t think there’s shame in being called the ‘greatest ex-president,’ ” Crespino said.
Unsuccessful re-election bid
Crespino said the path to the “greatest ex-presidency” began in the wake of Jimmy Carter’s unsuccessful bid for re-election in 1980.
U.S. presidents since Hoover have libraries that catalog their official and personal documents.
After he left office in 1981, Carter wanted to create a different kind of presidential library and museum that could host conflict resolution, modeled after the successful Camp David Peace Accords.
The Carter Center was founded in 1982.
“But it's grown enormously and one of our basic principles has been that we don't duplicate what other people are doing,” Carter said, “and so we have filled vacuums in the world, you might say, and over a period of 30 years or more now we've gone into areas of international politics and alleviation 5 of suffering and promoting democracy that others had never done.”
The staff of the Carter Center has monitored more than 90 troubled elections, treated those suffering from neglected tropical diseases in many countries, and is on the verge 6 of completely eradicating 7 guinea worm disease.
Many see Jimmy Carter as a valued negotiator. Others see him as meddlesome 8.
“He’s been criticized for talking to leaders around the world, that he’ll go and talk to anyone,” said Emory professor Crespino. “He always feels like the fundamental issue for him is to try to bring people together and have conversations about difficult problems.”
North Korea issue
One issue that presently frustrates 9 Jimmy Carter is the unwillingness 10 of the United States government to engage in direct talks with North Korea.
After several visits to the closed communist country, Carter said he is willing to go again to secure the release of three Americans detained there. But, so far, he has not been granted permission.
“There’s no need for me to go unless I can get a designation from the U.S. government that I am speaking officially for the U.S. government, which I cannot do. That’s the truth of the matter,” Jimmy Carter said.
When Jimmy Carter isn’t traveling the world or at his Atlanta headquarters, he may be found 160 miles south of of Atlanta, in the rural town of Plains, Georgia, his birthplace.
And it’s there that the former president of the United States becomes one of the most world’s most famous Sunday school teachers.
Jimmy Carter’s faith is a central part of his life, both before he entered the White House in 1977 and after he left. He has taught some form of Sunday school since the age of 18. Now at age 90, his classroom is as big as ever, and more diverse.
U.S. Army Sergeant 11 Sudhir Shrestha is a long way from his home country of Nepal to be among hundreds waiting in line to enter the Maranatha Baptist Church to hear Carter teach the Bible.
“It’s really rewarding. A life-changing experience. A once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Shrestha.
Maranatha is not the largest of the eight churches in this town of 766 people, but it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Plains.
Jan Williams, a Maranatha member, said visitors get more than just a recitation of Bible verses.
“You get an up-to-date history lesson sometimes. I had never heard of the ISIS [a term used for the Islamic State group] until one of his Sunday school lessons and maybe what action the United States should take,” Williams said.
There are about 150 members registered at Maranatha Baptist Church. About 25 to 30 of them attend services on a given Sunday.
Sunday school teacher
But on weeks when former President Carter is scheduled to teach Sunday school, it’s hard to find an empty pew.
“When I teach, Plains prospers,” Carter acknowledged. “A lot of those people tell me they've never been in a church before in their life and they just come to hear a politician teach the Bible.”
“I just wanted to the opportunity to see him in person, not just watch him on TV or read his writings or listen to the news, but actually get a chance to see what he has to say in person,” Shrestha said.
Though he has traveled to more than 140 countries and continues to lead an active life as head of the Carter Center, Jimmy Carter still lives in the same small town where he was born 90 years ago.
Visitors to Plains not only have a chance to see the place that shaped the man, but the man himself.
When he is not preparing for a Sunday school lesson, he might be behind an easel at his home in Plains creating his next painting. In addition to being a prolific 12 artist, Jimmy Carter is also a best-selling author, currently working on his 29th book.
Looking back on 90 years, Carter is upbeat.
“It's been a very exciting and challenging and unpredictable and adventurous 13, and I would say a very gratifying life," he said.
- 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。
- He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
- They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。
- Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
- Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
- It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
- Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- These were the circumstances and the hopes which gradually brought alleviation to Sir Thomas's pain. 这些情况及其希望逐渐缓解了托马斯爵士的痛苦。
- The cost reduction achieved in this way will benefit patients and the society in burden alleviation. 集中招标采购降低的采购成本要让利于患者，减轻社会负担。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 口语
- The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
- She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。
- Objective: To study the acute and chronic toxicity of Ten-flavor-acne eradicating-capsule. 目的：探讨复方中药合剂十味平痤胶囊的急性及慢性毒性。
- We are on the verge of eradicating polio in the world. 我们已在世界消除小儿？痹症的边缘了。
- By this means the meddlesome woman cast in a bone between the wife and the husband.这爱管闲事的女人就用这种手段挑起他们夫妻这间的不和。
- Get rid of that meddlesome fool!让那个爱管闲事的家伙走开！
- What frustrates him is that there's too little money to spend on the project. 使他懊恼的是，可用于这个项目的资金太少。
- His trouble is that he frustrates much easily. 他的毛病是很容易泄气。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- Her unwillingness to answer questions undermined the strength of her position. 她不愿回答问题，这不利于她所处的形势。
- His apparent unwillingness would disappear if we paid him enough. 如果我们付足了钱，他露出的那副不乐意的神情就会消失。
- His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
- How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？
- She is a prolific writer of novels and short stories.她是一位多产的作家，写了很多小说和短篇故事。
- The last few pages of the document are prolific of mistakes.这个文件的最后几页错误很多。
- I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
- He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。