THIS IS AMERICA - The White House

THIS IS AMERICA - The White House
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, May 03, 2004

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Doug Johnson. This week, go inside the house that presidents have called home for more than two hundred years.

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VOICE ONE:

America's first president supervised¹ the building of the White House. Yet George Washington and his wife, Martha, never had the chance to live there. It was completed after he left office in seventeen-ninety-seven. Since then, America has had forty-two other presidents. All of them have lived at sixteen-hundred Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, in Washington, D.C. This November, Americans will decide who lives in the White House for the next four years. President Bush and his wife, Laura, know their way around the place already.

If John Kerry is elected, he and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, would meet with White House employees after the election². An official would walk the Kerrys through the house. They would move in on Inauguration³ Day next January twentieth.

VOICE TWO:

The White House has more than one-hundred-thirty rooms. It also has collections of more than forty-thousand objects. Presidential families often find things in storage that they like when they move in. Two of the Carter children, for example, found a chair among the unused furniture in the White House. Jimmy Carter served from nineteen-seventy-seven to nineteen-eighty-one. He was the thirty-ninth president. The chair belonged to the sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln. His wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, had bought the chair. The Carters made it part of their home.

Wives of presidents have all added to the White House in some way. Jacqueline Kennedy, for example, created a colorful garden. It is named in her honor⁴.

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VOICE ONE:

George Washington had great hopes for the home he started. Washington entered office in seventeen-eighty-nine. In seventeen-ninety, he signed an act of Congress⁵. It said the federal⁶ government would occupy an area in the District of Columbia near the Potomac River. President Washington and the French city planner Pierre L'Enfant chose the land for the new presidential home.

VOICE TWO:

A competition took place to find a designer. An architect named James Hoban won five-hundred dollars and a piece of land for his design. Hoban was an immigrant⁷ from Ireland. He chose a design similar to Leinster House in Dublin, where the Irish Parliament⁸ now meets. Grayish white sandstone was chosen for the walls of the new home of the president. Work started in seventeen-ninety-two. George Washington lived in Philadelphia during this time but watched over the work.

America's second president, John Adams, and his wife, Abigail, were the first to live in the new home. They moved in on November first, eighteen-hundred. The home was not yet finished. John and Abigail Adams lived in six rooms and used others to entertain guests. But they lived there for only four months.

VOICE ONE:

John Adams lost re-election to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson tried to finish work on the home. So did James Madison, the next president. But, in eighteen-fourteen, British forces invaded⁹ Washington. They burned the White House. Dolley Madison, the president's wife, tried to save valuable objects from the fire. She saved a painting of George Washington. She took it with her as she fled for safety. This famous painting by Gilbert Stuart hangs in the White House to this day. After the fire, James Hoban came back to help rebuild the house he had designed. During this time, it was painted white.

Over the years the White House has been enlarged¹⁰ and almost totally rebuilt. In nineteen-sixty-one, Congress decided¹¹ that furniture of historic¹² and artistic¹³ value would always be White House property. In effect, Congress made the White House a museum.

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VOICE TWO:

As visitors enter the White House, they see pictures of past presidents on the walls. Among them is Franklin Roosevelt, the thirty-second president. Roosevelt led the nation through the end of the great economic depression and World War Two. He was elected four times, more than any other president. He died in office. Today, the Constitution limits president to two terms.

In another hall on the first floor are paintings of first ladies. In one painting, Nancy Reagan wears a beautiful red dress. She looks like the Hollywood movie actress she once was. Her husband, Ronald Reagan, also was an actor. Later he became the governor¹⁴ of California and, later still, the fortieth president of the United States. Another room off this hallway contains a collection of fine dishes made of china. Each president has added to this collection.

VOICE ONE:

 
White House Blue Room
Wide marble steps lead to the next floor. It is called the State Floor. Presidents use rooms here for official duties and to entertain guests. The largest room on the State Floor is the East Room. News conferences and music performances take place here. But this room has had other uses over the years. The daughter of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president, rode her tricycle in the East Room. Abigail Adams hung her family's clothes to dry from the wash.

Other rooms on the State Floor are named for their colors: the Blue Room, the Green Room and the Red Room. The president meets with diplomats¹⁵ and other guests in these rooms.

VOICE TWO:

 
White House State Dining Room
Nearby is the State Dining Room. This is where official state dinners take place. Important visitors sit with the president or first lady, or at tables with the secretary of state or other officials.

Another room is the Treaty¹⁶ Room on the second floor. This is used for meetings. Important documents have been signed there. At different times, this was the cabinet¹⁷ room or the president's office.

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VOICE ONE:

The third floor of the White House contains bedrooms for guests. One of these is called the Lincoln Bedroom. Abraham Lincoln led the country through the Civil War in the eighteen-sixties. He freed the slaves in the South.

No story about a famous house would be complete without a ghost story. Lincoln was killed soon after the fighting ended. A supporter of the defeated South shot him at Ford's Theater in Washington. But some say the ghost of Lincoln walks around the White House at night.

VOICE TWO:

The White House has an East Wing and a West Wing. In the West Wing is the Oval¹⁸ Office. This is the large rounded office where the president works¹⁹. Rooms in the East Wing offer private living space for the president and his family. The home of the vice²⁰ president is on the grounds of the Naval²¹ Observatory²² in Washington.

President Carter's wife Rosalynn described the family area in the White House as surprisingly small. Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Bill Clinton, the forty-second president, had a favorite room in this area. It was the sunroom.

VOICE ONE:

One day, during World War Two, a local woman stopped at the White House. She asked to meet Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. An aide to Missus Roosevelt was going to tell the visitor that the first lady was busy. But the young woman said her husband was fighting overseas.

Eleanor Roosevelt heard this and invited her to come in. She served tea and told her visitor that she, too, had loved ones fighting overseas.

It seems hard to imagine such a visit today. In fact, the White House was closed to visitors after the terrorist²³ attacks on the United States on September eleventh, two-thousand-one. Now, groups can take tours of the White House. But they must organize them through a member of Congress.

The White House also offers an online tour at its Web site. The address is whitehouse.gov. Again, that address is whitehouse.gov.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver²⁴. I'm Doug Johnson.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Faith Lapidus.. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English.

1 supervised   

v.监督，管理( supervise的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The architect supervised the building of the house. 建筑工程师监督房子的施工。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He supervised and trained more than 400 volunteers. 他指导和培训了400多名志愿者。 来自辞典例句

2 election   

n.选举，选择权；当选

参考例句：

• There is no doubt but that he will win the election.毫无疑问，他将在竞选中获胜。
• The government will probably fall at the coming election.在即将到来的大选中，该政府很可能要垮台。

3 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

4 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

5 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。

6 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

7 immigrant   

adj.(从国外)移来的，移民的；n.移民，侨民

参考例句：

• Life in the USA was very hard for almost every new immigrant.美国的生活几乎对每一个新移民都很艰难。
• I'd like to obtain some information about applying for an immigrant visa.我想取一些申请移民签证的资料。

8 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。

9 invaded   

v.侵入，侵略( invade的过去式和过去分词 )；涌入；侵袭；侵犯

参考例句：

• Troops invaded on August 9th that year. 军队是在那年的8月9日入侵的。
• The diseased tissue can be easily invaded by these microorganisms. 有病的组织容易被微生物侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 enlarged   

扩大( enlarge的过去式和过去分词 )； 扩展； 扩充； 放大

参考例句：

• The balloon enlarged as we pumped air into it. 那个气球充气后就变大了。
• The castle was enlarged considerably in the fifteenth century. 这个城堡在15 世纪得到了相当大的扩展。

11 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。

12 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

13 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

14 governor   

n.统治者，地方长官(如省长，州长，总督等)

参考例句：

• The governor was an expert at fencing with reporters.这位州长是搪塞新闻记者的能手。
• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。

15 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 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。

17 cabinet   

n.内阁，内阁会议；(带玻璃门存物品的)橱柜

参考例句：

• I keep my collection of old china in the cabinet.我把古瓷器收藏品存放在橱子里。
• He had held many important offices in the French cabinet.他在法国内阁中任过许多重要职务。

18 oval   

n. 椭圆，椭圆形跑道；adj. 卵形的，椭圆形的

参考例句：

• She has a lovely oval face.她长着一张可爱的椭圆脸。
• The shape of the earth is an oval.地球的形状是个椭圆形。

19 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

20 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

21 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

22 observatory   

n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台

参考例句：

• Guy's house was close to the observatory.盖伊的房子离天文台很近。
• Officials from Greenwich Observatory have the clock checked twice a day.格林威治天文台的职员们每天对大钟检查两次。

23 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

24 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。