George Washington was a leader long before he became our first president. In 1755， at the age of 23， Washington led the Virginian forces to victory in the French and Indian War. However， Washington and the other colonists soon grew tired of British rule. By 1775， Washington became the commander of the Continental Army. His army defeated the British in 1783. George Washington also helped write our new Constitution， making sure the states had a strong role in the government. By 1789， Washington was the most popular man in the United States. He was also tired after serving our country for many years. Still， he knew a new nation needed strong leadership. When George Washington agreed to run for president， everyone voted for him. Washington served two terms as president of the United States. He died two years after his retirement， at his farm in Virginia.
John Adams began his long career as a lawyer in the colony of Massachusetts. A fiery speaker， Adams strongly opposed the unfair taxes that Britain forced on the colonists. He also tried to convince Britain to give the colonies more freedom. He did not succeed. Instead， Adams asked George Washington to organize the Continental Army to fight the British. In 1776， Adams helped write the Declaration of Independence. In 1783， he helped write the Treaty of Paris. This treaty ended the Revolutionary War and created the United States. When Washington became president of the United States in 1789， Adams became the first vice president. However， Adams was not pleased with the office or the appointment. He called the vice presidency “the most insignificant office” ever created. He was elected president in 1797. During his service to his country， John Adams’s wife Abigail gave birth to a son. John Quincy. Abigail was not only a president’s wife but became the mother of a future president.
Thomas Jefferson led the colonies’ fight for freedom， but he was not a soldier. Jefferson was the main author of the two documents that helped form our nation—the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Jefferson strongly believed that the states should have a strong role in the new government of the United States. The main political party at that time， the Federalists， disagreed. So Jefferson formed a new political party， the Democratic-Republicans. Before becoming president， Jefferson was the U.S. ambassador to France. As president， he bought the Louisiana Territory for S15 million， doubling the size of the United States. He then sent the explorers， Lewis and Clark， to explore this large unknown area. Jefferson was a politician， an educator， an architect， an inventor， a pioneer in scientific farming， a musician and a writer. Before and after becoming president， Jefferson contributed to the new nation in lasting ways.
Abraham Lincoln is remembered as the greatest president of the United States. As a young man， Lincoln worked in many different jobs， including cutting wood and serving in the military. Even before he became president， Lincoln knew that the country must stay united to become a powerful nation. However， Lincoln’s ideas were not shared and he was not a popular candidate. The South viewed Lincoln as an enemy who did not care about their issues. Despite these problems， Lincoln was elected president. Shortly after his inauguration in 1861， the Civil War began. Lincoln guided the country through the Civil War. His Gettysburg Address inspired the weary North to continue fighting for freedom. He also declared freedom for the slaves in the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln lived to see the end of the Civil War with General Robert E. Lee’s surrender in 1865. However， Lincoln was assassinated 5 days later at a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington， D.C.
Vocabulary 词汇
retirement [ri"tai？m？nt] n. 退休、退职、退役
convince [k？n"vins] vt. 使相信、使明白
insignificant ["？nsiɡ"nifik？nt] adj. 无价值的、无意义的、无用的
ambassador [？m"b？s？d？] n. 大使、使节
architect ["ɑ：kitekt] n. 建筑师、设计师
military ["milit？ri] adj. 军事的、军用的、军人的；
n. 军人、武装力量
candidate ["k？ndidit] n. 申请求职者、候选人、报考者
inauguration [i"n？：ɡju"rei？？n] n. 就职典礼、开幕式
surrender [s？"rend？] vt. & vi. 投降；
vt. 放弃、抛弃；
n. 投降、放弃
assassinate [？"s？sineit] vt. 暗杀、行刺
Practice
Answer each of the following questions.
1．Adams was George Washington’s president．
2．Adams helped write the Treaty of which ended the Revolutionary War．
3．Adams’s wife was named ．
4．They had a who was also elected president．
5．Jefferson was the ambassador to ．
6．Jefferson sent and to explore the unknown territory．
7．Jefferson helped write the Bill of ．
8． is the famous statement of Lincoln’s．
9． surrendered and ended the Civil War？
译文
乔治·华盛顿在成为我们第一位总统之前就是一位领导者。1755年，在华盛顿23岁时，他领导弗吉尼亚军队取得了法国和印第安战争的胜利。尽管如此，华盛顿和其他殖民者很快就厌倦了英国的统治。在1755年年底，华盛顿成为了大陆军的司令官，他的军队在1783年打败了英国军队。乔治华盛顿也参与了新宪法的起草，确保各个州在政府中具有重要的作用。到1789年，华盛顿都是美国最受欢迎的人。在为美国尽心尽力很多年以后，华盛顿也感到疲惫了。他依然认为一个民族需要的是一种强有力的领导。当乔治·华盛顿答应竞选总统时，每个人都给他投票，他当了两届的美国总统。在他离任两年后，他就在维吉尼亚的农场去世了。
约翰·亚当斯在殖民地马萨诸塞州开始了他漫长的律师生涯。亚当斯，一位富有激情的演讲者，强烈反对英国政府强压给殖民地的不公平租税。他试图说服英国政府给殖民地人民更多的自由，但是没有成功。亚当斯转而向乔治·华盛顿提出组建大陆军与英国抗争的意见。在1776年，亚当斯参与了独立宣言的起草。1783年，他又参与起草巴黎条约。巴黎条约结束了美国的革命战争，并建立了美利坚合众国。当华盛顿在1789年成为美国总统时，亚当斯成为第一位副总统。尽管如此，亚当斯并不满足于他的职位或是任命，他认为副总统是“最无关紧要的职位”。在1797年，亚当斯被选为总统。在他在职期间，约翰·亚当斯的妻子阿比盖尔生下了一个儿子，叫约翰·昆西。阿比盖尔不仅是总统夫人，还是未来总统的母亲。
虽然托马斯·杰斐逊领导了为自由而战的殖民地战争，他却不是一名军人。杰斐逊是帮助我们组成我们国家的两部文件——独立宣言和人权法案的主要起草人。杰斐逊坚持每个州在新美国政府中都要起到很重要的作用，那时主要的政治党派联邦党并不赞成他的想法。所以，杰斐逊组建了一个新的党派，民主共和党。在成为总统之前，杰斐逊是美国驻法国大使。当上总统以后，他用1.5亿美元买下了路易斯安那州，使美国领土扩大了一倍。接着他派出了探险者刘易斯和克拉克去开发这片土地。杰斐逊是位政治家、教育家、建筑师、发明家、科学农业的先驱、音乐家还有作家。在成为总统前后，杰斐逊都以一种持久的方式对新国家做出自己的贡献。
亚伯拉罕·林肯被认为是美国历史上最伟大的总统。林肯年轻时做过很多的工作，包括木工和在军中服役。甚至在他成为总统之前，林肯就认为美国应该团结一致才能变得强大。尽管如此，林肯的观点并不被认同，而且他也不是一位受欢迎的候选人。南方种植园主视林肯为敌人，认为他没有顾及他们的利益。尽管存在这么多的问题，林肯还是当选为总统。在1861年他就职典礼后不久，南北战争爆发。林肯带领国民度过南北战争，他在盖茨堡的演讲鼓舞了已疲倦的北方民众，激励他们为自由而战。他也在解放宣言中规定了奴隶是自由的。林肯有生之年，看到了南北战争结束，叛军司令罗伯特·李于1865年投降。但是，在南方军队投降5天后，林肯在华盛顿福特剧院观看《美国表兄》演出时遇刺身亡。
练习
用适当的词填空。
1．亚当斯是乔治·华盛顿的 总统。
2．亚当斯是 条约的起草人之一，这部条约结束了美国的革命战争。
3．亚当斯的妻子名叫 。
4．他们有一个当总统的 。
5．杰斐逊是驻 的大使。
6．杰斐逊派 和 去开发新领土。
7．杰斐逊是 法案起草人之一。
8．林肯最有名的观点是 。
9． 的投降结束了南北战争。
1．vice 2．Paris 3．Abigail 4．son 5．France
6．Lewis，Clark 7．Rights