2007年VOA标准英语-Americans Honor Former President Ford

By Paula Wolfson
White House
01 January 2007

Americans are paying a final tribute to former President Gerald Ford¹, who died last Tuesday at the age of 93. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports his body is lying in state at the U.S. Capitol in advance of funeral services Tuesday in Washington.

 
Members of Gerald Ford's family touch his coffin³ in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda⁴ 
On a normal Monday, the Capitol Rotunda would be filled with noise.

But this was no normal Monday. The only sound was an occasional whisper, and the echo of slow footsteps on the high-polished floor.

One, by one, the American people paid their silent tribute to Gerald Ford. On this day, presidents and first ladies - past and present - entered the room beneath the great white Capitol dome⁵ and paused by the flag-draped coffin. They were part of a seemingly endless march of mourners that ranged from parents with small children to those too old and frail⁶ to stand, who made the pilgrimage in wheelchairs.

 
President Bush (r) and his wife Laura pause at Gerald Ford's coffin 
President Bush and his wife Laura went to the Capitol less than an hour after their return to Washington from their Texas ranch⁷. His parents - former President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush - arrived a short time later.

The dignitaries came and went. But for the most part, the day belonged to the public - to those who stood in line in a chilly⁸ rain outside the Capitol for the chance to honor the 38th President of the United States.

Historians sometimes refer to Gerald Ford as the "accidental president." He considered himself a man of the House of Representatives, and served there for decades before he was chosen as vice² president by President Richard Nixon in 1973 to replace Spiro Agnew, who resigned in the midst of scandal.

The next year, the Watergate debacle prompted President Nixon to step down, and Vice-President Ford assumed the highest office in the land. He was welcomed as someone who could help unify⁹ the country and help it heal after a period of deep divisions. But his decision to pardon Richard Nixon created controversy¹⁰ and may have doomed¹¹ his only attempt to win the presidency¹² in the 1976 election.

 
Hundreds stand in line outside the U.S. Capitol to pay their past respects to former President Gerald Ford
As he waited outside the Capitol with his brother for an opportunity to pay his respects to Gerald Ford, Dan Merriman of Alexandria, Virginia reflected on those days.

"I think his legacy¹³ will be that he held this nation together at one of the most critical points in its history," said Dan Merriman. "There are many other nations where that kind of transition of power would have ended up in revolution, overthrow¹⁴, coup¹⁵ d'etat, and not in this country due in large measure to Gerald Ford's calming influence and steady hand at the leadership of this country at that time."

Nearby, Elizabeth Foley also stood in line in the January rain. She was not even born when Gerald Ford was president, but attended high school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with one of his granddaughters. She said when she thinks of the Ford presidency, she thinks of the Nixon pardon.

"I think it is a mixed feeling because he allowed the country to move past the conflict but at the same time, it could have been a real opportunity for the country to prosecute¹⁶ somebody who obviously made some mistakes in office," said Elizabeth Foley.

Washington's final farewell to Gerald Ford will come in the form of a funeral service Tuesday at the National Cathedral, just a few kilometers from the White House. Mr. Ford will be buried Wednesday on the grounds of the Gerald Ford Museum in his old congressional district in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 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。

3 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

4 rotunda   

n.圆形建筑物；圆厅

参考例句：

• The Capitol at Washington has a large rotunda.华盛顿的国会大厦有一圆形大厅。
• The rotunda was almost deserted today,dotted with just a few tourists.圆形大厅今天几乎没有多少人，只零星散布着几个游客。

5 dome   

n.圆屋顶，拱顶

参考例句：

• The dome was supported by white marble columns.圆顶由白色大理石柱支撑着。
• They formed the dome with the tree's branches.他们用树枝搭成圆屋顶。

6 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

7 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

8 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

9 unify   

vt.使联合，统一；使相同，使一致

参考例句：

• How can we unify such scattered islands into a nation?我们怎么才能把如此分散的岛屿统一成一个国家呢？
• It is difficult to imagine how the North and South could ever agree on a formula to unify the divided peninsula.很难想象南北双方在统一半岛的方案上究竟怎样才能达成一致。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

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。

13 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

14 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

15 coup   

n.政变；突然而成功的行动

参考例句：

• The monarch was ousted by a military coup.那君主被军事政变者废黜了。
• That government was overthrown in a military coup three years ago.那个政府在3年前的军事政变中被推翻。

16 prosecute   

vt.告发；进行；vi.告发，起诉，作检察官

参考例句：

• I am trying my best to prosecute my duties.我正在尽力履行我的职责。
• Is there enough evidence to prosecute?有没有起诉的足够证据？