2006年VOA标准英语-US State of Union Address Has Long History

By Jim Malone
Washington
25 January 2006
 

President Bush delivers the 2005 State of the Union address  
  
President Bush's annual State of the Union address to Congress and the American people Tuesday is the latest installment¹ of a Washington ritual that dates back to the time of the first U.S. president, George Washington. 

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"Mr. Speaker, the president of the United States!"

With that familiar introduction in the U.S. House chamber², an American president prepares to deliver the annual State of the Union address to a joint³ session of Congress.

President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address in 1790.  But for more than 100 years beginning in 1801, presidents sent a written version of their address to Congress that was read out loud by a clerk.  It was President Woodrow Wilson who re-established the practice of delivering a State of the Union speech in person, in 1913.

In 1923, Calvin Coolidge became the first president to have his State of the Union address broadcast on radio.

For many years, the address was simply referred to as the President's Annual Message to Congress.  It was President Franklin Roosevelt, in 1935, who began the practice of referring to the speech as the State of the Union Address. 

President Harry⁴ Truman delivered the first State of the Union address on television in 1947.

The requirement for the annual address stems from the U.S. Constitution.  It mandates⁵ that the president "shall from time to time give to Congress information on the State of the Union."

In the modern era, State of the Union speeches have become an opportunity for the president to lay out a lengthy⁶ series of specific policy proposals on a wide range of issues.

"The State of the Union address has become the way in which the president sets the agenda for Congress and speaks to the American people about his accomplishments⁷ and hopes for the future," said Stephen Wayne, an expert on U.S. politics at Georgetown University in Washington.  "It is part of our political tradition.  There is a lot of ceremony attached to it.  And that usually works to the benefit of the president."

Historically, presidents have also used the State of the Union Address to inspire lawmakers and ordinary citizens alike to attain⁸ loftier goals.

The State of the Union also provides the president with an opportunity to build support for his policy proposals among both houses of Congress and the general public.

"The State of the Union is one of those events that have symbolic⁹ importance for the country," said Thomas Mann, a political analyst¹⁰ at the Brookings Institution in Washington.  "It is an occasion of pomp and tradition.  It involves a nationally televised audience.  It is an opportunity for the president to try to shape the policy-making agenda, to influence public opinion."

Richard Nixon  
  
The process of writing and rewriting a State of the Union speech can take months.  Ray Price recalled his experience as a speechwriter for President Richard Nixon.

"We would normally go back and forth¹¹ through about seven or eight drafts.  I would edit him, he would edit me, I would edit him, he would edit me as he was thinking the thing through," he said.

 
Ronald Reagan
  
Ronald Reagan took the State of the Union Address to new heights during his presidency¹² in the 1980s.  He began the practice of introducing well-known figures as well as private citizens notable for some achievement, who were sitting in the House Gallery.  These guests are usually interwoven into the president's speech.  The practice has proved to be popular and has been repeated by all the presidents who followed Mr. Reagan in office.

1 installment   

n.(instalment)分期付款；(连载的)一期

参考例句：

• I shall soon pay the last installment of my debt.不久我将偿付我的最后一期债款。
• He likes to buy things on the installment plan.他喜欢用分期付款法购买货物。

2 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

5 mandates   

托管（mandate的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Individual mandates would require all people to purchase health insurance. 个人托管要求所有人都要购买健康保险。
• While I agree with those benefits, I'm not a supporter of mandates. 我同意上述好处，我不是授权软件的支持者。

6 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

7 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 attain   

vt.达到，获得，完成

参考例句：

• I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
• His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。

9 symbolic   

adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的

参考例句：

• It is symbolic of the fighting spirit of modern womanhood.它象征着现代妇女的战斗精神。
• The Christian ceremony of baptism is a symbolic act.基督教的洗礼仪式是一种象征性的做法。

10 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

11 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

12 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。