2007年VOA标准英语-Bush Honors First US President

By Paula Wolfson
White House
19 February 2007
 
watch Bush President's Day

President Bush is urging Americans to find inspiration in the life of George Washington, the nation's first president. VOA White House Correspondent Paula Wolfson reports, Mr. Bush says President Washington's belief in the power of freedom is as important now as it was centuries ago.

President Bush is pictured with Gen. George Washington, played by actor Dean Malissa, 19 Feb. 2007

On a frigid¹ February morning, the 43rd president of the United States paid tribute to the first.

"We find the best of America in his spirit, and our highest hopes for ourselves in his character," the president said.

Standing² on the grounds of George Washington's beloved home, Mt. Vernon, President Bush spoke³ of the man known as "the father of his country."

"His honesty and courage have become the stuff of legend. Children are taught to revere⁴ his name, and leaders to look to him for strength in uncertain times," he said.

The occasion was President's Day - a day set aside in the United States to honor two men who led the nation in trying times: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

This year also marks President Washington's 275th birthday. George Washington was a central figure in America's fight for independence from Britain, first as a soldier and then as a statesman. President Bush said, throughout his life, George Washington was a firm believer in the universality of freedom.

"Today, we are fighting a new war to defend our liberty and our people and our way of life," Mr. Bush said. "And as we work to advance the cause of freedom around the world, we remember that the father of our country believed that the freedoms we secured in our revolution were not meant for Americans alone."

Mt. Vernon sits along the Potomac River across from the capital city that bears George Washington's name. He is buried on the grounds of the farm, which has been restored, and now hosts about a million visitors a year.

1 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 revere   

vt.尊崇，崇敬，敬畏

参考例句：

• Students revere the old professors.学生们十分尊敬那些老教授。
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven.中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。