VOA标准英语2013--US Presidential Libraries Contribute to Research, Education

 

US Presidential Libraries Contribute to Research, Education

President Lyndon Baines Johnson, or LBJ, died in 1973. But a life-like animatronic representation of him greets visitors to his library in Austin, Texas.

Visitors find it entertaining. “Pretty cool, a little disconcerting, but very life-like," said one woman. 

After a $10 million renovation¹, the LBJ Presidential Library is now more interactive², with computerized exhibits.

Visitors can listen to some of the more than 640 hours of telephone conversations President Johnson recorded for posterity³.

Lyndon Johnson assumed office after the assassination⁴ of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. And though he brought about civil rights laws and anti-poverty programs, his legacy⁵ is clouded by the Vietnam war.

LBJ Library Director Mark Updegrove says presidential libraries do not glorify⁶ their namesakes and in fact present a full picture of their time in office.

“It is not up to us to direct history and tell people what to think, but we do want them to know what he did and how it impacts your life. What you think about that is up to you," he said. 

Presidential libraries provide access to documents for historical research. Updegrove says this reflects the openness of a democratic society. “Those records belong to the people, they do not belong to that president," he said. 

A short drive from Austin is another presidential library, that of George W's father, George Herbert Walker Bush. 

Like several other presidential libraries, this one has a small-scale oval office. Director Warren Finch⁷ says it draws visitors. 

“We feel that is one of our key missions in our museums and educational programs is to talk about civics, how the US constitution works, how the government works in practice," he said. 

Modern technology provides libraries with a treasure trove⁸ of images and audio recordings⁹, but Finch says managing all that material is a challenge.

“There is... about a million photographs, ten thousand cassettes of video tape," he said. 

For presidential libraries, preserving and managing materials of historic importance is a continuing enterprise, made difficult by the sheer size of the collections they keep. 

1 renovation   

n.革新，整修

参考例句：

• The cinema will reopen next week after the renovation.电影院修缮后，将于下星期开业。
• The building has undergone major renovation.这座大楼已进行大整修。

2 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。

3 posterity   

n.后裔，子孙，后代

参考例句：

• Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
• The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。

4 assassination   

n.暗杀；暗杀事件

参考例句：

• The assassination of the president brought matters to a head.总统遭暗杀使事态到了严重关头。
• Lincoln's assassination in 1865 shocked the whole nation.1865年，林肯遇刺事件震惊全美国。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 glorify   

vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化

参考例句：

• Politicians have complained that the media glorify drugs.政治家们抱怨媒体美化毒品。
• We are all committed to serving the Lord and glorifying His name in the best way we know.我们全心全意敬奉上帝，竭尽所能颂扬他的美名。

7 finch   

n.雀科鸣禽(如燕雀，金丝雀等)

参考例句：

• This behaviour is commonly observed among several species of finch.这种行为常常可以在几种雀科鸣禽中看到。
• In Australia,it is predominantly called the Gouldian Finch.在澳大利亚，它主要还是被称之为胡锦雀。

8 trove   

n.被发现的东西，收藏的东西

参考例句：

• He assembled a rich trove of Chinese porcelain.他收集了一批中国瓷器。
• The gallery is a treasure trove of medieval art.这个画廊是中世纪艺术的宝库。

9 recordings   

n.记录( recording的名词复数 )；录音；录像；唱片

参考例句：

• a boxed set of original recordings 一套盒装原声录音带
• old jazz recordings reissued on CD 以激光唱片重新发行的老爵士乐