2007年VOA标准英语-Former US First Lady Buried in Texas

By Greg Flakus
Austin, Texas
16 July 2007

Rev1. Richard Elwood, blesses the grave at the burial for Lady Bird Johnson at the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Historical Park in Stonewall, Texas, 15 July 2007" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070719/0817060.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Rev. Richard Elwood, blesses the grave at the burial for Lady Bird Johnson at the Lyndon Baines Johnson National Historical Park in Stonewall, Texas, 15 July 2007

Former First Lady Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson was laid to rest, Sunday, on the Johnson family ranch² in the Texas hill country west of the state capital.  As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Austin, on the reaction of the thousands of people who were paying their last respects.

To the accompaniment of the old spiritual "Amazing Grace," family and friends of the former first lady gathered beneath a canopy³ of oak and pecan trees, near the banks of the Pedernales River, for one last goodbye.

Lady Bird Johnson, who died of natural causes, Wednesday, at the age of 94, was buried next to her husband, President Lyndon Johnson, who died in 1973.  The graves are located on the Johnson family ranch.

Speaking on behalf of the family, before the casket was lowered into its grave, Johnson's only grandson, Lyndon Nugent, spoke⁴ about what she had done for the world and her family.

"You taught us that was important to stand by your convictions, to support your friends, to love your neighbors. You taught us that it was important to do our part to leave the world a better place than we found it and you taught us in the best way possible, you led by example," Nugent said.

Thousands of people lined the roadways leading from Austin to the burial site, some with flags and flowers. Later in the day, many people gathered at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center or in the parks along Town Lake, an area that had been preserved for citizens -- largely through the efforts of Mrs. Johnson.

Lady Bird Johnson (2002 photo)

She and the former president had come back to Texas when he left office in January, 1969. Lady Bird Johnson began her crusade for the environment by promoting the 1965 Highway Beautification Act.  She devoted⁵ herself to other environmental causes after she left the White House.

Former New Yorker Ernest Mendez credits her for making Austin a particularly attractive city for nature lovers.

"I came out here in 1978 and I fell in love with the park and I know that she had a lot to do with this. That is what is keeping me here. I am glad that she had the foresight⁶ to try to preserve, you know, the environment," Mendez said.

Others enjoying the park on Sunday also had fond memories of the first lady. Teri Hardy⁷ of Magnolia, Texas, says she and her family were personally moved by the passing of a woman they regarded as a Texas legend.

"I found it very emotional when it happened.  It was a real loss.  She be truly missed," Hardy said.

Gena Lockwood, of Houston, also hailed the contributions Lady Bird Johnson had made to protecting the Texas environment and the state's abundant wildflowers.

Lady Bird Johnson and former President Lyndon Johnson at their Texas ranch in 1972

"I feel she was ahead of her time, knowing that there has to be some beautification on the highways. She lived a long life and she is loved by so many people and she is a flower and a gem⁸ in the political system because of what she did.  She is her own flower," Lockwood said.

In 1912, Lady Bird Johnson was born Claudia Alta Taylor, in east Texas.  She gained her nickname, Lady Bird, from a family nurse who said the child was "pretty as a lady bird." She became first lady on November 22, 1963, when an assassin murdered President John Kennedy in Dallas.  Her husband, who was vice⁹ president at the time, was sworn in as president. Lady Bird Johnson was credited by many for helping¹⁰ the mourning nation to recover.  She is also remembered for her role in promoting her husband's civil rights programs and for advocating programs to help children from poor families receive an education.

1 rev   

v.发动机旋转，加快速度

参考例句：

• It's his job to rev up the audience before the show starts.他要负责在表演开始前鼓动观众的热情。
• Don't rev the engine so hard.别让发动机转得太快。

2 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。

3 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

4 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。

5 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• 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。

6 foresight   

n.先见之明，深谋远虑

参考例句：

• The failure is the result of our lack of foresight.这次失败是由于我们缺乏远虑而造成的。
• It required a statesman's foresight and sagacity to make the decision.作出这个决定需要政治家的远见卓识。

7 hardy   

adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的

参考例句：

• The kind of plant is a hardy annual.这种植物是耐寒的一年生植物。
• He is a hardy person.他是一个能吃苦耐劳的人。

8 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

9 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。

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。