06 A City Built in a Swamp
建于沼澤中的城市
A cap which you wear on your head means “head.” A captain also means “head” —he's the head of a company of soldiers.A capital means “head” too—it's the head city of a country or of a State.When I was a boy I lived in the capital of the United States, but I did not live in the Capitol of the United States.That may sound funny, but it, s true, for there are two kinds of capitals.The capit-Al is a city, the Capit-Ol is a building, and of course I didn't live in the Capit-Ol building.Not even the President lives there.
有些含有cap (帽子）的英語單詞表示“頭”的意思。因為帽子是戴在頭上的。Captain (隊長）是“頭”的意思——他是一隊士兵的頭。Capital (首都）同樣也有“頭”的意思——它是一個國家或一個州的頭。我小的時候住在美國的首都，但我并不是住在美國的國會大廈。聽起來很有趣，但真的是這樣，因為這是兩個不同的 詞。“Capital”，首都，是一個城市；“Capital”，國會大廈，是一棟建筑，我當然不住在國會大度里，就連總統也不住在那里。
When our country was started men tried to find a suitable place for the capital.Eight places were tried out and at last a swamp was chosen as the proper place to build the city, because it was then near the center of our country.So a city was built there and called Washington after George Washington, because he was the First President of the United States.Even when-I-was-a-boy there was a part of Washington which every one called “Swamp Puddle” or “Swain-poodle.” I wonder if boys there still call it that.It is now one of the most beautiful cities in the World, with lovely parks and beautiful buildings.George Washington didn't live in Washington.He lived at a place in the State of Virginia about ten miles away called Mount Vernon.Washington is now on the edge of our country, over a thousand miles from the center.The capital hasn't moved, but the center of the country has.
美國剛建立的時候，人們要找一個合適的地方作首都。考察了八個地方后，最后一塊沼澤地被選為最合適建首都的地方， 因為它當時靠近國家中心。于是在那里建了一座城市，并以美國第一屆總統喬治·華盛頓的名字命名為華盛頓。當我還是個小孩子的時候，華盛頓還有一塊地方人人都稱之為“沼澤坑”或者“沼澤潭”。不知那里的孩子們是不是還這樣叫。華盛頓現 在是世界上最美麗的城市之一，有可愛的公園和美麗的建筑。喬治?華盛頓那時并不住在華盛頓。而是住在距華盛頓有大約 10英里的弗吉尼亞州的一個叫做弗農山莊的地方。華盛頓現在處于美國的邊界，離中心有一千多英里。首都還在原地，但是國 家的中心位置變了。
There are twenty-eight cities named “Washington” in the United States.Washington, the capital, looks on the map as if it were in the State of Maryland, but it isn't.It isn't in any State.The capital of all the States had to have a place all its own; so this piece of land is called the District of Columbia, or D.C.for short.The District of Columbia is named after Columbus, the man who discovered America.So if you write a letter to any one in Washington, the capital, you must be very careful to put "D.C."after Washington, for there are so many cities and towns named after Washington that your letter might not go to the right one.
美國有28個城市都叫“華盛頓”。在地圖上看首都華盛頓好像是位于馬里蘭州，其實卻不是。它不屬于任何州。所有州的 首府必須有屬于它自己的一塊地方；所以這塊地方就被叫做哥倫比亞特區，簡稱D.C.。哥倫比亞特區是以發現美洲大陸的哥倫 布的名字命名的。所以如果你寫信給首都華盛頓的某人，你得很仔細地在華盛頓后面加上“D.C.”，因為叫華盛頓的城市和城 鎮太多，不加的話很可能你的信就送不到你想寄去的地方。
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