VOA慢速英语2013 Music Marks the Battle Over Prohibition 音乐 - 禁令之争的标志

Music Marks the Battle Over Prohibition 1 音乐 - 禁令之争的标志

Hello!  I’m June Simms in Washington.  Thanks for joining us again for another As It Is!

大家好！我是来自华盛顿的June Simms。感谢再次收听As it is节目！

At this time of the year, people all around the world are looking back at the past 12 months.  What was good about the year?  What was not so good?  And what should I  do differently in the months to come? 

在今年的这个时候，人们都在回顾过去的12个月，今年有哪些好事情发生？哪些事情令人沮丧？我在明年应该在哪些方面做些改变呢？

It’s out with the old and in with new -- time to make some New Year’s resolutions!  Those resolutions are the promises we make at the end of the year to stop doing  something bad or start doing something good.  One of the most popular resolutions is to improve one’s health.  This may include eating healthier foods, exercising  more, or even drinking less alcohol. 

虽然比较老式传统，但是现在正是立下新年目标的时候了！这些目标其实也就是我们的承诺，在新的一年里停止做一些坏的事情，开始做一些好的事情。其中最流行的目标便是改善我们的健 康状况，包括保持健康饮食，增加运动以及控制饮酒。

In the “spirit” of the holiday season, we begin our show with a report about the 21st Amendment 2 to the United States Constitution. 

在节日的氛围当中，我们的节目将从美利坚合众国宪法第21条修正案说起。

It was 80 years ago this month that lawmakers approved the amendment.  The amendment cancelled an earlier ban on the production and sale of alcohol in the country.  It  also marked the end of a political struggle that had lasted more than 100 years.  The struggle had been argued, in part, through music.  Jim Tedder 3 has the report.

80多年前的本月，立法者们通过了这条修正案。此修正案解除了在美国产销酒品的禁令，也标志着持续了长达100年之久的政治斗争的结束。有些人说这场斗争的手段部分借助于音乐。Jim  Tedder将为我们讲述更多的故事。

Music Marks Battle Over Prohibition

Many issues captured the attention of Americans in the years between the War for Independence in the late 1700s and the Civil War in the 1860s.  They included the  separation of church and state and US relations with France and England.  While those and other issues came and went, the battle over one subject never let up.  That  subject was alcohol.

18世纪的美国独立战争以及19世纪60年代的内战期间，很多事情值得美国人民关注。其中包括教会和国会的分离，美法、美英关系等，但是虽然各种事端不端涌现，唯有一个议题却从未结束 ，那就是酒禁。

The war against drinking in the U.S. started in the early 1800s.  Before then, Americans had been heavy drinkers.  Scott Gac is a professor at Trinity College in  Hartford Connecticut, and the author of a book about reform in the 19th Century.  He says that in the 1820s and 30s, American churches started highlighting the idea  that God wanted people to take better care of themselves.

美国禁酒的呼声在19世纪便已经开始。在此之前，美国人酗酒严重。Scott Gac是位于Hartford Connecticut的Trinity 学院的一名教授，他同时也是一本关于19世纪改革的书的作者。他说在 19世纪20年代以及30年代，美国教会开始宣扬一种理念：上帝希望人们能够更好的照顾自己。

“So they start eating differently.  There are people who actually became some of the first vegetarians 4 in the United States.  There are people who stop drinking  alcohol -- about one in five Americans take a temperance pledge, that is an anti-drinking pledge.”

“所以他们改变了饮食习惯，也就是那时候产生了美国第一批的素食主义者。有些人戒酒，大约五分之一的美国人甚至立誓戒酒，发誓不再饮酒。”

“The breadwinner in the family was going out, spending what little money he had, and thus creating poverty for his family.  So his wife had to work, his kids had to  go out and beg on the street, so drunkenness was eating at the core of American families.”

“养家糊口的人出去用仅有的积蓄买醉，最终家徒四壁。因此她的妻子不得不出去工作，孩子也被迫出去到路边乞讨。因此，酗酒正毒害着美国家庭的幸福”

Because the temperance movement came out of the church, many of the songs were sung to the tune 5 of popular hymns 6.  People sang these songs at meetings of groups like  the Women’s Christian 7 Temperance Union, who would go out and smash up saloons with axes. 

因为戒酒运动始于教会宣导，所以戒酒的内容被写到赞美诗里。人们在基督教妇女戒酒联盟生唱着这些歌曲，她们还会拿着斧子去把酒吧夷为平地。

By 1900, more than half of American states had gone “dry.”  In other words, they restricted or even banned the sale of alcohol.  Of course, many people opposed the  restrictions.  Those people also expressed themselves in song.

直到20世纪，一半的美国各州还是“滴酒未尽”，也就是说，各州限制甚至严禁酒水买卖。当然，也有很多人反对这种限制。这些人也把他们的想法写进歌里。

In 1919, soon after the First World War, Temperance supporters finally gained enough votes to ban alcohol in the United States.  The 18th Amendment to the Constitution  prohibited “the manufacture, sale or transportation of intoxicating 8 liquors.”  

1919年，在第一次世界大战不久之后，支持禁酒的人最终获得了足够多的票选在美国立法禁酒。宪法第18条修正案规定：严禁酒水的生产、销售及运输。

But the Constitution still protected people’s right to argue that prohibition was a bad idea.  And they did.  Like in this song from the year prohibition started.  It  tells how a man used to need a lot of money to get a date, but now all he needed was a secret supply of alcohol in the basement. 

尽管如此，宪法仍然给人们去证实此项法令错误性的权利。确实人们也做到了。就像禁酒令开始的那年的一首歌里唱的那样，禁酒令之前他需要大把的银子去博姑娘欢心，但是禁酒令之后， 他只需要地下室私藏的一点小酒便可解决问题了。

The ban on alcohol lasted only 13 years.  By 1933, the anti-alcohol forces admitted defeat.  The 21st Amendment repealed 9 prohibition, and alcohol flowed freely again  in the United States.  And that too was cause for song. 

这场酒禁持续了仅13年之久。直到1933年，反酒力量败北，宪法第21条修正案解除了禁酒令,从此美酒便又在美国畅流，同样也有一首歌纪念这件事情。

For VOA Learning English, I’m Jim Tedder.

我是June Simms. 感谢给我们讲故事的Richard Paul先生。

And I’m June Simms.  Thanks to Richard Paul, who wrote that report.

Now back to those New Year’s resolutions.  On December 31st, some hopeful person will have their last drink of alcohol, smoke their last cigarette or eat their last  unhealthy meal.  Can I have fries with that please?  At least, that is what they will tell themselves just before the clock strikes midnight.  Only time will tell  whether or not it holds true.

现在继续回到我们的新年目标上来。在12月31日这天，很多人可能会饮下他们这辈子的最后一口美酒，点燃他们这辈子的最后一刻香烟或者一口他们这辈子最后一顿不健康的晚餐。我能再来 分薯条吗？ 至少，这些是在新年钟声在午夜敲响之际，他们最自己许下的承诺而已。时间会告诉我们他们是否会恪守承诺。

We took a look at several online lists of the top New Year’s resolutions.  We have combined those lists to create our own Top Five.

我们从网上整理了新年目标的榜单，把他们融合一下，就有了我们的新年目标Top5！

The most common resolution is the promise to lose weight in the New Year.  Many people make that their number one goal.  Not surprising the weight loss industry is a  multi-billion dollar business worldwide.

其中最普遍的新年愿望是减肥。很多人把它最为新年的第一要务。，这也不可厚非，在世界范围内，减肥行业可是一个拥有数十亿价值的行业啊！

Coming in at number two is a two-way tie to eat healthier and become more physically 10 active.  Of course, the two go hand-in-hand with losing weight.

榜单上紧跟其后的便是健康饮食以及加强锻炼的目标。当然，这两个和减肥并无异处。

Spending less money, saving more and getting out of debt are tied for the next position on our list.

榜单上的第三名是少花钱，多挣钱，摆脱债务。

Next comes spending more time with family.  What could be better than that?

多陪陪家人是目标榜上的第四位。还有比这更好的目标么？

And rounding out our list is the plan to quit smoking.  That resolution is one of my personal favorites. 

榜单上的第五名就是戒烟。这也是我最喜欢的目标之一。

我是June Simms. 不管你的新年目标是什么。我都希望你能一切都好。VOA 祝您节日快乐！