美国前第一夫人芭芭拉·布什去世 享年92岁

Former US First Lady Barbara Bush Dies at 92

Barbara Bush died Tuesday at her home in Texas. She was 92 years old.

Her husband of 73 years, former United States President George H.W. Bush, was with her at the time.

Barbara Bush reportedly suffered from problems with her heart and lungs.

Just two days earlier, her family had announced that her health was getting worse and she had decided¹ to stop receiving medical treatment.

Second in history

Barbara Pierce Bush was born in 1925 in New York. Her father published magazines for women. Her mother was active in community service.

Young Barbara Pierce was admitted as a student at Smith College in Massachusetts. While there, she met George Herbert Walker Bush. They married in 1945.

She and George Bush went on to have six children. Their second child died of cancer at age three. Their oldest child, George Walker Bush, went on to become the 43rd president.

As such, Barbara Bush is one of two women in U.S. history to be both the wife and mother of a president. The other was Abigail Adams, who died 200 years ago, in 1818.

White hair and pearls

Bush was known to be a strong supporter of her husband and family. As recently as 2016, she campaigned for her son Jeb, who was competing against Donald Trump² and others for the Republican Party’s nomination³ for president.

As First Lady, Bush was known for her commitment to literacy. She set up an organization to support reading skills, especially among young children.

And Bush was known for her physical appearance and funny way of speaking. Her brown hair began to turn gray when her daughter was sick with cancer. Bush was not yet 30, yet she refused to color her hair to appear younger. In time, her hair became all white. She said it helped people see her as “everybody’s grandmother.”

Bush was also linked to a necklace she often wore. The piece of jewelry⁴ was made of three lines of pearls. Many Americans noted⁵ approvingly that the pearls were not real, although Bush’s family was wealthy and she could buy fine jewels. And some liked the reason Bush gave for wearing the necklace – she said it hid the wrinkles in her neck.

These details and others helped give Bush a public image as someone who seemed to be an ordinary person with common sense.

Tributes

Barbara Bush was also sometimes criticized for speaking in a way that seemed sharp or insensitive to others. But this week, famous Americans have only kind words for the former first lady.

President Donald Trump called her a supporter of the American family. Former president Barack Obama noted her generosity⁶, humility⁷, and decency⁸.

Former president Bill Clinton, who defeated Bush’s husband when he sought re-election, called Barbara Bush “a remarkable⁹ woman. She had grit¹⁰ and grace, brains and beauty.”

And former president George. W. Bush said this: “Mom kept us on our toes and kept us laughing until the end. I’m a lucky man that Barbara Bush was my mother. Our family will miss her dearly, and we thank you for all your prayers and good wishes.”

Her funeral will take place Saturday in Houston, Texas.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

commitment - n. a promise to do or give something

literacy - n. the ability to read and write

grandmother - n. the mother of your father or mother

wrinkle - n. small line or fold that appears on your skin as you grow older

ordinary - adj. not unusual, different, or special

generosity - n. the quality of being kind, understanding, and not selfish

decency - n. polite, moral and honest behavior and attitudes that show respect for other people

remarkable - adj. likely to be noticed

grit - n. mental toughness and courage

1 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。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 jewelry   

n.（jewllery）（总称）珠宝

参考例句：

• The burglars walked off with all my jewelry.夜盗偷走了我的全部珠宝。
• Jewelry and lace are mostly feminine belongings.珠宝和花边多数是女性用品。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 generosity   

n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为

参考例句：

• We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
• We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

7 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

8 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

10 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。