War Comes to Europe

(Herbert Hoover)
Sept. 1, 1939

Fellow Americans of the radio audience, this is one of the saddest weeks that have come to humanity in a hundred years. A senseless war seems inevitably forced upon hundreds of millions of people. The whole world still prays for some miracle that might deliver us. For war means the killing of millions of the best and the most courageous of men who might contribute something to human’s progress. It means the killing and starvation of millions of women and children. It means another quarter of a century of impoverishment for the whole world. And it will likely be a long war, it is possible that the brave people of Poland may be overrun in a few months, but there seems no point of access from which an overwhelming attack can be delivered from the British and French on one side, to the Germans on the other, which might quickly end this war. It's likely to be a war of slow attrition, and the fate of Poland will depend upon its ending. The air defenses of France and England, their greatly superior naval strength, their manpower, their resources, their resolution, make it certain that they can defend themselves. And it is true that vast fleets of airplanes on both sides contribute a new and uncertain factor, but there is nothing which proves that even the superiority in airplanes can win the war. And while assurances have been given that there will be no bombing of women and children, there may come a time of desperation when all restraints go to the winds. It's likely to be the most barbarous war that we have ever known.
This situation in the world today is not the act of the German people themselves, but it's the act of a group who hold them in subjection. The whole Nazi system is repugnant to the American people. The most of American sympathy will be to the democracies, but whatever our sympathies are, we can not solve the problems of Europe. America must keep out of this war. The President and the Congress should be supported in their every effort to keep us out. We can keep out, if we have the resolute national will to do so. We can be of more service to Europe and to humanity if we preserve the vitality and strength of the United States for use in the period of peace which must sometime come. And we must keep out if we are to preserve for civilization the very foundations of democracy and of free men.

miracle 名词
1.奇迹；奇事，奇人。
2.奇迹剧。
to a miracle 奇迹般地；不可思议地。 work miracles 创造奇迹。

impoverishment 名词 贫穷, 穷困

overrun 及物动词,不及物动词 (-ran; -run; -running)
1.(杂草等)(在…)蔓延；(害虫等)(在…)猖獗，群集(于)；(使…)泛滥。
2.侵略，蚕食，蹂躏(别国等)。
3.超出，越过(范围)；【机械工程】(使)超限运转。

overwhelm 及物动词
1. 压倒；压服；推翻；倾覆；淹没；覆盖。
2.(用感情等)制服；使十分感动；使不好意思；使不知所措。
be overwhelmed by superior forces 被优势兵力打垮。 be overwhelmed by grief 伤心已极。 Your kindness quite overwhelms me. 你的好意使我感激难言。 The boat was overwhelmed by the waves. 小船给浪打翻了。

attrition 名词

1.摩擦。
2.磨损，磨灭；消耗。
3.缩员，缩减人员。
a war of attrition 消耗战。

superiority 名词
优越(性)，超越，优秀，优势 (to; over); 傲慢 (to; over)。 superiority in strength [ability, intelect] 实力[能力、智力]方面的优势。 sense of superiority 优越感。 superiority to bribery [temptation] 拒绝贿赂[不受诱惑]的超越精神。 assume an air of superiority 摆架子。

desperation 名词
拼命，不顾死活；绝望。 be driven to desperation 不得不拼命。 drive (a person) to desperation 使拼命；〔口语〕使大发脾气。 in desperation 拼死，无可奈何地

barbarous 形容词
1.野蛮的，未开化的；粗野的；凶猛的，暴虐的，残忍的。
2.(语言等)芜杂的，不纯粹的，不规范的；非希腊、拉丁语的；异国语的，无学识的，鄙俗的。
-ly 副词,-ness 名词

repugnant 形容词
1.令人厌恶的，令人讨厌的 (to), 不得人心的。
2.冲突的 (to); 与…不一致的，不调和的 (with)。
3.反抗的；抱反感的。

keep 不及物动词
1.继续，保持，维持。
2.〔口语〕逗留；住在；呆。
3.〔口语〕(店等)开着，(学校)上课。
4.继续不断〔用此义时常接动词 -ing〕。
5.(食物等)保持不坏。
6.拖，搁。
7.保持某种路线[方向、活动]。
keep out
1. 把…关在门外，不使入内 (Danger. K- out. 危险。切勿入内)。 2. 阻止，挡住 (keep out sunlight 遮住阳光)。

resolute 形容词
坚决的，毅然的；坚定的。
名词 坚定的人，果敢的人。
-ly 副词

vitality 名词
1.生命力，(生)活力；生命强度，茂盛度；体力；(植物的)发芽力。
2.活气，生气；生动性。
3.(文艺作品等的)持久力，持久性，(物件的)使用寿命。

战争降临欧洲
（赫伯特•胡佛）
1939.9.1
收音机前的美国同胞们，这是近百年来人类最悲痛的一个星期。一场毫无意义的战争看来已不可避免地将强加到亿万人民头上。整个世界仍在祈求奇迹出现，能拯救众生。因为战争意味着数百万可能为人类进步做出贡献的最优秀、最勇敢的栋梁之材的牺牲；意味着数百万妇女儿童惨遭杀害，饥饿而死；意味着本世纪的随后二十五年世界将陷入穷困。这极可能是场旷日持久的战争。几个月后，勇敢的波兰人民也许就会遭人蹂躏。但无论是英法方面，还是德国方面看来都没有绝对的优势可以尽快结束这场战争。波兰的命运将取决于这场漫长的消耗战的结束。英国和法国牢固的空中防御，强大的海上力量，充裕的人力物力和不屈不挠的精神，确保了他们自卫的能力。但同时，双方庞大的战机队，也给战争带来新的、不确定的因素。当然战争的胜负不仅仅取决于空中的力量。虽然双方都保证绝不将炸弹投向妇女和儿童，然而一旦双方都毫无顾忌时，可怕的日子将随之而来。这将会是一场我们所知道的最残忍的战争。
当今世界的形势不是由德国人民造成的，而是由统治德国人民的那伙人造成的。整个纳粹体制令我们厌恶。绝大多数的美国人民赞成民主的体制。可是不论我们赞成什么，都不能解决欧洲的问题。美国应该置身战争之外，总统和国会为此所做的一切努力都应得到支持，美国可以置身战争之外，只要全国人民意志坚定。如果我们将美国的生机和力量用于必将到来的和平，我们就能为欧洲和人类做出更大的贡献。为了我们的文明而捍卫民主与自由，我们也必须置身战争之外。

War Comes to Europe mp3