Who Was Ronald Reagan 罗纳德·威尔逊·里根 Chapter 7 The Farewell Letter

When President Reagan left office in January 1989, no one could be sure if his policies had succeeded. But before the year was out, the Berlin Wall came down. A three-ton section of the wall was sent to Reagan as a gift. It stands today at his presidential library in California.

Mikhail Gorbachev’s effort to change Soviet¹ Communism did not succeed. By the end of 1991, the Soviet Union had broken apart. It was no longer one nation. Ronald Reagan had done his part to help bring the Cold War to a peaceful end. He was firm when he needed to be and flexible when there was hope for change.

The Reagans returned to their home in California. They spent as much time as possible at their ranch² north of Los Angeles. In 1994 Ronald Reagan learned that he had Alzheimer’s disease. He was eighty-three at the time. His mother Nelle had died of the same disease, so Reagan knew what was in store for him. Little by little, his memory would fail. In time, he wouldn’t even recognize his own children. Even Nancy would become a stranger. He would forget that he had been president.

When he got the bad news, Reagan wrote a farewell letter to the American people. He hoped that by telling people about his disease, he would inspire them to learn about Alzheimer’s and work to find a cure. He thanked the country for letting him serve as president. “When the Lord calls me home, whenever that may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours, and eternal³ optimism⁴ for its future.”

Ronald Reagan lived another ten years, cared for by Nancy. Terrible as his illness was, it helped bring his family together.

When he died in June 2004, Reagan was given a state funeral in Washington, D.C. His casket was carried to the Capitol building on a horse-drawn caisson—a kind of wagon⁵ once used to carry the bodies of soldiers who died in battle. A riderless horse walked nearby, with Reagan’s riding boots turned backward in the stirrups. Since the days of ancient Rome, the riderless horse has been a symbol of a departed hero.

A military honor guard carried Reagan’s casket up the steps of the Capitol building. People of all ages stood in the hot sun for hours, waiting to pay their respects. In thirty-four hours, more than one hundred thousand people passed by. World leaders came to say farewell. At the end of the viewing, Nancy approached the casket and gently touched the American flag that covered it.

Afterward⁶, Nancy returned with her husband’s body to California. Crowds lined the highways leading to the Reagan library, where he was to be buried. Some people saluted⁷. Others waved tearful good-byes.

Ronald Reagan had lived to be ninety-three, longer than any other president.

1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

3 eternal   

adj.永久的，无休止的，永恒的，永不改变的

参考例句：

• Stop this eternal chatter!不要唠叨个不停！
• Rome has been called the Eternal City.罗马一向被称为不朽之城。

4 optimism   

n.乐观，乐观主义

参考例句：

• Don't pour cold water on their optimism.别给他们的乐观态度泼冷水。
• Optimism made him alive through the hard days.乐观主义使他在艰难的岁月里活了下来。

5 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

6 afterward   

adv.后来；以后

参考例句：

• Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
• Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。

7 saluted   

v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂

参考例句：

• The sergeant stood to attention and saluted. 中士立正敬礼。
• He saluted his friends with a wave of the hand. 他挥手向他的朋友致意。 来自《简明英汉词典》