万花筒 2009-01-29&01-31 出售白宫

The White House, it's a place presidential candidates dream of calling 'home'.

 "Thanks for having us."

 Fred Milani is no politician, but he does have a penchant¹ for presidential politics. In Atlanta, back in 2002, this Iranian-born real estate developer was in the market to build, and his wife had one request.

 "All she wants the house with the column, five minutes later, we decided² to build the White House."

Milani's Georgia home encompasses³ 16,500 square feet, exactly one third of its Washington counterpart. Here, he too has a West Wing with his very own Oval Office.

 "Why would you want an Oval Office in your home?"

 "If you build the White House, you want to have an Oval Office."

 Complete with the presidential seal on the ceiling.

 "So this is...?"

 "Lincoln bedroom."

 In this room, the Bill of Rights and the Emancipation⁴ Proclamation hang on the wall.

 "A lot of people come here. They want to stay in this room."

 "Why's that?"

 "I guess Bill Clinton was charging 50,000 dollars a night."

 "How about you?"

 "It's free."

 But it's Milani's landscaping that doesn't exactly get his neighbours' vote.

 "I think it's gaudy⁵ and it's disrespectful to the White House. And I have to look at it every day."

 Nevertheless, Milani, like thousands of Americans, has fallen victim to the housing market crash. Twice, he says, he's avoided foreclosure.

 "The economy's doing bad. Really, everybody in the construction, they suffer it. And I'm one of them."

 As a result, this White House is for sale. The presidential price tag? 9.8 million dollars.

 "So what's next, the Taj Mahal(1)?"

 "No, I just wanted to build maybe Congress. Always, I am in this building business."

 Mr. Milani's home has been on the market for a month and a half. So far, no buyers. But he says a few are interested from California and as far away as Dubai. And for all the former presidential candidates out there, it may not be 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue(2), but it's pretty close.

 Brooke Baldwin, CNN, the 'White House', in Atlanta.

 Notes:

(1)Taj Mahal: The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. (From Wikipedia)

(2)1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: The White House, the United States presidential residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC. (From Wikipedia)

 

1 penchant   

n.爱好，嗜好；（强烈的）倾向

参考例句：

• She has a penchant for Indian food.她爱吃印度食物。
• He had a penchant for playing jokes on people.他喜欢拿人开玩笑。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 encompasses   

v.围绕( encompass的第三人称单数 )；包围；包含；包括

参考例句：

• The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities. 这项工作涉及的职责范围很广。
• Its conservation law encompasses both its magnitude and its direction. 它的守恒定律包括大小和方向两方面。 来自辞典例句

4 emancipation   

n.（从束缚、支配下）解放

参考例句：

• We must arouse them to fight for their own emancipation. 我们必须唤起他们为其自身的解放而斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They rejoiced over their own emancipation. 他们为自己的解放感到欢欣鼓舞。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 gaudy   

adj.华而不实的；俗丽的

参考例句：

• She was tricked out in gaudy dress.她穿得华丽而俗气。
• The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him.浮华的蝴蝶却相信花是应该向它道谢的。