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VOA标准英语2012--University Plans To Demolish Ronald Reagan’s Chicago Apartment

时间:2012-12-31 11:20:02

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University Plans To Demolish1 Ronald Reagan’s Chicago Apartment

Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan spent much of his life in California, but residents in the Midwestern state of Illinois note proudly that he was born and raised there. He spent a brief period of his childhood in Hyde Park, on the South Side of Chicago, which is also President Barack Obama’s old neighborhood. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, a debate is under way about the historic importance of Reagan’s old home, which faces the wrecking2 ball to make way for an expansion of the University of Chicago’s medical campus.

It is a non-descript building in a south Chicago neighborhood. But for some local residents, 832 East 57th Street, in Hyde Park, is anything but ordinary.

Ronald Reagan lived here before he was president.

“President Reagan fondly recalled living there. He spoke3 about the gaslit streets and borrowing (toy) soldiers from his neighbor. So he had these fond memories of being there,” said Susan Davis, who lives in Hyde Park. She wrote a book on the neighborhood's historic structures and says most people don't know that Reagan lived here in 1915. 

“It actually wasn’t discovered that he did live here until the ‘80s,” she said.

Which is partly why the home was ignored. That is until the University of Chicago purchased the property with plans to tear it down to make way for an expanding medical campus.

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks5 refused to grant the building landmark4 status, clearing the way for its demolition6. Those with ties to the 40th president oppose the decision.

“This is an opportunity to have this home as another tourist destination for them, reflecting the history of the only president born in the state of Illinois,” said Ann Lewis, who is on the board of directors of the Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home and Museum in Dixon, Illinois, about 160 kilometers west of Chicago. Reagan spent most of his formative years there.

"He would be honored to have something in Chicago that reflected his name and part of his legacy7 in the state of Illinois,” Lewis said.

“If I was a Reagan person, I would probably be very upset,” said Daniel Weinberg, a presidential historian and owner of Chicago’s Abraham Lincoln Book Shop. The store honors the civil war president, who also lived in Illinois. Weinberg is not convinced Reagan’s Chicago home is worth saving.

“One can’t save everything, and he was very young and was only here for a couple of years. I understand that it's important, but what about every single place that he or any president lived?," Weinberg said.

The University of Chicago declined VOA's request for an interview. But Hyde Park Alderwoman Leslie Hairston says the school is communicating with her office and the community about a way to move forward with the demolition, while honoring President Reagan’s legacy in the area.

“We have had meetings with the community, and they found a way to respectfully commemorate8 President Reagan’s time there. They are going to put a plaque9 there,” Hairston said.

But Hairston says another president may eventually overshadow Ronald Reagan in Hyde Park. Barack Obama lived here before his inauguration10 in 2009 and could choose the neighborhood as the future home of his presidential library.  


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1 demolish 1m7ze     
v.拆毁(建筑物等),推翻(计划、制度等)
参考例句:
  • They're going to demolish that old building.他们将拆毁那座旧建筑物。
  • He was helping to demolish an underground garage when part of the roof collapsed.他当时正在帮忙拆除一个地下汽车库,屋顶的一部份突然倒塌。
2 wrecking 569d12118e0563e68cd62a97c094afbd     
破坏
参考例句:
  • He teed off on his son for wrecking the car. 他严厉训斥他儿子毁坏了汽车。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Instead of wrecking the valley, the waters are put to use making electricity. 现在河水不但不在流域内肆疟,反而被人们用来生产电力。 来自辞典例句
3 spoke XryyC     
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 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
5 landmarks 746a744ae0fc201cc2f97ab777d21b8c     
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
6 demolition omezd     
n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹
参考例句:
  • The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
  • The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。
7 legacy 59YzD     
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。
8 commemorate xbEyN     
vt.纪念,庆祝
参考例句:
  • This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
  • We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。
9 plaque v25zB     
n.饰板,匾,(医)血小板
参考例句:
  • There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
  • Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。
10 inauguration 3cQzR     
n.开幕、就职典礼
参考例句:
  • The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
  • Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

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