密歇根新闻广播 美国国会大厦每周六又将对游客开放了

Nearly 20 years ago, in the midst of a deep budget crunch¹, the state decided² to close the Capitol to visitors on the weekends.

But now, as of June 6, you'll be able to again visit the state Capitol on Saturdays.

John Truscott sits on the commission that oversees³ the Capitol Building, and is also president of Truscott-Rossman, a Lansing-based public relations firm. When the decision to close the Capitol on weekends was made in the 90's, Truscott was the press secretary to then-Governor John Engler.

"At the time we were looking for money in every single department," he said. "Things were very, very tight and everybody was cutting back, you know, about 10%. The Capitol really had nowhere to go. Do you close down or limit tours during the week? Do you do it on the weekend?"

He emphasized the Capitol building's "integral" role in Michigan children's historical education, and the large number of children who tour it. For this reason, closing the Capitol down was not an option. So, the solution became to close the Capitol to reduce staff only on Saturdays. And Michiganders became accustomed to it.

Now that the economy is getting back on its feet, however, the Capitol building has a bit more flexibility⁴.

The Michigan Capitol Commission, formed by state statute⁵, is in charge of caring for the building, improving the building, and striving to allow the public more access.

"We were very excited the other day to open the Capitol – or vote to open the Capitol starting in June – and it will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday," Truscott said.

One new tour guide, alongside volunteer docents, will conduct tours.

Restoration work on the building is also being done, and it's been 25 years since the last restoration.

Infrared⁶ sensors⁷ and other high-tech⁸ technology have worked to find the sources of leaks around the building's roof. A new roof is going up, and the chipped paint on the dome⁹ will soon be fixed¹⁰.

"And it will restore the capitol to its really, its national historic landmark¹¹ status," Truscott said.

1 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

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 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

4 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

5 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

6 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

7 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

8 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

9 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

10 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

11 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。