英語故事:關於美國總統的腦筋急轉彎
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。
美國人在選舉總統的時候，並不偏好某一類人。無論是高是矮，儀表堂堂還是相貌平平，有文化還是沒文化，無賴還是聖人，都會入主白宮，擔任三軍總司令(美國總統即爲美國最高行政長官及三軍總司令)。
The following questions delve behind the formal portraits of our nation's Presidents to reveal their idiosyncrasies, oddities andironies。
下面的這些問題瞄準了歷屆美國總統外表下的習性、怪癖和叫人啼笑皆非的趣事
Q. WhichPresident's son was personally affected by three Presidential assassinations?
哪個總統的兒子親身感受了三次總統暗殺行動？
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 raildepot where the 20th President, James Garfield, was shot and killedin 1881. In 1901 Lincoln was in Buffalo at the Pan-American Exposition, where 25th President William Mc Kinley was reafter Lincoln avoided functions where a President waspresent。
答案：亞伯拉罕·林肯的小兒子羅伯特·託德。1865年美國第16任總統林肯在福特劇院被暗殺的時候他就在父親身邊。16年之後的1881年，美國第20任總統詹姆斯·加菲爾德在華盛頓車站遇刺身亡的時候他也在場。而1901年美國第25任總統威廉·麥金萊在布法羅的泛美博覽會上遇刺，他依舊在場。此後林肯就避免在有總統在場的社會活動中出現。
Q. Which President was also a King?
哪位是總統也是國王？
A. Gerald Ford. Bornin 1913 as Leslie L. King, Jr., his mother divorced and stepfather informally adopted him, renaming him Gerald 。
答案：傑拉爾德·福特。(美國第38任總統，1974-1976年在任)
生於1913年的他本名Leslie L. King,Jr.，因爲目前離異再婚，他被繼父收養，改名爲GeraldR. Ford。
Q. Which President, while living in the White House,regularly skinny-dipped in the Potomac River?
哪個總統住在白宮期間，定期在白宮邊的波托馬可河裏裸泳？
A. Between 1825 and 1829 there was a "moon" on the Potomacaround 5 a.m., when John Quincy Adams stripped down and took hismorning constitutional。
答案：約翰·Q·亞當斯。(美國第6任總統，1825-1829年在任)
在他任期內的1825-1829年間，早上五點左右，他會脫掉衣服，光着屁股在波托馬可河裏進行他的晨泳。
Q. Which President is credited with saving 77 lives?
哪個總統救過77條人命？
A. Ronald Reagan, asa lifeguard in his hometown of Dixon, Ill. But some of the rescuesmay have been young women faking it simply to get the handsome"Dutch" Reagan's attention。
答案：羅納德·里根。(美國第40任總統，1981-1988年在任)
里根是他家鄉伊利諾斯州迪克森的救生員。但是他救的人當中也許有一些年輕女性是佯裝落水以引起英俊瀟灑的里根的注意。
Q. Which two Presidents died on the Fourth of July,1826?
哪兩個總統均死於1826年7月4日？
as Jefferson and John Adams, 50 years to the day after theDeclaration of Independence。
答案：托馬斯·傑斐遜(美國第3任總統，1801-1809年在任)和約翰·亞當斯(美國第2任總統，1797-1801年在任)。
他們均死於獨立宣言發表50週年紀念日。
Q. Which President was taught by his wife to readand write?
哪個總統的讀寫是老婆教的？
1827, in Greeneville, Tenn., Eliza McCardle, 16, married AndrewJohnson, 18. He was a tailor who could barely read or write. Yet hewas extremely ambitious. In the evening his wife taught him to readand write. And from there his political career took off, from mayorof his town to governor to Vice President and finallyPresident。
答案：安德魯·約翰遜(美國第17任總統，1865-1869年在任)
1827年，18歲的安德魯約翰遜在田納西州的格林維爾迎娶了16歲的姑娘伊萊扎·麥卡德爾。他是一個裁縫，沒有受過正規教育，但是卻野心勃勃。傍晚，他的妻子就教他讀書寫字。他的政治生涯就是從格林維爾開始的。他擔任過格林維爾市長，美國副總統，直到1985年當選爲美國總統。
Q. Who was the first President to play Little Leaguebaseball?
誰是第一個參加過少年棒球聯賽的總統？
ge W. Bush, for the Midland, Texas, Cubs from 1954 to 1958. Hiscoach, Frank Ittner, now 94 years old, recalls Bush as a finedefensive catcher who needed work on his hitting。
答案：喬治·沃特·布什(美國第43任總統，2001-至今)
小布什在1954至1958年間曾是德克薩斯州米德蘭小熊隊的一員。他的教練，現已94歲高齡的弗蘭克·伊特納回憶起小布什來是這麼評價的：防守接球不錯，但擊球技術有待加強。
