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VOA慢速英语2015 乔治·华盛顿:总统、男人、神话

时间:2015-08-26 14:30:36

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(单词翻译)

George Washington: President, Man, Myth 乔治·华盛顿:总统、男人、神话

Americans call George Washington “the father of our country.”

Most people know him best as the first president of the United States, from 1789 to 1797. But the list of his accomplishments2 is long. Washington commanded the Continental3 Army in the Revolutionary War. He led the American colonists4 to freedom from British rule. He was also president of the convention that created the U.S. Constitution.

Benjamin Latrobe's Benjamin Latrobe's "A View of Mount Vernon with the Washington Family" (photo courtesy of George Washington's Mount Vernon)

In his private life, Washington owned a large whiskey distillery and thousands of acres of land. He operated a large and successful farm. When the Revolutionary War was over, General Washington wanted to go home to his Virginia estate, called Mount Vernon.

Joseph Ellis is a historian and prize-winning author who wrote a book called “His Excellency: George Washington.”

“He didn’t want to be president. No president in American history did not want to be president more than George Washington.”

But other leaders asked him to become the first president under the Constitution. Every elector voted for him. Washington accepted the job as his duty.

Washington as president

When George Washington was sworn in as president in 1789, the idea of a truly united states was still just an idea. Americans were unconnected social, economic and ethnic5 groups. For example, a quarter of the people in the state of Pennsylvania spoke6 only German. The new president would have to establish a social and political union under the Constitution.

But the Constitution did not say in detail how the president could do that. Doug Bradburn, founding director of the Washington Library at Mount Vernon, says George Washington invented the job of president.

“I think that what people don’t estimate in their scale of judging his skill as a political figure is just how fragile the country was, that the chances it would even survive were probably very, very slim.”

Mr. Bradburn says President Washington set many important precedents8 for all the presidents who followed him. First, he was not just a figurehead but a decision maker9.

He established a group of advisors10, the cabinet. They became a very important part of the presidency11, or executive branch. Washington chose strong people to lead the departments. Sometimes those cabinet members disagreed strongly, but Washington managed them well.

President Washington also established the nation’s official currency and the Department of Foreign Affairs, now called the State Department. He created a six-member Supreme12 Court.

And, Washington said the president should set foreign policy. That responsibility was not clear in the Constitution.

Mr. Bradburn says Washington took his job very seriously and always used the Constitution as his guide.

“He wasn’t just trying to establish an office and then figure out a way to justify13 it, he was trying to work with his Constitution.”

As president, George Washington travelled around the country. In Rhode Island, he wrote to the Hebrew Congregation at Truro. The letter spoke eloquently14 about the rights of Jews. Mr. Bradburn says this letter is “tremendously significant.” Supporting the Jews and their religion was a revolutionary act of acceptance for its time.

Washington as a young man

George Washington was born in 1732 in Virginia. His father died when George was 11 years old. As a boy, he learned reading, writing and math. Then he worked as a land surveyor in western Virginia.

In his twenties, he became a British Army officer. George Washington fought in the French and Indian War.

Mr. Ellis points out that Washington did not have a formal or college education like many other early U.S. leaders, including John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

“But in some sense, Adams goes to Harvard, and Jefferson goes to William and Mary and Washington goes to war.”

Mr. Ellis says the first president was “a realist.” At the same time, he was a “very passionate15 man” with “extremely strong emotions.” He was known to get angry, but he only showed his temper to a few people.

Washington not only acted like  a great leader – he looked like one. George Washington stood about 1.9 meters tall. He was a head taller than the average man of his time. 

He was very strong, and very graceful16. He was known as one of the best horseback riders and best dancers in Virginia.

But he had a problem: bad teeth.

Unlike his wife, Martha, who was known for her lovely smile, George Washington began losing his teeth in his twenties. When he was sworn in as president, he had only one tooth left.

Dentists made him sets of dentures from uncomfortable metal and springs. Some of the teeth were from hippopotamus17 ivory. Mr. Ellis says Washington even paid some of his slaves for their teeth.

“About six of the teeth in his mouth in his latter years, when he is president, are actually from slaves at Mount Vernon.”

Washington as a myth

Even today people tell stories about George Washington. One popular story, that he had wooden teeth, is not true.

And he did not chop down a cherry tree as a child and then admit it by saying, “I cannot tell a lie.” In fact, historian Joseph Ellis says George Washington “lied many times.”

But as Washington became more famous, his reputation as a man who always did the right thing grew. Mr. Ellis tells about one artist who painted Washington’s portrait. The artist painted what he thought people wanted to see, instead of what he really saw.

“When the artist was painting one of his famous presidential portraits in 1795, and it’s the famous Vaughan portrait, it’s of the icon18. But he said, ‘as I looked at him he looked to me like the wildest animal in the forest,’ but that’s not what he painted.”

Mr. Ellis says even George Washington understood people would look at his writings and judge him in history.

“At some point in his life, probably during the war, Washington went from being a man to a monument. He was aware of the fact that he had a role to play and that all emerging nations need mythical19 heroes.”

Washington became very protective of his personal thoughts. His wife, Martha, whom he married in 1759, burned most of their letters when her husband died.

Doug Bradburn of the Washington Library at Mount Vernon says people can know the first president by his actions. He says George Washington had an unusual range of abilities.

“As a politician, you know, as a statesman, as a military figure. These are all things that he develops through practice and through reading.”

George Washington had one main regret. He told a close aide that he wished he had been able to do something about slavery. When he died, on December 14, 1799, George Washington freed his slaves in his will. He also gave money to the slaves and their children to receive an education.

Historian Joseph Ellis says one of the best things about George Washington was his ability to give up power.

“One of his greatest assets was he was a great aficionado20 of exits, of giving up power. You could trust Washington with power because he was so conspicuously21 willing to give it up.”

At the end of the Revolutionary War, Washington gave up his sword. And at the end of his presidency, Washington simply went back to Mount Vernon.

Doug Bradburn says Washington was the right man to be the father of the country and first president. Mr. Bradburn, like many historians, calls George Washington the “indispensable man.” He made ideas about American freedom and government real, and he showed that even the president would operate under the rule of law.

Words in This Story

accomplishment1 (s) –n. something done or achieved, successfully

distillery –n. place where alcoholic22 drinks are produced

precedent7 (s) –n. a similar action or event that happened earlier

figurehead –n. a person who is called the head of something but who has no real power

eloquently- adj. having or showing the ability to use language clearly and effectively

surveyor –n. a person whose job is to measure and examine an area of land

temper –n. the tendency of someone to become angry

graceful –adj. moving in a smooth and attractive way

denture(s) –n. a set of artificial teeth

icon –n. a person who is very successful and admired

will –n. a legal document in which a person states who should receive his or her possessions after he or she dies

aficionado –n. a person who likes and knows a lot about something

conspicuously – adv. very easy to see or notice

indispensible – adj. extremely important and necessary usage


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1 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能
参考例句:
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标,钱是至关重要的。
2 accomplishments 1c15077db46e4d6425b6f78720939d54     
n.造诣;完成( accomplishment的名词复数 );技能;成绩;成就
参考例句:
  • It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
  • Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
3 continental Zazyk     
adj.大陆的,大陆性的,欧洲大陆的
参考例句:
  • A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
  • The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。
4 colonists 4afd0fece453e55f3721623f335e6c6f     
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 ethnic jiAz3     
adj.人种的,种族的,异教徒的
参考例句:
  • This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏,这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
  • The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。
6 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
7 precedent sSlz6     
n.先例,前例;惯例;adj.在前的,在先的
参考例句:
  • Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗?
  • This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。
8 precedents 822d1685d50ee9bc7c3ee15a208b4a7e     
引用单元; 范例( precedent的名词复数 ); 先前出现的事例; 前例; 先例
参考例句:
  • There is no lack of precedents in this connection. 不乏先例。
  • He copied after bad precedents. 他仿效恶例。
9 maker DALxN     
n.制造者,制造商
参考例句:
  • He is a trouble maker,You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼,你不要跟他在一起。
  • A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
10 advisors 9c02a9c1778f1533c47ade215559070d     
n.顾问,劝告者( advisor的名词复数 );(指导大学新生学科问题等的)指导教授
参考例句:
  • The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网
11 presidency J1HzD     
n.总统(校长,总经理)的职位(任期)
参考例句:
  • Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
  • Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。
12 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
参考例句:
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
13 justify j3DxR     
vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护
参考例句:
  • He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
  • Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗?
14 eloquently eloquently     
adv. 雄辩地(有口才地, 富于表情地)
参考例句:
  • I was toasted by him most eloquently at the dinner. 进餐时他口若悬河地向我祝酒。
  • The poet eloquently expresses the sense of lost innocence. 诗人动人地表达了失去天真的感觉。
15 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
16 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的
参考例句:
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
17 hippopotamus 3dhz1     
n.河马
参考例句:
  • The children enjoyed watching the hippopotamus wallowing in the mud.孩子们真喜观看河马在泥中打滚。
  • A hippopotamus surfs the waves off the coast of Gabon.一头河马在加蓬的海岸附近冲浪。
18 icon JbxxB     
n.偶像,崇拜的对象,画像
参考例句:
  • They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
  • Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。
19 mythical 4FrxJ     
adj.神话的;虚构的;想像的
参考例句:
  • Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认,他是一个神话般的人物。
  • Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。
20 aficionado 3xAzd     
n.…迷;运动迷
参考例句:
  • This is good news for postcard aficionado Drene Brennan.这对明信片迷杰纳•布雷南来说是个好消息。
  • I'm a real opera aficionado.我是个真正的歌剧迷。
21 conspicuously 3vczqb     
ad.明显地,惹人注目地
参考例句:
  • France remained a conspicuously uneasy country. 法国依然是个明显不太平的国家。
  • She figured conspicuously in the public debate on the issue. 她在该问题的公开辩论中很引人注目。
22 alcoholic rx7zC     
adj.(含)酒精的,由酒精引起的;n.酗酒者
参考例句:
  • The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
  • Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。

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