历届美国总统简介：乔治·华盛顿

乔治·华盛顿（George Washington，1732年2月22日—1799年12月14日）[1-2]  ，美国杰出的资产阶级政治家、军事家、革命家，美国开国元勋、首任总统。

1775年至1783年美国独立战争时任大陆军（Continental Army）的总司令，1787年主持了制宪会议。会议制定了现在实施的美国宪法。1789年，他经过全体选举团无异议的支持而成为美国第一任总统（其同时也成为全世界第一位以“总统”为称号的国家元首，首任总统），在接连两次选举中都获得了全体选举团无异议支持，一直担任总统直到1797年。他在两届的任期中设立了许多持续到今天的政策和传统。在两届任期结束后，他自愿放弃权力不再谋求续任。

华盛顿由于扮演了美国独立战争和建国中最重要的角色，故被尊称为“美国国父”，又称“合众国之父”。学者们则将他和亚伯拉罕·林肯、富兰克林·罗斯福、伍德罗·威尔逊并列为美国历史上最伟大的总统。乔治·华盛顿被美国的权威期刊《大西洋月刊》评为影响美国的100位人物第2名。

George Washington was the first President of the USA and is consistently voted as one its top five leaders. He was born in 1732 in Virginia. His family were well off and owned a plantation¹. Growing up, he learned the morals, manners, and knowledge necessary for an 18th-century Virginia gentleman. He was greatly interested in two things while he grew up: military arts and western expansion.

 

In 1754, at the age of 22, he became a lieutenant² colonel in the Army. He fought in the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indian War. The following year he escaped injury in battle although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him. His military experience taught him valuable lessons in leadership he would use later in his political life.

 

From 1759 to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Washington managed his lands. He married Martha Dandridge Custis and devoted³ himself to farming life. However, he felt exploited by British merchants and British regulations. In 1775, he took command of his ill-trained troops and embarked⁴ upon a war that was to last six grueling years. He forced the surrender of the British at Yorktown in 1781.

 

Washington entered politics and became a prime mover in the steps leading to creating the Constitution in 1787. After the new Constitution was ratified⁵, the Electoral College unanimously elected him as the USA’s first President. Washington avoided further wars and promoted the importance of federal power. He died in 1799 and was hailed as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".

 

1 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。

2 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

3 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。

4 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

5 ratified   

v.批准，签认（合约等）( ratify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The treaty was declared invalid because it had not been ratified. 条约没有得到批准，因此被宣布无效。
• The treaty was ratified by all the member states. 这个条约得到了所有成员国的批准。