But there were many dangerous threats (or bad things that could have happened) during that time.
而在此期间出现了许多严重的威胁(或可能会发生不好的事情)。
The two superpowers engaged (or became involved) in a nuclear arms race.
这两个超级大国展开了(或参与了)核武器竞赛。
This was a period of time when both superpowers made a lot of nuclear arms (or weapons) like bombs.
这一时期,这两个超级大国都生产了许多炸弹等核武器(或军火)。
Each country wanted to have more nuclear weapons than the other country did.
一个国家想比另一个国家拥有更多的核武器。
The superpowers spent a lot of money making these weapons and building defense to protect themselves from each other.
这两个超级大国耗巨资生产这些武器并建立保护他们自己的防御体系。
The United States was worried about the spread (or growth) of communism.
美国担心共产主义的扩张(或发展)。
The Soviet Union was helping other countries adopt (or begin to follow) communism.
苏联则帮助其他国家采用(或开始接受)共产主义制度。
All those countries were said to be behind the Iron Curtain.
据说所有这些国家都处在铁幕的后面。
When the Soviet Union began to be powerful in another country, the United States tried to stop the spread of communism there.
当苏联开始在一个国家影响很大的时候,美国就会试图阻止共产主义在那里扩张。
At the same time, the Soviet Union sent its support to countries where there was a communist movement (or interest in becoming communist).
与此同时,苏联会支持那些进行共产主义运动(或对成为共产主义者感兴趣)的国家。
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the head (or leader) of the Soviet Union, began to have diplomatic discussions, or conversations between political leaders.
20世纪80年代后期至20世纪90年代初,美国总统罗纳德·里根和苏联领导人米哈伊尔·戈尔巴乔夫开始进行外交谈判,或政治领导人之间的谈话。
These discussions eventually (or after a long period of time) led to the end of the Cold War.
这些谈判最终(或很长一段时间过后)导致冷战的结束。