THIS IS AMERICA - Visiting the Capitol

By Jill Moss¹
THIS IS AMERICA
–
April 15, 2002: Visiting the Capitol

VOICE ONE:

Historians² have described the United States Capitol building as “the most recognized sign of democratic
government in the world.
”
By taking a walk though this historic³ building, visitors can understand why. I’
m
Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. The United States Capitol building in Washington, D-C is our
report today on the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:

American lawmakers have held their meetings in the United States Capitol building since
Eighteen-Hundred. The two houses of Congress gather in this building to write and pass laws for the nation.
American presidents are sworn into office on the steps of the Capitol. And they give their yearly “State of the
Union”
speech in the Capitol.

For more than two-hundred years, the Capitol has grown as the country has grown. New parts of the building
have been added to provide space for lawmakers representing new states in the Union.

Several million people from around the world visit the Capitol each year. The
building is open to the public every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New
Year’s Day. Recently, however, the building was closed to the public two separate

times because of security concerns. The closures were linked to the September
eleventh terrorist⁴ attacks and the anthrax crisis⁵.

VOICE TWO:

Since the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon near Washington, officials have taken great steps to
increase security around the Capitol. Many roads around the building have been closed to traffic. In addition,
visitors are now required to walk through special devices before entering the building. The devices detect metal
weapons.

Guided visits of the Capitol are free. However, visitors must have tickets to enter the building. Tours are offered
Monday through Friday. Groups of twenty-five people are led through the building every thirty minutes. To get a
ticket, visitors must wait in line several hours before the first tour begins.

The Capitol is a popular and interesting place for visitors to Washington. For example, Mike and Joan Rolles
(RAWL-ess) from Hershey, Pennsylvania, visited the Capitol last month. They described the building as a
national treasure. They said they were happy to see the increased security measures because of the importance of
the building. They said they believe additional security steps should be taken at other important federal buildings
in the Washington area.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

After visitors have passed through the security area, they are welcomed into the Capitol building through the
historic Columbus Doors. These doors are made of bronze metal. They are about five meters tall and weigh about
nine-thousand kilograms.


American artist Randolph Rogers designed the doors. They were placed at the main entrance of the Capitol in
Eighteen-Seventy-One. They are considered a lasting⁶ memorial to Christopher Columbus who arrived in America
in Fourteen-Ninety-Two. Mister Rogers designed eight squares on the doors representing events in the life of
Columbus.

Visitors then walk straight into the heart of the Capitol building
–
the Rotunda⁷. This is a large, round room that
connects the north and south parts of the building where the Senate and the House of Representatives meet.
Visitors can always tell if the House or Senate is meeting if a flag flies over the north or south part of the Capitol.

VOICE TWO:

The Rotunda is the ceremonial center of the Capitol. State funerals have been held there for presidents, members
of Congress, military heroes and important citizens. This honor is called “Lying in State.
”
Nine presidents
have lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda. They include Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy. Only one
foreigner has received this honor
–
Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant. He planned the city of Washington, D-C.

The Capitol building is filled with beautiful, historic works of art. One of the greatest pieces was painted fifty-
four meters above the Rotunda on the top of the rounded ceiling. An Italian-American artist named Constantino
Brumidi completed the ceiling painting in Eighteen-Sixty-Five.

The painting is called “The Apotheosis⁸ of Washington”
in honor of America’s first president. It shows
George Washington rising to heaven. He is surrounded by historical people representing freedom, victory,
knowledge and technological⁹ progress. The painting covers an area of about four-hundred-thirty square meters.
Visitors are permitted to take pictures of the painting. However, because of its size, the whole painting usually

does not fit into one picture.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

From the Rotunda, visitors walk into Statuary Hall. This room was once the meeting place for the House of
Representatives. However, it became Statuary Hall in Eighteen-Sixty-Four after the number of lawmakers grew
too large to continue meeting there. Another name for Statuary Hall is the “Whisper Chamber¹⁰.
”
This is

because when a visitor stands at one end of the room, he or she can hear what people at the other end are saying.
The shape of the room with its high ceiling creates this unusual movement of sound waves.

Many years ago, Congress invited each state in the United States to send two statues of its most famous citizens
to the Capitol. Today, these statues are shown in Statuary Hall and throughout the building. North Dakota, New
Mexico and Nevada are the only states that have sent just one statue. Most of the statues are made of marble
stone or bronze metal.

VOICE TWO:

From Statuary Hall, visitors walk to the Capitol crypt directly below the Rotunda. Capitol designers built the
crypt to be a memorial over the burial place of President Washington. It was to be seen through an opening in the
Rotunda floor.

However, when President Washington died, he was buried instead at his farm in Mount¹¹ Vernon, Virginia. The
Capitol crypt was left unused.There are forty sandstone structures, or columns, surrounding the crypt. These
columns also support the floor of the Rotunda. There is a star in the center of the crypt floor that marks the point
from which all streets in Washington are laid out and numbered. Visitors like to stand on the star because it is
considered the very center of the nation’s capitol.

VOICE ONE:

From the center of the crypt to the very top of the Capitol building requires a big jump. However, the Statue of
Freedom has made the top of the Capitol her home since Eighteen-Sixty-Three. The statue is made of bronze
metal. It was designed by artist Thomas Crawford. Freedom weighs almost seven-thousand kilograms. The statue
stands almost six meters high. She is the tallest statue in the District of Columbia. No statue is permitted to be
taller. The statue faces the east overlooking¹² the city of Washington. Historians say this position was chosen so
that the sun would never set on the face of Freedom.


(( MUSIC BRIDGE )
)
VOICE TWO:
The United States Capitol was first built on wetlands. In Eighteen-Seventy-Four, a Senate committee asked

garden expert Frederick Law Olmsted to design the grounds around the Capitol. Mister Olmsted was a leader in
the development of public parks in America. He came to Washington from New York City, where he had
designed the famous Central Park.

Today, more then one-hundred different kinds of trees grow on the Capitol grounds. Many have signs identifying
their historic importance. For example, more than thirty states have given trees to the Capitol grounds. Visitors
often spend time walking around the area looking for their state’s tree.

They also look for the historic “Cameron Elm”
near the entrance to the House of Representatives. This tree is
one of the oldest on the Capitol grounds. It was named in honor of a senator¹³ from Pennsylvania. He protected the
tree from being cut down while the area around the Capitol was being designed.

The Cameron Elm remains¹⁴ part of America’s treasure --the United States Capitol --the most recognized sign
of democratic government in the world.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Jill Moss. It was produced by George Grow. I’m Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA
Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

 

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1 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

2 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

3 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

4 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

5 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

6 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

7 rotunda   

n.圆形建筑物；圆厅

参考例句：

• The Capitol at Washington has a large rotunda.华盛顿的国会大厦有一圆形大厅。
• The rotunda was almost deserted today,dotted with just a few tourists.圆形大厅今天几乎没有多少人，只零星散布着几个游客。

8 apotheosis   

n.神圣之理想；美化；颂扬

参考例句：

• The legend of king arthur represent the apotheosis of chivalry.亚瑟王的传说代表骑士精神的顶峰。
• The Oriental in Bangkok is the apotheosis of the grand hotel.曼谷的东方饭店是豪华饭店的典范。

9 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

10 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

11 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

12 overlooking   

v.忽视( overlook的现在分词 )；监督；俯视；（对不良现象等）不予理会

参考例句：

• The house is in an elevated position, overlooking the town. 这栋房子地势较高，可以俯瞰全城。
• The house sits high on a hill overlooking a lake. 房子高高地坐落在可以俯瞰湖水的小山上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

14 remains   

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。