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乔治·华盛顿:不想当总统的总统

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(单词翻译)

 

VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

Today we are talking about George Washington.

He was the first president of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1797.

But he had many other accomplishments2, too.

He owned thousands of hectares of land in his home state of Virginia.

He was a famous general, who led the American colonists3 to freedom from British rule.

And he presided over the convention that created the U.S. Constitution.

For Washington, that was enough. He said he wanted to retire from public service and return home.

But the country’s new electors had other ideas. They wanted him to move to New York and invent the American presidency4.

Washington accepted the job as his duty.

Washington as president

Washington was sworn in as president in 1789. At the time, a truly united states was still just an idea. Americans were unconnected groups. They came from different countries, had different religions, and spoke5 different languages. For example, a quarter of the people in the state of Pennsylvania spoke only German.

Doug Bradburn is the founding director of the Washington Library at Mount Vernon. He says when Washington took office, the country was “fragile.”

“The chances that it would even survive were probably very, very slim.”

Bradburn explains that Washington had to establish social and political unity6. But the Constitution did not say how the president could do that.

So, Bradburn says, George Washington invented the job for all future presidents.

He established a group of advisors7 — called the cabinet—as well as the nation’s official money. He appointed a six-member Supreme8 Court. And he created the Department of Foreign Affairs, now called the State Department.

However, Washington said it was the president’s responsibility to set foreign policy.

Historian Doug Bradburn explains that Washington established the president not just as a figurehead, but as a decision maker9.

But he always used the Constitution as his guide.

“He wasn’t just trying to establish an office and then figure out a way to justify10 it, he was trying to work with his Constitution.”

Washington as a young man

George Washington was born in 1732 in the colony of Virginia. His father died when George was 11 years old. As a boy, he learned reading, writing and math. Then he worked as a land surveyor in western Virginia.

Historian Joseph Ellis points out that Washington did not have a formal education. Instead of going to college, Ellis says, Washington went to war. He fought against the French and Indians as a British Army officer.

That experience informed Washington’s world view. Ellis describes the first president as “a realist.” At the same time, Washington was a “very passionate11 man” with “extremely strong emotions.” He was known to get angry, but he showed his temper to only a few people.

Washington not only acted like a great leader – he looked like one. George Washington stood about 1.9 meters tall. That was a head taller than the average man of his time.

He was very strong, and very graceful12. He was known as one of the best horseback riders and best dancers in Virginia.

But he had a problem: bad teeth.

Unlike his wife, Martha, who was known for her lovely smile, George Washington began losing his teeth in his twenties. When he was sworn in as president, he had only one tooth left.

Washington as a myth

Washington remains13 an important figure in the American imagination. Even today people tell stories about him.

One popular story, that he had wooden teeth, is not true. But he did wear dentures. They were made, in part, from hippopotamus14 ivory.

And he did not chop down a cherry tree as a child and then admit it by saying, “I cannot tell a lie.” In fact, historian Joseph Ellis says George Washington “lied many times.”

But it is true that as Washington became more famous, his reputation grew. People thought of him as a man who always did the right thing.

Joseph Ellis says even Washington understood people would look at his writings and judge him.

“Washington went from being a man to a monument. He was aware of the fact that he had a role to play and that all emerging nations need mythical15 heroes.”

Washington became very protective of his personal thoughts. His wife burned most of their letters.

Yet we know a little bit about George Washington’s thoughts from other writing. One of his regrets, he said, was that he had not done something to end slavery.

Like many plantation16 owners, Washington was a slave holder17. More than 300 enslaved people lived on his property.

By the end of his life, Washington opposed slavery. He left a will ordering his survivors18 to free his slaves after his wife’s death.

Washington’s will became relevant sooner than he might have liked.

Three years after he finished his second term as president, Washington fell ill. He had been outside riding his horse on a cold, wet day. When he came home, he complained of a sore throat.

Over the next two days, his condition became worse. On December 14, 1799, he died in his bed, surrounded by his wife, enslaved maids, and friends. He was 67.

Washington’s legacy19

Historian Joseph Ellis says one of the best things about George Washington was his ability to give up power. At the end of the Revolutionary War, General Washington returned his sword. And at the end of his administration, President Washington simply returned home.

“You could trust Washington with power because he was so conspicuously20 willing to give it up.”

Doug Bradburn says Washington was the right man at the right time. Bradburn, like many historians, calls George Washington the “indispensable man.”

In other words, Washington was essential to the American experiment in self-government. He made ideas about American freedom real, and he showed that even the president would operate under the rule of law.

Words in This Story

accomplishment1 – n. something done or achieved successfully

figurehead – n. a person who is called the head of something but who has no real power

surveyor – n. a person whose job is to measure and examine an area of land

temper – n. the tendency of someone to become angry

graceful – adj. moving in a smooth and attractive way

denture(s) – n. a set of artificial teeth

will – n. a legal document in which a person states who should receive his or her possessions after he or she dies

conspicuously – adv. very easy to see or notice

indispensable – adj. extremely important and necessary


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能
参考例句:
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标,钱是至关重要的。
2 accomplishments 1c15077db46e4d6425b6f78720939d54     
n.造诣;完成( accomplishment的名词复数 );技能;成绩;成就
参考例句:
  • It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
  • Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
3 colonists 4afd0fece453e55f3721623f335e6c6f     
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Colonists from Europe populated many parts of the Americas. 欧洲的殖民者移居到了美洲的许多地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Some of the early colonists were cruel to the native population. 有些早期移居殖民地的人对当地居民很残忍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 presidency J1HzD     
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。
5 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。
6 unity 4kQwT     
n.团结,联合,统一;和睦,协调
参考例句:
  • When we speak of unity,we do not mean unprincipled peace.所谓团结,并非一团和气。
  • We must strengthen our unity in the face of powerful enemies.大敌当前,我们必须加强团结。
7 advisors 9c02a9c1778f1533c47ade215559070d     
n.顾问,劝告者( advisor的名词复数 );(指导大学新生学科问题等的)指导教授
参考例句:
  • The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网
8 supreme PHqzc     
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的
参考例句:
  • It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
  • He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。
9 maker DALxN     
n.制造者,制造商
参考例句:
  • He is a trouble maker,You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼,你不要跟他在一起。
  • A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
10 justify j3DxR     
vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护
参考例句:
  • He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
  • Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗?
11 passionate rLDxd     
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
参考例句:
  • He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
  • He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
12 graceful deHza     
adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的
参考例句:
  • His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
  • The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。
13 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
14 hippopotamus 3dhz1     
n.河马
参考例句:
  • The children enjoyed watching the hippopotamus wallowing in the mud.孩子们真喜观看河马在泥中打滚。
  • A hippopotamus surfs the waves off the coast of Gabon.一头河马在加蓬的海岸附近冲浪。
15 mythical 4FrxJ     
adj.神话的;虚构的;想像的
参考例句:
  • Undeniably,he is a man of mythical status.不可否认,他是一个神话般的人物。
  • Their wealth is merely mythical.他们的财富完全是虚构的。
16 plantation oOWxz     
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。
17 holder wc4xq     
n.持有者,占有者;(台,架等)支持物
参考例句:
  • The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
  • That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。
18 survivors 02ddbdca4c6dba0b46d9d823ed2b4b62     
幸存者,残存者,生还者( survivor的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
  • survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者
19 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。
20 conspicuously 3vczqb     
ad.明显地,惹人注目地
参考例句:
  • France remained a conspicuously uneasy country. 法国依然是个明显不太平的国家。
  • She figured conspicuously in the public debate on the issue. 她在该问题的公开辩论中很引人注目。

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