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VOA慢速英语2014 A Century Later, Statue of Liberty Still Attracts Millions 一个世纪后,自由女神像仍吸引数以百万计游客

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A Century Later, Statue of Liberty Still Attracts Millions 一个世纪后,自由女神像仍吸引数以百万计游客

From VOA Learning English, welcome to This is America.  I'm Steve Ember.

Today we tell about the Statue of Liberty.  The huge, green statue celebrates American freedom.  It has served as the guardian1 of New York Harbor for more than a century. 

Come along with us, as we visit “Lady Liberty.” 

The Statue of Liberty may be one of the most often photographed works of art in the world.  AFrench sculptor2, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, designed the statue in the late 1800s.  Today themonument continues to present a beautiful sight on the New York skyline.  But it came close tonever arriving in the United States.

The materials required for building the Statue of Liberty were almost lost at sea.  In 1885, the shipcarrying those materials almost sank in stormy seas.  Bartholdi’s dream of a huge sculpture mightnever have been fulfilled. 

Luckily, the ship survived the rough seas.  It arrived safely in June of 1885.  By the next year, theStatue of Liberty had arisen on what was then called Bedloe’s Island.  The statue was officiallyopened that year.  Many years later, the island was given a new name: Liberty Island.

She's a Survivor3

The Statue of Liberty has survived damage caused by time, visits by millions of people and theweather.  It stood firm during a destructive storm, Hurricane Sandy, which struck the East Coast inOctober of 2012.  But Liberty Island suffered damage, requiring major repairs. 

“Lady Liberty”, as many people call the statue, was a gift from the people of France.  Its full nameis “Liberty Enlightening the World.” 

The United States and France have been friends and allies since the American Revolution.  Francehelped the American colonial armies defeat British forces. The war officially ended in 1783.  A fewyears later, the French rebelled against their king.

A French historian and political leader, Edouard-Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye, had the idea for thestatue.  In 1865, he suggested that the French and the Americans build a monument together tocelebrate freedom.  Bartholdi agreed to design it.

In 1875, the French established an organization to raise money for Bartholdi’s creation.  Two yearslater, an American group was formed to raise money to pay for a pedestal.  American architectRichard Morris Hunt was chosen to design this support structure.  The pedestal would stand 47meters high.

In France, Bartholdi designed a model of the Statue of Liberty.  Then he built a series of largercopies of the very small model statue.  Workers created a wooden form covered with plaster foreach part.  They placed 300 pieces of copper4 on the forms.  The copper skin was about two andone half millimeters thick, the same as two American pennies placed back-to-back.

The statue also needed a structure that could hold its weight -- more than 200 tons.  Frenchengineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel created the new technology.  Later, he designed the famousEiffel Tower in Paris.

Eiffel and others worked in Paris to produce a strong support system for the statue.  The designalso had to have the ability to move a little in strong winds.  Lady Liberty has continued to standduring many a storm, including Hurricane Sandy.

France had wanted to give the statue to the United States on the 100th anniversary of theDeclaration of Independence -- July fourth, 1876.  But technical problems and lack of moneydelayed the project.  France finally officially presented the statue to the United States in Paris in 1884.  But the pedestal being built in New York was not finished.  Not enough money had beendonated to complete the project.

The publisher of the “New York World” newspaper came to the rescue.  Joseph Pulitzer used hisnewspaper to persuade Americans to give more money to finish the pedestal.  His efforts broughtin another $100,000.  And the pedestal was finished.

In France, workers separated the statue into 350 pieces, put them on a ship and sent them acrossthe ocean.  After surviving the rough seas, the statue arrived in New York in more than 200wooden boxes.  It took workers four months to build the statue on the pedestal.

On October 28th, 1886, President Grover Cleveland accepted the statue in a ceremony.  He said: “We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected.”

Throughout history, the idea of liberty has often been represented by images of a woman.Historians say the statue’s face was created to look like Bartholdi’s mother.  Her right arm holds atorch high in the air.  Her left arm holds a tablet with the date of America’s Declaration ofIndependence -- July fourth, 1776.

On her head, the Statue of Liberty wears a crown with seven points.  Each point is meant torepresent the light of freedom as it shines on the seven seas and seven continents of the world.  The 25 windows in the crown represent gemstones found on Earth.  A chain that representsoppression lies broken at her feet. 

Lady Liberty's message of hope

In 1903, a bronze plaque5 was placed on the inner wall of the statue’s pedestal.  On it are wordsfrom the poem “The New Colossus,” written by Emma Lazarus in 1883.  The marker represents thestatue’s message of hope for people seeking freedom.  One memorable6 line reads “I lift my lampbeside the golden door.”

Not like the brazen7 giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty8 woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned9 lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled10 masses yearning11 to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming12 shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" 

Lady Liberty was officially named a National Monument in 1924.  The Statue of Liberty monument now includes nearby Ellis Island, the former federal immigration processing center. Millions of immigrants, after their ships passed the Statue of Liberty, were examined on Ellis Island between 1892 and 1924.

"This view is similar to the one seen by immigrants as they entered the US by steamship13. When the ships neared New York, the shining torch of the Statue of Liberty rose from the bay. Shouts and cries of joy would erupt from the steamer decks. For many, Liberty Enlightening the World, as the Statue is officially titled, symbolized14 the freedom and opportunity that awaited them in their new land."        

More than 40 percent of Americans have at least one ancestor who passed through the processing center.  Through the years, many of these people have continued to visit the Statue of Liberty.  Some people say a trip to New York City does not seem complete without it.

By the 1980’s, however, the statue was old and becoming dangerous for visitors.  In 1982, President Ronald Reagan asked businessman Lee Iacocca to lead a campaign to repair it.

The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation raised about 100 million dollars in private donations to do the work.  The repairs included replacing the torch and covering it with 24 carat gold.  On July fourth, 1986, New York City and the nation celebrated15 a restored and re-opened Statue of Liberty.

New York was one of the targets of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001.  The statue remained closed for security reasons until August 2004.  At that time, officials limited visits to the pedestal and lower observation area.  But that fact did not seem to keep too many people away.  The statue continued to attract visitors -- more than three million a year. 

Finally, in 2009, the statue above the pedestal re-opened.  Limited groups of energetic people climbed the many steps leading to Lady Liberty’s crown. 

On October 29th, 2011, the Statue again closed the inside of the pedestal for restoration purposes.  It opened on October 28th a year later -- for exactly one day.  The next day, Hurricane Sandy struck.

About 75 percent of the island was under water during the storm.  Flood waters entered the administration building and a structure filled with electrical equipment.  The waters came close to the bottom of the statue, yet did not touch it.  Trees fell and waste cans flew from one side of the island to the other.  Bricks broke away from walkways.  But hundreds of Park Service employees worked hard to help re-build the island. 

Today, people can again explore Lady Liberty.  But as usual, she is extremely popular.  Sometimes crowds wait for hours to get on a boat to visit America’s big copper statue honoring freedom. 

This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. I’m Steve Ember, inviting16 you to join us again next week for another This is America program from VOA Learning English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 guardian 8ekxv     
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者
参考例句:
  • The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
  • The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。
2 sculptor 8Dyz4     
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。
3 survivor hrIw8     
n.生存者,残存者,幸存者
参考例句:
  • The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
  • There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。
4 copper HZXyU     
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的
参考例句:
  • The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
  • Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
5 plaque v25zB     
n.饰板,匾,(医)血小板
参考例句:
  • There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
  • Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。
6 memorable K2XyQ     
adj.值得回忆的,难忘的,特别的,显著的
参考例句:
  • This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
  • The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。
7 brazen Id1yY     
adj.厚脸皮的,无耻的,坚硬的
参考例句:
  • The brazen woman laughed loudly at the judge who sentenced her.那无耻的女子冲着给她判刑的法官高声大笑。
  • Some people prefer to brazen a thing out rather than admit defeat.有的人不愿承认失败,而是宁肯厚着脸皮干下去。
8 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
9 imprisoned bc7d0bcdd0951055b819cfd008ef0d8d     
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁,合并执行。
  • They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。
10 huddled 39b87f9ca342d61fe478b5034beb4139     
挤在一起(huddle的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
  • We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。
11 yearning hezzPJ     
a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的
参考例句:
  • a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
  • He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。
12 teeming 855ef2b5bd20950d32245ec965891e4a     
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 );到处都是;(指水、雨等)暴降;倾注
参考例句:
  • The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
  • the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道
13 steamship 1h9zcA     
n.汽船,轮船
参考例句:
  • The return may be made on the same steamship.可乘同一艘汽船当天回来。
  • It was so foggy that the steamship almost ran down a small boat leaving the port.雾很大,汽艇差点把一只正在离港的小船撞沉。
14 symbolized 789161b92774c43aefa7cbb79126c6c6     
v.象征,作为…的象征( symbolize的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • For Tigress, Joy symbolized the best a woman could expect from life. 在她看,小福子就足代表女人所应有的享受。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
  • A car symbolized distinction and achievement, and he was proud. 汽车象征着荣誉和成功,所以他很自豪。 来自辞典例句
15 celebrated iwLzpz     
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的
参考例句:
  • He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
  • The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。
16 inviting CqIzNp     
adj.诱人的,引人注目的
参考例句:
  • An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
  • The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人,使人感到亲切温馨。

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