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趣味双语：关于美国总统的脑筋急转弯
2008年04月21日 16:38
When electing Presidents of the United States, Americans haven't been partial to one type of man. Commanders in Chief of all kinds--tall and short, handsome and homely, well-educated and barely schooled, scoundrel and saint--were sent to Washington to serve.
美国人在选举总统的时候，并不偏好某一类人。无论是高是矮，仪表堂堂还是相貌平平，有文化还是没文化，无赖还是圣人，都会入主白宫，担任三军总司令(美国总统即为美国最高行政长官及三军总司令)。
The following questions delve behind the formal portraits of our nation's Presidents to reveal their idiosyncrasies, oddities and ironies.
下面的这些问题瞄准了历届美国总统外表下的习性、怪癖和叫人啼笑皆非的趣事
Q. Which President's son was personally affected by three Presidential assassinations? 哪个总统的儿子亲身感受了三次总统暗杀行动？
A. Abraham Lincoln's oldest son, Robert Todd, was at his father's side after the 16th President was assassinated at Ford's Theatre in 1865. Sixteen years later he was at the Washington rail depot where the 20th President, James Garfield, was shot and killed in 1881. In 1901 Lincoln was in Buffalo at the Pan-American Exposition, where 25th President William McKinley was assassinated. Thereafter Lincoln avoided functions where a President was present.
答案：亚伯拉罕•林肯的小儿子罗伯特•托德。1865年美国第16任总统林肯在福特剧院被暗杀的时候他就在父亲身边。16年之后的1881年，美国第20任总统詹姆斯•加菲尔德在华盛顿车站遇刺身亡的时候他也在场。而1901年美国第25任总统威廉•麦金莱在布法罗的泛美博览会上遇刺，他依旧在场。此后林肯就避免在有总统在场的社会活动中出现。
Q. Which President was also a King? 哪位是总统也是国王？
A. Gerald Ford. Born in 1913 as Leslie L. King, Jr., his mother divorced and remarried. His stepfather informally adopted him, renaming him Gerald R. Ford.
答案：杰拉尔德•福特。(美国第38任总统，1974-1976年在任)
生于1913年的他本名Leslie L. King, Jr.，因为目前离异再婚，他被继父收养，改名为Gerald R. Ford。
Q. Which President, while living in the White House, regularly skinny-dipped in the Potomac River? 哪个总统住在白宫期间，定期在白宫边的波托马可河里裸泳？
A. Between 1825 and 1829 there was a "moon" on the Potomac around 5 a.m., when John Quincy Adams stripped down and took his morning constitutional.
答案：约翰•Q•亚当斯。(美国第6任总统，1825-1829年在任)
在他任期内的1825-1829年间，早上五点左右，他会脱掉衣服，光着屁股在波托马可河里进行他的晨泳。
Q. Which President is credited with saving 77 lives? 哪个总统救过77条人命？
A. Ronald Reagan, as a lifeguard in his hometown of Dixon, Ill. But some of the rescues may have been young women faking it simply to get the handsome "Dutch" Reagan's attention.
答案：罗纳德•里根。(美国第40任总统，1981-1988年在任)
里根是他家乡伊利诺斯州迪克森的救生员。但是他救的人当中也许有一些年轻女性是佯装落水以引起英俊潇洒的里根的注意。
Q. Which two Presidents died on the Fourth of July, 1826? 哪两个总统均死于1826年7月4日？
A. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence.
答案：托马斯•杰斐逊(美国第3任总统，1801-1809年在任)和约翰•亚当斯(美国第2任总统，1797-1801年在任)。
他们均死于独立宣言发表50周年纪念日。
Q. Which President was taught by his wife to read and write? 哪个总统的读写是老婆教的？
A. In 1827, in Greeneville, Tenn., Eliza McCardle, 16, married Andrew Johnson, 18. He was a tailor who could barely read or write. Yet he was extremely ambitious. In the evening his wife taught him to read and write. And from there his political career took off, from mayor of his town to governor to Vice President and finally President.
答案：安德鲁•约翰逊(美国第17任总统，1865-1869年在任)
1827年，18岁的安德鲁约翰逊在田纳西州的格林维尔迎娶了16岁的姑娘伊莱扎•麦卡德尔。他是一个裁缝，没有受过正规教育，但是却野心勃勃。傍晚，他的妻子就教他读书写字。他的政治生涯就是从格林维尔开始的。他担任过格林维尔市长，美国副总统，直到1985年当选为美国总统。
Q. Who was the first President to play Little League baseball? 谁是第一个参加过少年
棒球联赛的总统？
A. George W. Bush, for the Midland, Texas, Cubs from 1954 to 1958. His coach, Frank Ittner, now 94 years old, recalls Bush as a fine defensive catcher who needed work on his hitting.
答案：乔治•沃特•布什(美国第43任总统，2001-至今)
小布什在1954至1958年间曾是德克萨斯州米德兰小熊队的一员。他的教练，现已94岁高龄的弗兰克•伊特纳回忆起小布什来是这么评价的：防守接球不错，但击球技术有待加强。
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