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27 美国国家档案管理局
DATE=5/14/01
TITLE=THIS IS AMERICA #1064 - National Archives
BYLINE=Jerilyn Watson
VOICE ONE:
The United States National （1）Archives and (2)Records Administration stores and shows (3)historic documents. It tells the history of America in millions of papers and other records. I'm Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. We tell about the National Archives in our report today on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
((THEME))
VOICE ONE:
Everything about the National Archives and Records Administration seems big. More than four- thousand- million pieces of paper in the National Archives record government activities. The Archives (4) collection includes more than five- million maps and (5) architectural drawings. There are two- hundred- thousand sound and video recordings. The Archives keep many films, (6) electronic records and almost fourteen- million pictures.
The records tell about government policies and how they were carried out. They tell how early Americans settled the West. The records show how the United States changed from an agricultural society to an industrial nation. Archives records show the struggle by African Americans and other (7) minorities to gain equality.
VOICE TWO: The National Archives and Records Administration were created in Nineteen-Thirty-Four as an independent federal agency. It operates thirty-three centers across America. The Archives provide a central (8) organization for research into the history of the United States and its citizens. They also show visitors important historical documents like the Declaration of Independence, the (9) Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Millions of people have seen these papers in the National Archives Building in Washington, D-C.
The Archives also provide information for other government agencies. These include the space agency and the tax (10) agency. The National Archives also operate the libraries of ten (11) former American presidents.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
Currently, one of the most popular Archives collections is in College Park, Maryland. It contains voice recordings from the administration of the thirty-seventh president, Richard Nixon. Mister Nixon speaks with his advisors on these tapes. The recordings show he approved a plot to cover up an illegal raid on the Democratic Party (12) headquarters. The raid took place in Nineteen-Seventy-Two at the Watergate Hotel in Washington. Mister Nixon resigned the presidency the next year. In doing so, he avoided being charged with (13) wrongdoing by the House of Representatives.
Last month, the Archives invited the public to reproduce these recordings. Many students, teachers and historians now are copying these important moments in American life on their own tape recorders.
VOICE TWO:
The Archives also keep records about many people not as well known as presidents. For example, they contain (14) military service records for the Rough Riders. These soldiers fought in the Spanish-American War of Eighteen-Ninety-Eight. They won battles at Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill in Cuba. Their (15) commander, Theodore Roosevelt, later became America's twenty-sixth president.
People seeking information about their families use the Archives to study （16）genealogy. Survivors of Nazi oppression during World War Two often search the Archives. They use the records to try to find out what happened to property stolen from them.
VOICE ONE:
Many people have written books using information they found in the Archives. Archives official Timothy Mulligan is one of them. He is an expert in German military history of World War Two. In the early Nineteen-Eighties, Mister Mulligan read the burial records of a German （17）submarine commander named Werner Henke. Mister Mulligan became very interested. He used his research to write a book called "Lone Wolf." It was published in Nineteen-Ninety-Three. The book tells the story of Werner Henke and the war at sea between Germany and the United States.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE TWO:
Before the Archives existed, fire had destroyed millions of American documents. Or they were destroyed because of age. Today, highly trained employees called （18）conservators store most of the papers. They use specially designed boxes. These boxes are free of harmful chemicals. They also resist fire. Conservators (19) carefully measure the (20) temperature, moisture and light levels in areas where the documents are kept.
VOICE ONE:
Concern about the condition of the documents has led (21) officials to plan major changes in the National Archives building in Washington. The most valued historic documents now are shown in an area called the Rotunda. Every night, moving devices place the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in an underground (22) container. The next day the documents are lifted back to the Rotunda.
The Rotunda will close after July Fourth for repairs. A new, secure home for the documents will be built to avoid continually moving them. The research areas of the building will be made larger. But they will remain open during the (23) process. The improvements to the National Archives Building will cost more than one- hundred- million dollars. The work probably will be completed by Two-Thousand-Three.
VOICE TWO:
Many Americans still can see the Constitution and other documents while the Rotunda is closed. The Archives are lending them to museums and history centers in seven cities across the nation. This traveling exhibit is called "American (24) Originals." It will begin in October. The first showing will be held in the New York Public Library in New York City. The exhibit later will travel to cities in Ohio, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, California and (25) Connecticut. Each showing will last three months.
VOICE ONE:
The traveling National Archives exhibit includes papers from the early days of America to more recent times. For example, it contains a list of the things General George Washington bought during the (26) Revolutionary War. The American colonies fought for independence from Britain beginning in Seventeen-Seventy-Five. General Washington gave the list to Congress so he could be repaid. He later became the first president of the United States.
A letter from the famous spy Benedict Arnold to George Washington also is part of the exhibit. Benedict Arnold had served as a general in the Revolutionary Army. But he sold information to the British. He left his wife behind when he fled to escape capture. Benedict Arnold's letter appealed to General Washington not to punish her.
VOICE TWO:
A note written by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman during the Civil War is also in the exhibit. General Sherman sent the message to President Abraham Lincoln in December of Eighteen-Sixty-Four. The general's troops had recently captured the southern city of Savannah, Georgia. His note presented the city to Mister Lincoln as a gift for the Christmas holiday.
The traveling Archives exhibit also will show an important announcement written by President Lincoln during the Civil War. This （27）Emancipation （28）Proclamation freed the slaves in southern states still at war with the Union. President Lincoln made the proclamation public on January first, Eighteen-Sixty-Three. (29) Sadly, the document is in threatened condition. Time has harmed its paper and writing. It will be shown for only four days in each city.
((MUSIC BRIDGE))
VOICE ONE:
The National Archives traveling (30) exhibit also honors inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Mister Edison lived from Eighteen-Forty-Seven to Nineteen-Thirty-One. He helped develop electric lighting and invented the record player. He also improved the (31) telegraph, the telephone and moving pictures.
The work of Mister Edison helped make the United States a strong industrial nation. The traveling Archives show includes the document that confirmed his legal rights to the electric lightbulb.
VOICE TWO:
A more recent document in the National Archives traveling exhibit shows the human side of American history. It is a letter from Harry Truman to his wife. He wrote the letter just after becoming America's thirty-third president. He had been serving as vice president when President Franklin Roosevelt died suddenly in Nineteen-Forty-Five. Mister Truman's words demonstrate his feelings about following one of America's most loved leaders. Harry Truman told his wife he could hear the spirits of the past walking in the White House.
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Caty Weaver. Our studio engineer was Keith Holmes. I'm Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
注释：
(1) archives[ 5B:kaivz ]n.档案, 公文
(2) record[ 5rekC:d ]n.履历, 档案
(3) historic[ his5tCrik ]adj.历史上著名的, 有历史性的
(4) collection[ kE5lekFEn ]n.收藏
(5) architectural[ 7B:ki5tektFErEl ]adj.建筑上的, 建筑学的
(6) electronic[Ilek5trRnIk]adj.电子的
(7) minority[ mai5nCriti, mi- ]n.少数, 少数民族
(8) organization[ 7C:^Enai5zeiFEn ]n.组织
(9) constitution[ 7kCnsti5tju:FEn ]n.宪法
(10) agency[ 5eidVEnsi ]n.代理处, 行销处
(11) former[ 5fC:mE ]adj.从前的, 以前的n.形成者, 创造者
(12) headquarters[ 5hed7kwC:tEz ]n.司令部, 指挥部
(13) wrongdoing[`rCN`dU:IN;`rR:N-]n.坏事, 不道德行为
(14) military[ 5militEri ]adj.军事的, 军用的
(15) command[ kE5mB:nd ]n.命令, 掌握v.命令, 指挥
(16) genealogy[ 7dVi:ni5AlEdVi ]n.系谱, 家系
(17) submarine[ 5sQbmEri:n, sQbmE5ri:n ]n.潜水艇, 潜艇
(18) conservator[ 5kCnsE(:)veitE ]n.保护者, (博物馆的)管理员
(19) carefully[5keEfJlI]adv.小心地, 谨慎地
(20) temperature[5temprItFE(r)]n.温度
(21) official[ E5fiFEl ]n.官员, 公务员adj.职务上的, 公务的
(22) container[ kEn5teinE ]n.容器(箱,盆,罐,壶,桶,坛子), 集装箱
(23) process[ prE5ses ]n.过程, 作用 v.加工, 处理
(24) original[ E5ridVEnEl ]adj.最初的, 原始的n.原物, 原作
(25) Connecticut [ kE5netikEt] n.（美国）康涅狄格
(26) revolutionary[ 5revE5lu:FEnEri ]adj.革命的
(27) emancipation[ i7mAnsi5peiFEn ]n.释放, 解放
(28) proclamation[prRklE5meIF(E)n]n.宣布
(29) sadly[[5sAdlI]adv.悲痛地, 悲哀地
(30) exhibit[ i^5zibit ]v.展出, 陈列n.展览品
(31) telegraph[ 5teli^rB:f ]n.电报机, 电报v.打电报, 发电报, 打电报说
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