VOA英语2010年-Home of First US President Hosts Historic Ch

The Mount Vernon Estate in the southern U.S. state of Virginia is one of the most beloved historical landmarks¹ in the United States. Every year, about one million people visit the home of America's first president, George Washington, who led the country from 1789 to 1797.

The house and museum on the grounds are now decorated for Christmas. In addition to enjoying the decorations, visitors can also see a camel and hear stories about what Christmas was like at Mount Vernon in the 18th century.

The museum where visitors begin their tour of Mount Vernon is decorated with Christmas trees, with picture ornaments² of American presidents, including Barack Obama.

However, Christmas trees would not have been found in Mount Vernon during the late 1700s since they only became popular in the US during the next century.

Melissa Wood, spokesperson for Mount Vernon, says President Washington's mansion³ on the plantation⁴ was sparsely⁵ decorated. "There was greenery inside the mansion but that was probably the extent of the decorations," she said.

The holiday was a festive⁶ occasion, and friends and family of President Washington and his wife Martha, would gather at Mount Vernon. "Celebrations would start on Christmas Day, ending on the 12th night, which was really the big celebration, and on that night Martha Washington would make her great cake. We still have this recipe today, and we actually hand it out to visitors during our holiday events," she said.

But Christmas in those days was mostly a religious holiday.  A woman who portrays⁷ Mrs. Washington at Mount Vernon talks about what Christmas was probably like. "We observed the 12 days of Christmas beginning with being well-churched on Christmas Day. We usually fasted and prayed most of Christmas Day. But my little brothers, on the plantation, they loved to shoot in the Christmas. They'd go out at midnight and shoot off the guns to announce the savior's birth," she said.

One Christmas, President Washington brought a camel to Mount Vernon for his guests to enjoy. So this Christmas season, Mount Vernon once again has a camel - from a farm in Virginia.

Another favorite activity on the plantation was making chocolate from cocoa beans. Tim Larner gave a demonstration⁸, saying, "It was not a candy. It was more a drink. So you would have your bars here, and then you would grate them down into powdered chocolate, and make a hot chocolate out of it. It's a very thick, a very stimulating⁹ drink, which is actually why it was not advisable for children back in the 18th century."

Christmas was a happy time at Mount Vernon, with friends and family sharing food and good times - at least one thing about Christmas that is still the same in the United States more than 200 years later.

1 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

2 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

4 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

5 sparsely   

adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地

参考例句：

• Relative to the size, the city is sparsely populated. 与其面积相比，这个城市的人口是稀少的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The ground was sparsely covered with grass. 地面上稀疏地覆盖草丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

7 portrays   

v.画像( portray的第三人称单数 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• The museum collection vividly portrays the heritage of 200 years of canals. 博物馆的藏品让运河200 年的历史再现眼前。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The film portrays Gandhi as a kind of superman. 这部电影把甘地描绘成一个超人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

9 stimulating   

adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的

参考例句：

• shower gel containing plant extracts that have a stimulating effect on the skin 含有对皮肤有益的植物精华的沐浴凝胶
• This is a drug for stimulating nerves. 这是一种兴奋剂。