the white house

　　the white house has been the home of every united states president except george washington . abigail adams was the first“ first lady”to move into the pennsylvania avenue mansion. she used to hang her family’s laundry in the unfinished east room. the white house was burned by the british during the war of 1812. soon after, the house was rebuilt and painted white, and it has been known as the white house ever since .

　　the white house is both a public house and a private home. its character changes with each new president. gas lighting was installed in 1848, but bathrooms were not added until thirty years later. by 1950 , the building was no longer safe to live in . the truman family moved out while repairs were made. jacqueline kennedy developed the plan to decorate the white house as it is today.

　　the 132 -room mansion is furnished with antiques, portraits of the presidents, and other art work. the president’s oval office and staff offices are on the ground floor. the state reception rooms are on the first floor. the second and third floors are where the president and his family live.

　　the job of president is very demanding. every minute of every day is planned. the president may start with a breakfast meeting with his cabinet, move on to the east room for a press conference, meet with a foreign ambassador in the blue room, then end the day at a dinner in the state dining room.

　　the president and his family share their home with the public every morning. long lines stretch for blocks. they wait for a chance to see the nation’s most popular house, and possibly a glimpse of the president.

　　阅读自测

　　Ⅰ. fill in the blanks with proper prepositions:

　　1. he was known_______ a great novelist.

　　2. my mother is known_______ her cooking.

　　3. he’s known_______ everyone as a good actor.

　　Ⅱ. answer the following questions:

　　1. what happened to the white house during the war of 1812 ?

　　2. how is the white house furnished?

　　参考答案

　　Ⅰ.

　　1. as 2 . for 3. to

　　Ⅱ.

　　1. it was burned by the british. 2. it’s furnished with antiques, portraits of the presidents, and other artwork.

　参考译文

　　美国历史的见证———白宫

　　除 乔治· 华盛顿以外, 白宫是历任美国总统的家。阿比盖尔· 亚当斯是第一位搬进这 幢位于宾夕法尼亚林荫道的官邸的美国“ 第一夫人”。住进白宫以后, 她常常将家人洗好 的衣物挂在当时还未建好的东厅里。白宫在1812 年英美战争期间曾被英军烧毁。其后不 久, 这所房子得以重建, 而且漆成了白色, 从此被冠以雅号“ 白宫”

　　白宫既是公众场所, 又是总统自己的家。随着美国总统的交替更迭, 白宫的特点也随 之改变。1848 年, 白宫安装了煤气照明系统, 但是30 年后, 白宫才有了自己的浴室。到 1950 年的时候, 白宫已不适于居住, 成为危楼。在白宫进行修葺的时候, 杜鲁门总统一家 只好搬了出去。杰奎琳· 肯尼迪想出了装修白宫的方案, 如今白宫仍然保留着那时的样 子。

　　白宫有132 个房间, 房间里配有古董、历届总统的肖像以及其他艺术品。总统的椭圆 形办公室和工作人员的办公室在一楼, 国家会客室在二楼, 而三楼和四楼则是总统和他的 家人住的地方。

　　总统的工作非常具有挑战性, 工作表每天都排得满满的。总统每天早上会先同内阁开 个早餐会, 然后到东厅参加记者招待会, 在蓝厅接见一位外国大使, 最后到国宴厅吃晚饭, 结束一整天的工作。

　　总统及家人每天上午同美国公众共同享有他们的家。白宫外长长的队伍排了好几个 街区。他们等着一睹美国最受欢迎的房子, 很可能还能有幸看到美国总统。

　　阅读导评

　　白宫是美国权力的象征, 从第一位入住白宫的亚当斯到今天的布什, 已有几十位美国 总统在此居住过。它就好像是最高贵的旅馆, 你可以来, 但你不可以永远拥有。昔日的风 云人物已成为历史过客, 唯有白宫依然。无论是在过去、现在还是将来, 这座见证了两个世 纪世界风云的美国心脏建筑物总是世界上最令人瞩目的建筑之一。

　　阅读导释

　　1. 白宫, 美国总统的官邸, 位于华盛顿特区, 由詹姆斯·霍本( james hoban) 设计, 因其外 墙为白色砂岩石而得名, 现常用作美国政府的代称。

　　2. 乔治·华盛顿( 1732—1799) , 美国第一任总统, 领导美国独立战争的大陆军总司令, 连 任两届美国总统。为了纪念他, 美国人将首都命名为华盛顿。

　　3. 阿比盖尔·亚当斯( 1744—1818) , 美国第二任总统约翰·亚当斯的夫人, 是个多产的书 信作家。

　　4. 东厅, 它是国事室, 面积较大, 专门用来举行颁奖、新闻发布及签署法案等仪式, 美国内战 时是林肯处理军机要务所在地。

　　5. 杜鲁门( 1884—1972) , 美国第33 任总统。他下令对日本广岛( hiroshima) 和长崎( nagasaki) 实施原子弹轰炸, 并于1947 年提出“杜鲁门主义”。

　　6. 杰奎琳·肯尼迪, 美国第35 任总统j. f. 肯尼迪的夫人。她魅力十足, 特立独行, 对美国 人的影响很大。

　　7. 椭圆形办公室, 位于白宫西翼, 建于西奥多·罗斯福总统时期, 是历届美国总统办公的地 方。那里弥漫着神秘的色彩和权力的光环, 是美国的权力中心。