George Washington was the first President of the USA and is consistently voted as one its top five leaders. He was born in 1732 in Virginia. His family were well off and owned a plantation. Growing up, he learned the morals, manners, and knowledge necessary for an 18th-century Virginia gentleman. He was greatly interested in two things while he grew up: military arts and western expansion.
喬治·華盛頓是美國的第一屆總統，同時也是美國的五大領袖之一。他于1732年出生在弗吉尼亞州一戶擁有種植園的富裕家庭。隨著年齡的增長，他學會了18世紀弗吉尼亞紳士的道德、禮貌、以及學識。在他的成長中，他對兩件事特別感興趣：軍事藝術和西方殖民擴張。
In 1754, at the age of 22, he became a lieutenant colonel in the Army. He fought in the first skirmishes of what grew into the French and Indian War. The following year he escaped injury in battle although four bullets ripped his coat and two horses were shot from under him. His military experience taught him valuable lessons in leadership he would use later in his political life.
1754年，22歲的華盛頓成為了美國陸軍中校。他參加了法國和印度之戰的導火線。在接下來的一年里，盡管4顆子彈穿過他的上衣、2匹坐下的戰馬被子彈打死，而他卻安然無恙。從軍給了他領導方面的寶貴經驗，這讓他在日后的政治生涯中受益匪淺。
From 1759 to the outbreak of the American Revolution, Washington managed his lands. He married Martha Dandridge Custis and devoted himself to farming life. However, he felt exploited by British merchants and British regulations. In 1775, he took command of his ill-trained troops and embarked upon a war that was to last six grueling years. He forced the surrender of the British at Yorktown in 1781.
1759年至美國獨立戰爭爆發期間，華盛頓經營著自己的農場。他與瑪莎·丹德里奇·柯蒂斯結為了夫婦，并全身心投入到農耕生活中。然而，他體會到了英國商人及英國制度的剝削。1775年，他帶領一支缺乏訓練的隊伍開始了長達6年的艱苦戰役。1781年，他迫使英國人在約克鎮投降。
Washington entered politics and became a prime mover in the steps leading to creating the Constitution in 1787. After the new Constitution was ratified, the Electoral College unanimously elected him as the USA's first President. Washington avoided further wars and promoted the importance of federal power. He died in 1799 and was hailed as "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen".
1787年，華盛頓進入政壇，并成為創建美國憲法的主要發起人。新憲法獲批后，總統選舉團推選華盛頓為美國的第一任總統。此后，華盛頓在避免戰爭的同時，加強聯邦政府的權力。1799年，華盛頓逝世。他被譽為“戰爭中的第一人、和平第一人、國人心中的第一人。”
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