Unit1AlandofdiversityTHISISAMERICA-TheWhiteHouseByJerilynWatsonBroadcast:May3,2004(MUSIC)VOICEONE:WelcometoTHISISAMERICA,inVOASpecialEnglish.I'mFaithLapidus.VOICETWO:AndI'mDougJohnson.Thisweek,goinsidethehousethatpresidentshavecalledhomeformorethantwohundredyears.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:America'sfirstpresidentsupervisedthebuildingoftheWhiteHouse.YetGeorgeWashingtonandhiswife,Martha,neverhadthechancetolivethere.Itwascompletedafterheleftofficeinseventeen-ninety-seven.Sincethen,Americahashadforty-twootherpresidents.Allofthemhavelivedatsixteen-hundredPennsylvaniaAvenueNorthwest,inWashington,D.C.ThisNovember,AmericanswilldecidewholivesintheWhiteHouseforthenextfouryears.PresidentBushandhiswife,Laura,knowtheirwayaroundtheplacealready.IfJohnKerryiselected,heandhiswife,TeresaHeinzKerry,wouldmeetwithWhiteHouseemployeesaftertheelection.AnofficialwouldwalktheKerrysthroughthehouse.TheywouldmoveinonInaugurationDaynextJanuarytwentieth.VOICETWO:TheWhiteHousehasmorethanone-hundred-thirtyrooms.Italsohascollectionsofmorethanforty-thousandobjects.Presidentialfamiliesoftenfindthingsinstoragethattheylikewhentheymovein.TwooftheCarterchildren,forexample,foundachairamongtheunusedfurnitureintheWhiteHouse.JimmyCarterservedfromnineteen-seventy-seventonineteen-eighty-one.Hewasthethirty-ninthpresident.Thechairbelongedtothesixteenthpresident,AbrahamLincoln.Hiswife,MaryToddLincoln,hadboughtthechair.TheCartersmadeitpartoftheirhome.WivesofpresidentshavealladdedtotheWhiteHouseinsomeway.JacquelineKennedy,forexample,createdacolorfulgarden.Itisnamedinherhonor.(MUSIC)VOICEONE:GeorgeWashingtonhadgreathopesforthehomehestarted.Washingtonenteredofficeinseventeen-eighty-nine.Inseventeen-ninety,hesignedanactofCongress.ItsaidthefederalgovernmentwouldoccupyanareaintheDistrictofColumbianearthePotomacRiver.PresidentWashingtonandtheFrenchcityplannerPierreL'Enfantchosethelandforthenewpresidentialhome.VOICETWO:Acompetitiontookplacetofindadesigner.AnarchitectnamedJamesHobanwonfive-hundreddollarsandapieceoflandforhisdesign.HobanwasanimmigrantfromIreland.HechoseadesignsimilartoLeinsterHouseinDublin,wheretheIrishParliamentnowmeets.Grayishwhitesandstonewaschosenforthewallsofthenewhomeofthepresident.Workstartedinseventeen-ninety-two.GeorgeWashingtonlivedinPhiladelphiaduringthistimebutwatchedoverthework.用心爱心专心116号编辑America'ssecondpresident,JohnAdams,andhiswife,Abigail,werethefirsttoliveinthenewhome.TheymovedinonNovemberfirst,eighteen-hundred.Thehomewasnotyetfinished.JohnandAbigailAdamslivedinsixroomsandusedotherstoentertainguests.Buttheylivedthereforonlyfourmonths.VOICEONE:JohnAdamslostre-electiontoThomasJefferson.Jeffersontriedtofinishworkonthehome.SodidJamesMadison,thenextpresident.But,ineighteen-fourteen,BritishforcesinvadedWashington.TheyburnedtheWhiteHouse.DolleyMadison,thepresident'swife,triedtosavevaluableobjectsfromthefire.ShesavedapaintingofGeorgeWashington.Shetookitwithherasshefledforsafety.ThisfamouspaintingbyGilbertStuarthangsintheWhiteHousetothisday.Afterthefire,JamesHobancamebacktohelprebuildthehousehehaddesigned.Duringthistime,itwaspaintedwhite.OvertheyearstheWhiteHousehasbeenenlargedandalmosttotallyrebuilt.Innineteen-sixty-one,CongressdecidedthatfurnitureofhistoricandartisticvaluewouldalwaysbeWhiteHouseproperty.Ineffect,CongressmadetheWhiteHouseamuseum.(MUSIC)VOICETWO:AsvisitorsentertheWhiteHouse,theyseepicture...
