A cap which you wear on your head means head.  有些含有cap (帽子)的英语单词表示头的意思。

A captain also means head —he's the head of a company of soldiers.A capital means head too 因为帽子是戴在头上的。Captain (队长)是头的意思—他是一队士兵的头。

it's the head city of a country or of a State. 首都同样也有头的意思—它是一个国家或一个州的头。

When I was a boy I lived in the capital of the United States, but I did not live in the Capitol of the United States. 我小的时候住在美国的首都，但我并不是住在美国的国会大厦。

That may sound funny, but it, s true, for there are two kinds of capitals. 听起来很有趣，但真的是这样，因为这是两个不同的词。

The capit-Al is a city, the Capit-Ol is a building, and of course I didn't live in the Capit-Ol building. 首都，是一个城市；国会大厦，是一栋建筑，我当然不住在国会大度里，

Not even the President lives there. 就连总统也不住在那里。

When our country was started men tried to find a suitable place for the capital. 美国刚建立的时候，人们要找一个合适的地方作首都。

Eight places were tried out and at last a swamp was chosen as the proper place to build the city,  考察了八个地方后，最后一块沼泽地被选为最合适建首都的地方，

because it was then near the center of our country. 因为它当时靠近国家中心。

So a city was built there and called Washington after George Washington, because he was the First President of the United States. 于是在那里建了一座城市，并以美国第一届总统乔治华盛顿的名字命名为华盛顿。

Even when I was a boy there was a part of Washington which every one called Swamp Puddle or Swain-poodle.  当我还是个小孩子的时候，华盛顿还有一块地方人人都称之为沼泽坑或者沼泽潭。

I wonder if boys there still call it that. 不知那里的孩子们是不是还这样叫。

It is now one of the most beautiful cities in the World, with lovely parks and beautiful buildings. 华盛顿现在是世界上最美丽的城市之一，有可爱的公园和美丽的建筑。

George Washington didn't live in Washington. 乔治华盛顿那时并不住在华盛顿。

He lived at a place in the State of Virginia about ten miles away called Mount Vernon. 而是住在距华盛顿有大约 10英里的弗吉尼亚州的一个叫做弗农山庄的地方。

Washington is now on the edge of our country,over a thousand miles from the center. 华盛顿现在处于美国的边界，离中心有一千多英里。

The capital hasn't moved, but the center of the country has. 首都还在原地，但是国 家的中心位置变了。

There are twenty-eight cities named Washington in the United States.Washington, the capital, looks on the map as if it were in the State of Maryland,  美国有28个城市都叫华盛顿。在地图上看首都华盛顿好像是位于马里兰州，

but it isn't. 其实却不是。

It isn't in any State.The capital of all the States had to have a place all its own;  它不属于任何州。所有州的 首府必须有属于它自己的一块地方；

so this piece of land is called the District of Columbia, or D.C.for short. 所以这块地方就被叫做哥伦比亚特区，简称D.C.。

The District of Columbia is named after Columbus, the man who discovered America. 哥伦比亚特区是以发现美洲大陆的哥伦 布的名字命名的。

So if you write a letter to anyone in Washington, the capital,  所以如果你写信给首都华盛顿的某人，

you must be very careful to put D.C.after Washington, for there are so many cities and towns named after Washington that your letter might not go to the right one. 你得很仔细地在华盛顿后面加上D.C.，因为叫华盛顿的城市和城 镇太多，不加的话很可能你的信就送不到你想寄去的地方。