The White House

　　The White House has been the home of every UnitedStates president except George Washington2 .Abigail Adams3 was the first“First Lady” to move intothe Pennsylvania Avenue mansion. She used tohang her family’s laundry in the unfinished EastRoom4. The White House was burned by the Britishduring the War of 1812. Soon after, the house wasrebuilt 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 eachnew president. Gas lighting was installed in 1848, but bathrooms were not added until thirtyyears later. By 1950 , the building was no longer safe to live in . The Truman5 family moved outwhile repairs were made. Jacqueline Kennedy6 developed the plan to decorate the White Houseas it is today.

　　The 132 -room mansion is furnished with antiques, portraits of the presidents, and other artwork. The President’s Oval Office7 and staff offices are on the ground floor. The state receptionrooms are on the first floor. The second and third floors are where the president and his familylive.

　　The job of President is very demanding. Every minute of every day is planned. The Presidentmay start with a breakfast meeting with his Cabinet, move on to the East Room for a pressconference, meet with a foreign ambassador in the Blue Room, then end the day at a dinner inthe State Dining Room.

　　The President and his family share their home with the public every morning. Long lines stretchfor blocks. They wait for a chance to see the nation’s most popular house, and possibly aglimpse of the President.

　　閱讀自測

　　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.

　�、�. Answer the following questions:

　　1. What happened to the White House during the War of 1812?

　　2. How is the White House furnished?

　　參考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. as 2 . for 3. to

　�、�. 1. It was burned by the British. 2. It’s furnishedwith antiques, portraits of the presidents, and otherartwork.

　　參考譯文

　　美國歷史的見證——白宮

　　除 喬治· 華盛頓以外, 白宮是歷任美國總統(tǒng)的家。阿比蓋爾· 亞當(dāng)斯是第一位搬進(jìn)這 幢位于賓夕法尼亞林蔭道的官邸的美國“ 第一夫人”。住進(jìn)白宮以后, 她常常將家人洗好 的衣物掛在當(dāng)時(shí)還未建好的東廳里。白宮在1812 年英美戰(zhàn)爭期間曾被英軍燒毀。其后不 久, 這所房子得以重建, 而且漆成了白色, 從此被冠以雅號“ 白宮”

　　白宮既是公眾場所, 又是總統(tǒng)自己的家。隨著美國總統(tǒng)的交替更迭, 白宮的特點(diǎn)也隨 之改變。1848 年, 白宮安裝了煤氣照明系統(tǒng), 但是30 年后, 白宮才有了自己的浴室。到 1950 年的時(shí)候, 白宮已不適于居住, 成為危樓。在白宮進(jìn)行修葺的時(shí)候, 杜魯門總統(tǒng)一家 只好搬了出去。杰奎琳· 肯尼迪想出了裝修白宮的方案, 如今白宮仍然保留著那時(shí)的樣 子。

　　白宮有132 個(gè)房間, 房間里配有古董、歷屆總統(tǒng)的肖像以及其他藝術(shù)品�？偨y(tǒng)的橢圓 形辦公室和工作人員的辦公室在一樓, 國家會客室在二樓, 而三樓和四樓則是總統(tǒng)和他的 家人住的地方。

　　總統(tǒng)的工作非常具有挑戰(zhàn)性, 工作表每天都排得滿滿的�？偨y(tǒng)每天早上會先同內(nèi)閣開 個(gè)早餐會, 然后到東廳參加記者招待會, 在藍(lán)廳接見一位外國大使, 最后到國宴廳吃晚飯, 結(jié)束一整天的工作。

　　總統(tǒng)及家人每天上午同美國公眾共同享有他們的家。白宮外長長的隊(duì)伍排了好幾個(gè) 街區(qū)。他們等著一睹美國最受歡迎的房子, 很可能還能有幸看到美國總統(tǒng)。