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Majestic Mount Rushmore 鬼斧神工的巨岩雕像：总统山

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Egypt may have the Sphinx, but when it comes to colossal monuments, America has its own answer: Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Located in the Midwestern state of South Dakota, these four presidential sculptures carved into the face of a mountain loom large over the surrounding landscape. Here’s the story behind the sculptures.

当谈论到巨大的纪念像时，埃及有人面狮身像，但美国也有自己的代表：拉希莫山国家纪念区（又称「总统山」）。四位总统的雕像被刻蚀于南达科他州的山壁上，在四周环绕的山景里显得峨然矗立。本文即为这些雕像的故事：

Back in 1923, elderly South Dakota historian, Doane Robinson, had a dream of a huge mountain memorial that would have tourists flocking to his home state. Some thought his idea was pure genius, and others believed it to be nothing more than the ramblings of an old fool. But once Robinson had the backing of a South Dakota Senator and sculptor Gutzon Borglum on board, all doubts were cast aside.

时间回溯至1923年，一位年老的南达科他州历史学家多恩．罗宾逊梦想当地能有座大山纪念像，以吸引旅客蜂拥而至。有些人觉得他的点子很不错，但其他人觉得此想法纯属一名老傻瓜的胡言乱语。但当罗宾逊一获得美国参议院南达科他州代表与雕刻师傅博格．勒姆的支持后，所有对罗宾逊的疑虑也一扫而空。

Originally, Robinson wanted to memorialize heroes of the American West, but Borglum convinced him that they should honor men who helped shape America’s identity. Thus, four great presidents were selected to be immortalized.

罗宾逊原先的构想是纪念美国西部英雄，但勒姆说服罗宾逊，作为荣耀之人应为美国的象征。所以，四位伟大的总统被选为雕刻在总统山上，使其永垂不朽。

Selecting the first president of the United States, George Washington, was a no-brainer. He is considered the father of the nation, and led the colonists in their victorious battle against the British forces in the American Revolution. Then there’s Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence – a document that has inspired the growth of democracy around the world. Theodore Roosevelt was selected for helping America become a global economic superpower as it entered the 20th century. And last but not least, Abraham Lincoln was chosen for holding America together during the Civil War and abolishing slavery.

选择将乔治．华盛顿的雕像刻于总统山是必然的做法，因为他是美国第一任总统。身为美国国父，华盛顿在美国革命战争中带领殖民地人民击退英军。华盛顿雕像旁的托马斯．杰斐逊则是《独立宣言》起草人。独立宣言后来推动了全世界的民主思潮。西奥多．罗斯福则因使美国在20世纪时成为全球经济强权而入列。最后一位但也同等重要的是亚伯拉罕．林肯。林肯在美国内战时促使美国团结并废除奴隶制度，故亦被选入总统山的雕像群之中。

Vocabulary

单词发音

Sphinx [sfɪŋks]（古埃及）n. 狮身人面像

colossal [kəˋlɑs!] adj. 巨大的；庞大的

memorial [məˋmorɪəl] n. 纪念物；纪念碑

flock [flɑk] v. 聚集；成群地去

genius [ˋdʒinjəs] n. 天资，天赋，才华

rambling [ˋræmblɪŋ] n. 漫无边际的聊天

backing [ˋbækɪŋ] n. 支持

sculptor [ˋskʌlptɚ] n. 雕刻家

convince [kənˋvɪns] v. 使信服；说服

immortalize [ɪˋmɔrt!͵aɪz] v. 使不朽; 使名垂千古

no-brainer 无需用脑的事；容易的事

colonist [ˋkɑlənɪst] n. 殖民地开拓者

victorious [vɪkˋtorɪəs] adj. 战胜的；凯旋的

declaration [͵dɛkləˋreʃən] n. 宣言

slavery [ˋslevərɪ] n. 奴隶制；蓄奴

More Information

单词发音

loom large 显得突出  if a subject looms large, it causes people to think or worry a lot; to be important

nothing more than 只是, 仅仅是...而已 only

on board 愿意参加  if someone is on board, they are working with an organization or group of people

cast aside 抛弃; 排除  to throw away

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Of course, planning and carving a monument on such a grand scale was no easy task. The actual carving of Mount Rushmore didn’t begin until 1927, and took 14 painstaking years to complete. Dynamite was used to remove granite from the face of Mount Rushmore, and more than 800 million pounds of stone would be carted away from the mountain by the time the project was completed. Once the blasting was done, drillers moved in, with the final finesse work being done with a hammer and chisel. Everyone who worked on the project had to climb almost 700 stairs to the top and be lowered down the 500 foot rock face in what was called a “bosun” chair every day.

当然，计划雕出一座如此巨大的纪念像与实际动工都绝非易事。总统山直到1927年才开工，前后花了艰巨的14年才告竣工。移除总统山的花冈岩时需使用炸药，工程完成后总计移除了超过八亿吨的石头。一旦爆破工作完成，钻工即用铁锤与凿子进行最后修补。参与这项计划的每个人都必须要爬700个阶梯才能爬至总统山顶端，并每天以吊椅垂吊至离地500英呎的高度。

The initial plan was to carve the presidents from head to waist, but funding only allowed for the heads to be completed. Each of the heads is 60 feet, making them as tall as the Great Sphinx. The noses alone are 20 feet long, the mouths are 18 feet wide, and the eyes are 11 feet across.

最初的总统山计划是刻出从头到腰际的雕像，但碍于经费问题，只有头部完成。头部达60呎高，几乎与人面狮身像同高。单单鼻子就有20呎长，嘴部则有18呎宽，双眼则有11呎宽。

These colossal heads require a lot of upkeep, as America’s founding fathers should always look their best. Today, maintenance staff must dangle in harnesses in front of these imposing figures just as the people who carved the monument did 60 years ago. But it’s a small price to pay to preserve America’s shrine of democracy and freedom.

这些巨大的头像需有相当之维护，因为美国的开国先祖们可需时时以最好的一面示人。今日，维修人员如同60年前刻出此山的人们一般，必须穿戴索具在这些宏伟的石像前摆荡以进行修护工作，但为了维护此一美国民主与自由象征之宝殿，这些维护工作都不算什么。

－by Joe Henley

Vocabulary

单词发音

painstaking [penz͵tekɪŋ] adj. 刻苦的，不辞辛劳的

dynamite [ˋdaɪnə͵maɪt] n. 炸药

granite [ˋgrænɪt] n. 花岗岩

cart [kɑrt] v. 用运货车装运

blasting [ˋblæstɪŋ] n. 爆炸

driller [ˋdrɪlɚ] n. 钻孔者

finesse [fəˋnɛs] n. 技巧；手段

chisel [ˋtʃɪz!] n. 凿子

bosun [ˈbosən] n. 吊椅

waist [west] n. 腰，腰部

funding [ˋfʌndɪŋ] n. 资金；基金

upkeep [ˋʌp͵kip] n.（房屋，设备等的）保养，维修

dangle [ˋdæŋg!] v. 悬摆

harness [ˋhɑrnɪs] n. 挽具状带子；安全带

imposing [ɪmˋpozɪŋ] adj. 壮观的；气势宏伟的

shrine [ʃraɪn] n. 圣地；神圣场所

Reading Questions

1.    What do we know from the article about Doane Robinson?

(A)  He was a historian who specialized in studying American presidents.

(B)  He came up with the idea for a large memorial in South Dakota.

(C)  He spent 14 years sculpting rocks to create Mount Rushmore.

(D)  Along with Gutzon Borglum, he was a hero in the America West.

2.    When did the construction on Mount Rushmore start?

(A)  1914.

(B)  1923.

(C)  1927.

(D)  1941.

3.    What similarity do Mount Rushmore and the Great Sphinx of Egypt share?

(A)  The Great Sphinx is as tall as each of the president’s heads.

(B)  Both the Great Sphinx and Mount Rushmore took 14 years to complete.

(C)  Both sculptures were designed to represent democracy and freedom.

(D)  Neither of them are as large as they were first expected to be.

4.    Which of the following is NOT true about Mount Rushmore?

(A)  One president featured on it wrote a very famous American document.

(B)  It takes a great deal of work to keep the memorial in good condition.

(C)  The building of this South Dakotan monument took more than ten years.

(D)  Originally, four different presidents were supposed to be pictured on it.  

Mount Rushmore National Memorial - U.S. National Park Service

Construction of Mount Rushmore National Memorial

making Mt. Rushmore documentary, Gutzon Borglum designer/sculptor

Answer