THIS IS AMERICA - Driving Cross-Country: One Family's Story

THIS IS AMERICA - Driving Cross-Country: One Family's Story
By

Broadcast: Monday, November 15, 2004

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith. This week: the story of a family that went for a drive. A very long drive.

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VOICE ONE:

 
Graphic¹ Image
The United States is a big country. Most people travel coast-to-coast by airplane. The flight from Washington, D.C., to Seattle, Washington, for example, is less than six hours.

The Beardsley family usually flew to Seattle. This year, however, they decided² to drive.

You might recognize the family name. Frank³ Beardsley is a retired⁴ chief of Special English. Nancy Beardsley is VOA's book editor.

Their son, Tommy, is a student at The Evergreen⁵ State College in Olympia, Washington, south of Seattle. His parents decided to give him their car, then fly back to their home near Washington, D.C. They expected to do the trip in ten days. That would give them time to see some of the country along the way.

VOICE TWO:

On the first day, the Beardsleys traveled through five states. They passed through the green mountains and hills of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia and the flat farmlands of Ohio.

The high-speed road, Interstate Seventy, took them through cities and small towns. They spent the first night at a hotel in Springfield, Ohio.

VOICE ONE:

From Ohio, they drove across other Midwestern states. They traveled through Indiana, then Illinois. That is where Abraham Lincoln lived until he became president.

The Beardsleys crossed the great Mississippi River at Saint⁷ Louis, Missouri. Near the river, the Gateway⁸ Arch⁹ welcomed them to the city. The arch rises almost two hundred meters. It was built as a monument to the spirit of the pioneers who traveled West. It was the place where the explorers Merriwether Lewis and William Clark began their trip across the western territories in eighteen-oh-four.

VOICE TWO:

From Saint Louis, the Beardsleys drove on Interstate Forty into central Missouri. Interstate Forty replaced an earlier road across the country, Route Sixty-Six.

Many Americans remember stories, a television show and a song about Route Sixty-Six. In some places, the new interstate took a different path. Today, near Devil's Elbow, Missouri, a part of the old road seemed small. It had many holes. Tall grass grew at the edges. It was hard to imagine how important this road once was.

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VOICE ONE:

The next day, the Beardsleys drove to Kansas City on the western border of Missouri. It was another stop for Lewis and Clark.

President Harry¹⁰ Truman grew up nearby, in the town of Independence. The home where he lived is open to visitors.

Kansas City is a famous place in the history of jazz music. It also has sister-city ties with Seville, in Spain. One part of Kansas City has buildings that look Spanish.

VOICE TWO:

The Beardsleys turned north at Kansas City, onto Interstate Twenty-Nine, to Saint Joseph, Missouri. The Pony¹¹ Express started there almost one hundred fifty years ago. A museum tells the story of this mail system that carried letters between Saint Joseph and San Francisco, California.

Riders carried the mail on horseback from one station to another, up to thirty-two kilometers apart. A letter from Saint Joseph could get to San Francisco in ten days.

VOICE ONE:

Farther¹² north, along the Missouri River in the state of Iowa, is the burial place of Sergeant¹³ Charles Floyd. He was the only man to die during the three-year trip by Lewis and Clark. A tall monument honors¹⁴ him in Sioux City, on a hill above the river. It is shaped like the Washington Monument, back in America's capital city.

In Iowa, the land becomes flat, with many large cornfields. Drivers can see for long distances. The sky looks bigger, filled with clouds of different shapes and colors.

VOICE TWO:

 
Frank Beardsley at a lake in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
In South Dakota, the land looks even emptier and the sky larger. Along Interstate Ninety, there are fewer places to get fuel for the car or something to eat. Sometimes, places to stop are a half-hour or more apart. There are, however, many interesting places to visit. If the Beardsleys had more time, they would have liked to see where "Dances With Wolves" was filmed.

Travelers driving from the east also begin to see more and more casinos. Such gambling¹⁵ places are against the law in many parts of the United States. But American Indians can operate them on lands that belong to them. Casinos have become an important way for many tribes¹⁶ to earn money.

VOICE ONE:

For hundreds of kilometers, travelers see signs for the Corn Palace, in Mitchell, South Dakota. It is a big museum built of concrete and covered with maize¹⁷. The museum honors South Dakota agriculture, especially corn. The Beardsleys visit the Corn Palace. They, and a lot of other people. It was crowded.

 
George Washington on Mt. Rushmore. (VOA Photo - Steve Ember)
But farther west, near Rapid City, South Dakota, is one of America's most popular places for travelers, Mount⁶ Rushmore. The faces of four presidents have been cut into the rock on the side of the mountain. They are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The stone faces are eighteen meters high.

People can vote at Mount Rushmore for their favorite president. George Washington, America's first president, still wins the most votes.

 
Tommy and Nancy Beardsley at Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota.
VOICE TWO:

A few kilometers away, on another mountain, another statue is being made. This one will be more than one hundred seventy meters high. It will show Chief Crazy Horse, a Native American hero.

An American sculptor¹⁸ born in Poland began the statue in nineteen forty-five. He died in nineteen eighty-two, but his family continues the work. The statue will show the chief on his horse, pointing to the lands the Indians have lost.

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VOICE ONE:

When you cross the state line into Wyoming, you know you are in the American West. People wear cowboy hats and boots. There are buffalo¹⁹ and cows along the side of the road.

One of the best places to learn about the West is in Cody, Wyoming. The town is named for Buffalo Bill Cody, a cowboy and showman.

Cody is the home of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center. Its five museums are filled with objects that show the culture, history and older ways of life in the West.

Visitors can stay in the Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill in nineteen-oh-two.

VOICE TWO:

Cody, Wyoming, is also one of the four entrances to Yellowstone, the oldest national park in America. Visitors can spend many days exploring Yellowstone. It is home to bears, elk²⁰, antelope²¹ and other animals. It is also known for its geysers, holes in the ground that blow boiling water and steam into the air.

Many visitors to Yellowstone sleep in tents or cabins²², or stay in hotels built many years ago.

VOICE ONE:

Just south of Yellowstone is the Grand Teton National Park, known for its beautiful mountains topped by snow. Vice²³ President Dick Cheney, actor Harrison Ford²⁴ and other famous people have homes near the Grand Tetons.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park are both very popular. From June to August, during the summer months, the roads are filled with people. Visitors need to request a hotel room months before they arrive.

The Beardsleys were there in September. The crowds in the parks were not as large, but the weather was a lot colder. They went through a snowstorm²⁵ as they drove farther north and west, through the mountains of Montana and Idaho.

VOICE TWO:

On the tenth day of their trip, they crossed from Idaho into Washington State. The eastern part is flat and dry. But as they traveled west, they saw more mountains and trees that stay green all year. Washington, in the Pacific Northwest, is called "the Evergreen State."

They knew the trip was almost over when they saw Mount Rainer in the distance. Mount Ranier is four thousand four hundred meters high, and a popular place to camp, climb and take walks. It is southeast of Seattle.

Late that afternoon the Beardsleys arrived in Olympia, the state capital. The city is at the south end of Puget Sound, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. Frank and Nancy dropped off their son, and their car, at his college.

VOICE ONE:

The Beardsleys had driven almost six thousand kilometers. It was a ten-day drive across a country that seemed a lot bigger than the one they crossed in five hours on the flight home.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

We thank the Beardlseys for writing our story today. Our program was produced by Caty Weaver²⁶. And our studio engineer was Kelvin Fowler. This is Shirley Griffith.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Steve Ember. Before we go...our election²⁷ report last week said thirteen states now have constitutional bans against same-sex marriage. Dexter Massoletti in San Francisco corrects us: the number is at least seventeen. And, he notes that most other states have also passed laws with a similar aim.

Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English.

1 graphic   

adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的

参考例句：

• The book gave a graphic description of the war.这本书生动地描述了战争的情况。
• Distinguish important text items in lists with graphic icons.用图标来区分重要的文本项。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 frank   

adj.坦白的，直率的，真诚的

参考例句：

• A frank discussion can help to clear the air.坦率的谈论有助于消除隔阂。
• She is frank and outgoing.她很爽朗。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 evergreen   

n.常青树；adj.四季常青的

参考例句：

• Some trees are evergreen;they are called evergreen.有的树是常青的，被叫做常青树。
• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。

6 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

7 saint   

n.圣徒；基督教徒；vt.成为圣徒，把...视为圣徒

参考例句：

• He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
• The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。

8 gateway   

n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法

参考例句：

• Hard work is the gateway to success.努力工作是通往成功之路。
• A man collected tolls at the gateway.一个人在大门口收通行费。

9 arch   

n.拱门，桥洞；v.拱起，成为弓形

参考例句：

• Dip your head under the low arch.在低矮的门拱下要低头。
• The trees arch overhead.树木在头顶上弯成拱形。

10 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

11 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

12 farther   

adj.更远的，进一步的；adv.更远的，此外；far的比较级

参考例句：

• I can throw the ball farther than you can.这个球我能比你扔得远。
• The farther hill is five kilometres away.那座更远的小山在五公里以外。

13 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• 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？

14 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 gambling   

n.赌博；投机

参考例句：

• They have won a lot of money through gambling.他们赌博赢了很多钱。
• The men have been gambling away all night.那些人赌了整整一夜。

16 tribes   

n.部落( tribe的名词复数 )；（动、植物的）族；（一）帮；大群

参考例句：

• tribes living in remote areas of the Amazonian rainforest 居住在亚马孙河雨林偏远地区的部落
• In Africa the snake is still sacred with many tribes. 非洲许多部落仍认为蛇是不可冒犯的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

18 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

19 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

20 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

21 antelope   

n.羚羊；羚羊皮

参考例句：

• Choosing the antelope shows that China wants a Green Olympics.选择藏羚羊表示中国需要绿色奥运。
• The tiger was dragging the antelope across the field.老虎拖着羚羊穿过原野。

22 cabins   

n.小木屋( cabin的名词复数 )；（飞机上的）驾驶舱；客舱；（轮船上工作或生活的）隔间

参考例句：

• The cabins are in the bowels of the ship. 舱房设在船腹内。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hsin-mei and Hung-chien formally thanked Ku and Li for the cabins. 辛楣和鸿渐为舱位的事，向郑重道谢。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

23 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• 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。

24 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

25 snowstorm   

n.雪暴，暴风雪

参考例句：

• After several weeks of travel,snowstorm hit us first.我们旅行了几个星期，初次碰上了暴风雪。
• A severe snowstorm blocked up railroads.一场暴风雪使铁路中断。

26 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

27 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。