THIS IS AMERICA - A Visit to Washington

THIS IS AMERICA - A Visit to Washington
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, August 16, 2004

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Gwen Outen. Today we take a summer visit around the nation's capital.

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VOICE ONE:

August is a month when a lot of people from the Washington, D.C., area go someplace else for a week or two. But August is also when a lot of people from someplace else go to Washington. Such a trip often starts this way:

A person who lives here -- we'll call her Suzy -- gets a call from friends in another part of the country. They want to see the city. They want to see everything. But they can only stay a day or two.

Suzy knows that her friends cannot possibly see everything in such a short time. Also, the weather may be very hot. There may be security¹ delays. But Suzy wants her visitors to leave with happy memories.

VOICE TWO:

 
Washington D.C. Metro² train
So she organizes a plan for her friends. She decides they will do most of their travel in the city by foot or on Metro trains and buses. Metro is the public transportation system. That way they will not have to worry about where to leave their car.

At night, they will visit open-air memorials. During the day, the group will see museums; many are free of charge to enter. But, without a lot of time, which ones should they see?

The visitors have two children. So Suzy decides that her friends should begin at the National Museum of Natural History. This is part of the Smithsonian Institution. The first thing the children want to see is the area that shows what dinosaurs³ looked like millions of years ago.

The Natural History Museum is along the grassy⁴ area in Washington called the National Mall.

VOICE ONE:

 
National Museum of American History
Next Suzy leads her friends along the Mall to the National Museum of American History. It contains all sorts of objects. There are dresses worn by the wives of presidents. There is a walking stick that Benjamin Franklin gave to George Washington, America's first president. Franklin was a statesmen⁵, writer and inventor. The collections in the American History Museum also include objects from popular culture of today.

The guests have walked a lot so far. They see a table, but they cannot sit at it. This is the table where Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration⁶ of Independence from Britain in seventeen seventy-six.

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VOICE TWO:

Next, the visitors walk over to the most popular museum in the world. Each year as many as ten million people visit the National Air and Space Museum. Suzy points out some of the most famous things. One is the command vehicle from the Apollo Eleven spacecraft. In nineteen-sixty-nine, Apollo Eleven carried the first astronauts to land on the moon. The visitors all touch the moon rock that is also on display in museum.

By now, everyone is hungry and a little tired. So they buy food inside the Air and Space Museum. Then, as they walk out into the sunlight, they look across the street. They see a building that looks unlike any others around it, including the Capitol, where Congress⁷ meets.

The shape is like waves of golden sand. This is the National Museum of the American Indian. But it is not ready yet for the public. Opening ceremonies are planned for September twenty-first.

VOICE ONE:

Suzy's friends decide they would like to see some art. But they do not have the time or energy to see the National Gallery of Art. Instead they walk over to a smaller museum, the Freer Gallery. It has art collections from Asia and the United States.

Here the group inspects one of the rooms. Large golden birds with shining tail feathers are painted on the walls. James McNeill Whistler painted this. It is called the Peacock⁸ Room.

VOICE TWO:

Next the group walks to a Metro station. The next stop for them is the International Spy Museum. It opened in two thousand two. Visitors learn about the history of intelligence gathering⁹. And they see all kinds of devices¹⁰ used by spies.

But spying is not the only subject here. Currently¹¹ there is a collection called "The Enemy Within: Terror¹² in America -- Seventeen Seventy Six to Today." This collection includes pieces of the planes flown into the World Trade Center in New York on September eleventh, two thousand one.

By now, everyone in the group is ready for some quiet time and a good meal. So Suzy takes them back to her home by Metro. Later, they start out again. This time Suzy will drive her guests in her car to see the memorials in Washington.

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VOICE ONE:

Now it is getting dark. The visitors will do some of their sightseeing by moonlight, when the temperature is cooler.

They start at the F.D.R. Memorial. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt led the nation from nineteen thirty three until his death in nineteen forty five. He served longer than any other American president. The memorial opened in nineteen ninety seven. It contains four areas. Each represents one of his terms in office. Statues help show what life was like. One sculpture shows men standing¹³ in line waiting for bread during the Great Depression.

VOICE TWO:

After that, Suzy takes her guests to the Korean War Veterans¹⁴ Memorial. The war lasted from nineteen fifty to nineteen fifty three. The statues of soldiers look real. Moonlight shines on their faces.

From there, the visitors walk to the Lincoln Memorial. Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president. He led the nation through the Civil War in the eighteen sixties. He was shot to death as he watched a play in Washington. The memorial is a large white building open all the around. At the center is a larger-than-life size statue of the president. Lincoln is seated. He looks toward¹⁵ a body of water called the Reflecting Pool.

VOICE ONE:

 
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Next, the visitors walk to the black wall that forms the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. On the wall are the names of more than fifty eight thousand Americans who died in the Vietnam War. Names are listed by year of death. The wall grows taller and taller as the war reaches its height. Many visitors find the names of loved ones and rub¹⁶ the letters onto paper. Many leave flowers and notes at the foot of the wall.

Maya Lin designed this wall. In nineteen eighty, she entered a national competition to design a Vietnam Veterans Memorial. She was twenty one years old then, an architecture student at Yale University.

VOICE TWO:

In April of this year, the first National World War Two Memorial opened nearby. This memorial looks more traditional. It is made of bronze and granite¹⁷, with stone pillars¹⁸ all around. In the center, at ground level, is a round pool of water with fountains in the middle.

The World War Two memorial honors²⁰ the sixteen million who served in the American armed forces. It includes a wall with four thousand gold stars to honor¹⁹ the more than four hundred thousand who died.

VOICE ONE:

After all their walking, Suzy and her guests are glad to return to the car. Now they will drive a short distance to see the memorial to America's third president. A statue of Thomas Jefferson stands in the middle of a white circular²¹ structure with columns²² all around. In the moonlight, the visitors can see an image of the memorial in the Tidal Basin, which collects water from the Potomac River.

Next the group drives past the Washington Monument. This honor to George Washington is made of white stone. Its narrow form reaches more than one hundred sixty nine meters toward the sky.

It is late now, and everyone decides they have seen enough for one day.

VOICE TWO:

Next morning, they walk past the White House. Visitors can go inside the president's home, but they must first get tickets through a member of Congress.

Instead, Suzy's group stands in line to visit the United States Capitol. They see where the House of Representatives and the Senate²³ meet. And they see the paintings and statues that are throughout the Capitol.

VOICE ONE:

Later that day, the guests fly home. Suzy gets some time to rest before she has to go back to work. But her friends are already planning their next trip. They did not have time to see places like the Holocaust²⁴ Museum, the Library of Congress and the Supreme²⁵ Court. They want to see the American Indian museum, too.

Maybe next time they will have to stay longer. Suzy cannot wait till next time.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver²⁶. And our thanks to Suzy Karpel, whose real-life experience with visitors to Washington helped guide our story. I'm Gwen Outen.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Steve Ember. We invite you back again next week for THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English.

1 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

2 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

3 dinosaurs   

n.恐龙( dinosaur的名词复数 )；守旧落伍的人，过时落后的东西

参考例句：

• The brontosaurus was one of the largest of all dinosaurs. 雷龙是所有恐龙中最大的一种。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Dinosaurs have been extinct for millions of years. 恐龙绝种已有几百万年了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

5 statesmen   

政治家； 政治家( statesman的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There is a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen. 关于这点，两位政治家的政见有很大分歧。
• The statesmen signed a protocol. 那些政治家签了议定书。

6 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。

7 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

8 peacock   

n.（雄）孔雀，爱炫耀的人；v.炫耀

参考例句：

• The peacock spreads his splendid tail.孔雀展开了它那灿烂夺目的尾巴。
• She is as proud as a peacock.她十分骄傲。

9 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

10 devices   

n.设备；装置( device的名词复数 )；花招；（为实现某种目的的）计划；手段

参考例句：

• electrical labour-saving devices around the home 节省劳力的各种家用电器
• modern labour-saving devices such as washing machines and dishwashers 诸如洗衣机和洗碗机之类的现代化省力设备

11 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

12 terror   

n.恐怖；可怖的人(事)

参考例句：

• We were in mortal terror of being found out. 我们非常害怕被发现。
• That guy is a proper terror. 那家伙真是讨厌。

13 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

14 veterans   

经验丰富的人，老兵( veteran的名词复数 )； 退伍军人

参考例句：

• Some veterans of the two world wars gathered to celebrate their victory. 一些经历了两次世界大战的退伍军人欢聚庆祝胜利。
• Seasoned veterans were picked to storm the difficult enemy position. 有经验的老兵被挑选出来去突袭难攻的敌军阵地。

15 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

16 rub   

n.摩擦，困难，障碍，难点，磨损处；vt.擦，搓，摩擦，惹怒；vi.摩擦，擦破

参考例句：

• Don't let the wire rub up against the pipe.别让电线碰到管子上。
• He used to rub up against many famous movie stars.他过去经常偶然碰到许多有名的影星。

17 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

18 pillars   

n.柱( pillar的名词复数 )；台柱；顶梁柱；（组织、制度、信仰等的）核心

参考例句：

• The pillars couldn't support the weight of the roof. 这些柱子无法承受屋顶的重量。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Are these pillars strong enough to keep up that dome? 这几根柱子撑得住那个圆形屋顶吗？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

20 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 circular   

adj.圆(形)的，环形的；循环的；n.传单，通报

参考例句：

• The bright boy altered it to a circular form.这个聪明的男孩把它改成了圆形。
• The lamp stands on a circular base.这盏台灯是装在圆形底座上的。

22 columns   

n.柱( column的名词复数 )；纵队；栏；（舰队的）纵列

参考例句：

• The temple is supported by marble columns. 这座庙宇由大理石柱支撑。
• There are two columns on each page of this dictionary. 这本词典每一页有两栏。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 senate   

n.参议院，上院

参考例句：

• They feel deeply the honour of belonging to the Senate.他们为作为参议院的成员而深感荣幸。
• His unsuccessful senate run was his last hurrah.这次失败的参议员竞选是他最后的尝试。

24 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

25 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

26 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。