VOA标准英语2011--Americans Rank Priceless Paper Documents

Americans Rank Priceless Paper Documents

Although the National Archives in Washington, D.C., is rapidly adjusting to the computer age, it is best known as the home of America's priceless paper documents.
The magazine U.S. News & World Report invited citizens to rank America's top-100 historic documents, as selected by the archives' curators. The archives then published a book called "Our Documents," which describes these paper treasures in detail.
Not surprisingly, the 1776 Declaration of Independence from Britain, and the U.S. Constitution - both of which visitors come from around the world to view at the Archives - finished one-two in Americans' esteem¹. Each got more than 27,000 votes.
Other landmark² documents such as President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation³ Proclamation of 1863, which declared that slaves in the rebellious⁴ southern states "are, and henceforward shall be, free," rounded out the top 10.
If you're curious which document came in last - number 100 - it's the De Lome Letter, which got all of 97 votes. Quite frankly⁵, it's so obscure that we'd never even heard of it. But here's the story of the De Lome Letter:
In 1898, Enrique De Lome, Spain's minister to the United States, sent a letter to a friend in which he said U.S. President William McKinley "is weak and catering⁶ to the rabble⁷." Someone intercepted⁸ it and snuck a copy to newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. He printed it, fanning the flames for what became the Spanish-American War.
These days, when supposedly secret or private letters and conversations routinely find their way into the public eye, it seems fitting that a leaked letter would round out the list of America's greatest documents.

1 esteem   

n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• The veteran worker ranks high in public love and esteem.那位老工人深受大伙的爱戴。

2 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

3 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》

4 rebellious   

adj.造反的，反抗的，难控制的

参考例句：

• They will be in danger if they are rebellious.如果他们造反，他们就要发生危险。
• Her reply was mild enough,but her thoughts were rebellious.她的回答虽然很温和，但她的心里十分反感。

5 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

6 catering   

n. 给养

参考例句：

• Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
• Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的？

7 rabble   

n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人

参考例句：

• They formed an army out of rabble.他们用乌合之众组成一支军队。
• Poverty in itself does not make men into a rabble.贫困自身并不能使人成为贱民。

8 intercepted   

拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻

参考例句：

• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave the hotel. 他正要离开旅馆，记者们把他拦截住了。
• Reporters intercepted him as he tried to leave by the rear entrance. 他想从后门溜走，记者把他截住了。