THIS IS AMERICA - Washington Monument

THIS IS AMERICA -April 29, 2002: Washington Monument

By Jerilyn Watson
VOICE ONE:

The tallest structure in America’s capital city is the Washington Monument. It is named for George
Washington, the first president of the United States. I’m Bob Doughty¹.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. We tell about the Washington Monument and the

man it honors² on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
The tallest structure in Washington, D-C, honors George Washington, the

first president of the United States. He led the American colonies³ in the war of independence against England
from Seventeen-Seventy-Five to Seventeen-Eighty-Three. Later he headed the group that wrote the American
Constitution. As president, he helped the new United States of America through its difficult first years.

(Photo -Adam Cochran/NPS)
Today, millions of people from around the world visit the stone structure that honors
George Washington. The Washington Monument stands almost one-hundred-seventy
meters high, not far from the Potomac River. The monument is a white stone structure
called an obelisk⁴. Its four sides end in a point at the top.

VOICE TWO:

Fifty American flags surround the monument. They represent the fifty states. The
Washington Monument is one of the most photographed places in the world. Lights shine
on the obelisk at night. It can be seen from far away. Fireworks are launched⁵ from near the
monument on America’s Independence Day --the Fourth of July --and during other

special celebrations.

The monument recently reopened after being closed for more than a year. Workers made several improvements⁶.
They built a new elevator to carry visitors to the observation area at the top of the monument. New security⁷
measures also were added. Workers had carried out a more extensive⁸ repair project beginning in Nineteen-
Ninety-Eight. That project took two years and cost more than nine-million dollars.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

Visitors to the Washington Monument begin by getting a free ticket. Long lines often form at the ticket office.
Once people have their tickets, they stand in a short line near the monument. On a recent day, visitors talked to
one another while waiting. They discovered that they came from all over the United States and several other
nations. Some of the visitors commented about the surrounding flags, which flew straight out in the spring wind.
They said the flags looked as if they had been painted that way.

National Park Service officials supervise⁹ the Washington Monument. They lead visitors to a big elevator for the
ride up to the observation area at the top of the monument. During the ride, another Park Service employee tells
about the history of the structure. He also tells visitors they can see all of Washington from the observation area if
the weather is good.

VOICE TWO:


The observation area is more than one -hundred-fifty meters high. Many people say “ooh”
and “aah”
as they
stand at the windows. Looking north, you can see such famous places as the White House. You can also see the
Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Willard Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in Washington. America’s sixteenth
president, Abraham Lincoln, stayed there. To the east, you can see the Capitol building, where Congress¹⁰ makes
laws. You can also see the Smithsonian Institution museum buildings.

The return elevator trip to the ground is equally interesting. Two sides of this elevator have windows. Through
the windows you can see some of the almost two-hundred carved memorial stones on the inside walls of the
monument.

Every state gave a stone to the monument. Stones also arrived from other countries. For example, one stone came
from the library of Alexandria, Egypt. The Free Swiss Federation¹¹ in Switzerland gave a stone that says, “To the
Memory of Washington.
”
Japan gave a stone made from rock from a volcano¹².

((BRIDGE MUSIC))

VOICE ONE:

It took many years to build the Washington Monument. America almost got a very different memorial to George
Washington instead of the present one. Congress decided¹³ to pay for a statue of George Washington on a horse.
The lawmakers did this even before the signing of the treaty¹⁴ that ended the American Revolutionary War. The
statue was to show how General Washington led American troops to victory against England. However, he said
he did not want the nation to spend money for the statue.

VOICE TWO:

A group called the Washington National Monument Society started raising money for a memorial in Eighteen-
Thirty-Three. Officials placed the first stone of the monument on July Fourth, Eighteen-Forty-Eight.

The Roman Catholic¹⁵ Church leader Pope¹⁶ Pius the Ninth gave a piece of marble from Rome for the monument.
But the stone was stolen a few years later. People suspected that an American group called the Know Nothings
stole the stone. Among other things, the group opposed the Roman Catholic Church.

After that, the public almost stopped giving money for the structure. Many people believed it never would be
finished. Then Congress started to help pay for the monument. But, again, the Know Nothings intervened¹⁷. They
raided¹⁸ the Washington National Monument Society office. They claimed the monument was their property.

VOICE ONE:

Finally, in Eighteen-Seventy-Six, Congress voted to pay for building the Washington Monument. On December
Sixth, Eighteen-Eighty-Four, the monument was finished. It opened to the public four years later.

The Washington Monument is just one of many ways Americans have honored¹⁹ their first president. The
northwest state of Washington is named for him. So are many cities, schools and streets in the United States.
Thousands of children have been named George or Washington.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO: George Washington was born in Seventeen-Thirty-Two. His family lived in Westmoreland
County²⁰, Virginia. George attended school for only about seven or eight years. He wanted to become a sailor.
However, his mother would not permit this. So George became an explorer. At age twenty he became an officer
in the colonial²¹ army.

In Seventeen-Fifty-Three, the colonies still belonged to Britain. Major George Washington carried a message
from British colonial officials to French forces. At the time, French forces occupied the Ohio River Valley. The
message ordered them to withdraw²². It was a dangerous duty, and George Washington completed it well.

VOICE ONE:

George Washington continued to gain responsibility in the army. However, as time passed, he became angry with


the way England governed the American colonies. Taxes were high. And the colonies had no representation²³ in

the British Parliament²⁴.
The war against Britain began in Seventeen-Seventy-Five. The Americans named George Washington
commander of the Revolutionary armies.

Many of his soldiers were untrained. They were poorly equipped. During one winter of the Revolutionary War,
his troops almost froze to death. But General Washington led these Americans to victory. The last British troops
left America in Seventeen-Eighty -Three.

VOICE TWO:
After the war, George Washington strongly influenced the writing of the new Constitution. Then, in Seventeen-
Eighty -Nine, the first American Electoral College met. It named him the first president of the United States.
Three years later, he wanted to retire. He planned to live with his wife Martha at their home in Virginia, Mount²⁵

Vernon. But others appealed to him to run for president again. The ballots²⁶ were counted in Eighteen-Ninety-
Three, and he was re -elected.
George Washington gave the nation a good start. He helped prevent the country from becoming a dictatorship.

He prevented it from being ruled by a king. He helped establish freedom of religion.
VOICE ONE:
George Washington was not perfect. He kept slaves at Mount Vernon. However, he freed all his slaves during his

lifetime. He also urged the nation to end slavery in the future.

A sentence written on the wall in the Washington Monument expresses the way many Americans feel about
George Washington. It says he was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.
”
((THEME)
)
VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Cynthia Kirk. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Bob Doughty. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA

Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

 

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1 doughty   

adj.勇猛的，坚强的

参考例句：

• Most of successful men have the characteristics of contumacy and doughty.绝大多数成功人士都有共同的特质：脾气倔强，性格刚强。
• The doughty old man battled his illness with fierce determination.坚强的老人用巨大毅力与疾病作斗争。

2 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 colonies   

n.殖民地( colony的名词复数 )；（侨民等）聚居区；（动植物的）群体；（来自同一地方，职业或兴趣相同的）聚居人群

参考例句：

• They amassed huge wealth by plundering the colonies. 他们通过掠夺殖民地聚敛了大笔的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• But throughout the colonies, people relied primarily on small farms and self-sufficiency. 但就整个殖民地来说，人们主要依靠小型农场，过着自给自足的生活。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 obelisk   

n.方尖塔

参考例句：

• The obelisk was built in memory of those who died for their country.这座方尖塔是为了纪念那些为祖国献身的人而建造的。
• Far away on the last spur,there was a glittering obelisk.远处，在最后一个山峦上闪烁着一个方尖塔。

5 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

6 improvements   

增加或修改( improvement的名词复数 )； 改进； 改善； 改良

参考例句：

• improvements in efficiency at the factory 工厂效率的提高
• They've spent a lot of money on home improvements. 他们花了很多钱装修家居。

7 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

8 extensive   

adj.广泛的，广阔的，广大的

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• The museum offers extensive facilities for study.这个博物馆提供了许多供研究的设备。

9 supervise   

v.监督，管理，指导

参考例句：

• We must supervise and speed up the fulfilment of assigned tasks.已经布置了的工作，应当认真督促检查。
• Tomorrow he will supervise all the pupils taking the English examination.明天全体学生考英语，他将担任监考。

10 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

11 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

12 volcano   

n.火山

参考例句：

• The volcano unexpectedly blew up early in the morning.火山一早突然爆发了。
• It is most risky to go and examine an active volcano.去探察活火山是非常危险的。

13 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。

14 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。

15 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

16 pope   

n.（罗马天主教的）教皇

参考例句：

• The Pope is the spiritual leader of many Christians.教皇是众多基督徒的宗教领袖。
• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。

17 intervened   

阻碍( intervene的过去式和过去分词 )； 出面； 插嘴； 介于…之间

参考例句：

• The President intervened personally in the crisis. 总统亲自出面处理这场危机。
• We enjoyed the picnic until a thunderstorm intervened. 那次野餐我们玩得很痛快，后来一场暴风雨使它中断了。

18 raided   

对…进行突然袭击（raid的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The enemy raided the docks. 敌人突然袭击了码头。
• Enemy troops raided our border areas. 敌军对我边境地区进行袭击。

19 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 county   

n.县，郡

参考例句：

• When the good news reached there,the whole county rejoiced.喜讯传到那里时，全县的人都欢欣鼓舞起来。
• In that year county after county fell to the enemy.那一年一个又一个的县城沦入敌人手中。

21 colonial   

adj.殖民地的，关于殖民的；n.殖民地，居民

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• The people of Africa have successfully fought against colonial rule.非洲人民成功地反抗了殖民统治。

22 withdraw   

vt.收回，撤消，撤退；vi.缩回，退出，撤退

参考例句：

• I want to withdraw a statement I made earlier.我想收回我早些时候发表的一项声明。
• The general decided to withdraw his soldiers.那位将军决定撤军。

23 representation   

n.表现某人（或某事物）的东西，图画，雕塑

参考例句：

• The painting is a representation of a storm at sea.这幅画描绘的是海上的暴风雨。
• All parties won representation in the national assembly.所有政党在国民大会中都赢得了代表资格。

24 Parliament   

n.议会，国会

参考例句：

• She won a seat in Parliament at the election.她在选举中赢得了议会中的席位。
• The drug was banned by an act of parliament.议会的法案明令禁止该药品。

25 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

26 ballots   

n.投票表决( ballot的名词复数 )；选举；选票；投票总数v.（使）投票表决( ballot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• They're counting the ballots. 他们正在计算选票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The news of rigged ballots has rubbed off much of the shine of their election victory. 他们操纵选票的消息使他们在选举中获得的胜利大为减色。 来自《简明英汉词典》