核心课·Level6·Unit2(JFK Assassinati

JFK Assassination

One of the most historic events of the 20th century was the assassination of US President, John Kennedy. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States, serving as President from January 1961 until November 1963. During his time in office the US entered the space race with the Soviet Union. Kennedy pledged(保证) that the US wouldland a man on the moon bythe end of the decade.Unfortunately, he never lived to see this happen.

In October of 1962, the US and the Soviet Union came dangerously close to entering a full-scale nuclear war. This event was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy’s skillful handlingof the situation, along with that of this Soviet counterpart(相应物),Nikita Khrushchev, helped savethe world from a nuclear catastrophe(灾难）. Following this event, his approval rating in the United States improved from 66% to 77%.  To many, he was considered to be the type of leader who could build a better world.

On November 22,1963, Kennedy’s presidency came to a sudden and tragic end. He was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade(车队）in the city of Dallas, Texas. Kennedy and his wife were sitting in an open car, waving to a large crowd of people when he was shot. They were sitting in an open car, with no protection, because the sky was clear. It had rained until about 10 a.m., but then the sun came out. If the sky hadn’tcleared, there wouldhave been a bubble（气泡）top, or clear roof, on the car. This would havepreventedthe assassination. Kennedy wanted it down so that he could be closer to the crowds who were there to greet him.

(He never lived to see the landing of a man on the moon./ Kennedy pledged that the US would land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.)

Another factor that contributed to the assassination was the route of the motorcade through the city. The route was published several days earlier in the local newspapers.The motorcade was to pass through downtown Dallas and round a sharp corner near the building where the assassin worked. From that building, there was a clear view of the president’s car. If the route had been different, the assassination probably wouldn’t have taken place. 

(The motorcade passed closed by the building where he worked.)

The president was struck by two bullets, but it was the second one that probably killed him. That was the fatal shot. It opened a massive wound in his head. Sitting beside him, his wife’s last words to her husband were :”Jack, Jack, can you hear me? I love you Jack.” The assassin’s quick shots were incredibly accurate. If the fatal shot hadbeen off byjust a little, Kennedy mighthave survived.

(It had rained until about 10 a.m.,but then the sun came out.)

So if any of these factorshad been different, history would have changed. Kennedy’s death disillusioned(是幻想破灭)many Americans who had been inspiredby his visionfor the future. With his death, a whole generationof Americans woke up to a realitywhere their dreamsfor a brighter future had been shattered.

（If the route had been changed, the assassin would have had to change plans or give up the attempt./ During his time in office the US entered the space race with the Soviet Union. /The assassination of Kennedy shattered the dreams of many Americans. /The fatal shot was the one that killed the president.)