VOA慢速英语--First Lady's Personal Touches for the White House

 

Attendees of the White House’s second state dinner of the Trump¹ presidency² on Friday will see some new personal touches from the first lady, Melania Trump.

There are new wall coverings in the Red Room, new window treatments in the Green Room and restored furniture in the Blue Room. Those are just some of the home improvement projects the first lady has overseen³ to keep the public areas of the White House looking their best.

Stewart McLaurin is president of the White House Historical Association. He said sunlight had left the wall in the Red Room “so faded it was almost pink.”

He added, “Those rooms should always look their very best and it was just very faded and really, really needed to be done.”

First Ladies meet often with experienced White House workers to decide what improvements should be at the top of the to-do list.

As first lady, Melania Trump has centered on her interest in history as she oversees⁴ improvement projects. At a recent event, she said, “Our family is grateful to live in this true symbol of our nation’s history, but we are even more honored to play a part in restoring and enhancing our country’s sacred landmark⁵.”

McLaurin said the first lady designed a new floor covering for the Diplomatic Reception Room. The new rug includes the state flowers of all 50 American states.

Last year, the first lady returned an historic set of furniture known as the Bellangé suite⁶ to the Blue Room. President James Monroe brought it to the White House in 1817.

But in 1860, nearly all of the pieces were sold. The White House has brought back 10 of the original pieces. The rest were “lost to history,” McLaurin said.

The White House serves several purposes. It is an office for the president and his staff, a home for his family and a museum for the public.

About 500,000 people visit the White House every year. Heads of states and important people attend receptions and other events held there. This Friday, the Trumps⁷ will hold a state dinner for Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his wife.

“The White House does get a lot of wear and tear,” McLaurin said. And making changes to the White House is more complex than doing so in other homes.

Ideas for improvement projects need to be shared with the Committee for the Preservation⁸ of the White House. It provides advice on how to keep the public rooms of the White House in good condition. The committee then asks for money from the historical association. The association spends about $1 million to $1.5 million on such projects each year.

I'm Ashley Thompson.

Words in This Story

fade - v. to become less bright, to lose color

grateful - adj. feeling or showing thanks

symbol - n. an object that represents a particular idea

enhance - v. to increase or improve

sacred - adj. highly valued and important

original - adj. happening first or at the beginning

reception - n. a gathering⁹ to celebrate something or to welcome someone

wear and tear - phrase. damage that happens as a result of normal use or aging

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 presidency   

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。

3 overseen   

v.监督，监视( oversee的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was overseen stealing the letters. 他被人撞见在偷信件。 来自辞典例句
• It will be overseen by ThomasLi, director of IBM China Research Laboratory. 该实验室由IBM中国研究院院长李实恭(ThomasLi)引导。 来自互联网

4 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

5 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。

6 suite   

n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员

参考例句：

• She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
• That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。

7 trumps   

abbr.trumpets 喇叭；小号；喇叭形状的东西；喇叭筒v.（牌戏）出王牌赢（一牌或一墩）( trump的过去式 )；吹号公告，吹号庆祝；吹喇叭；捏造

参考例句：

• On the day of the match the team turned up trumps. 比赛那天该队出乎意料地获得胜利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Every time John is late getting home he trumps up some new excuse. 每次约翰晚回家都会编造个新借口。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。

9 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。