So, uh . . . as Jim said, James Polk was the eleventh President, and . . . uh . . . well, my report’s about the next President—Zachary Taylor. Taylor was elected in 1849. It’s surprising because . . . well, he was the first President that didn’t have any previous political experience. The main reason he was chosen as a candidate was because he was a war hero. In the army, his men called him “Old Rough and Ready“. I guess because of his . . . “rough edges.” He was kind of blunt and he didn’t really look like a military hero. He liked to do things like wear civilian clothes instead of a uniform, even in battle. And he was so short and plump he had to be lifted up onto his horse. But he did win a lot of battles and he became more and more popular. So, the Whig party decided to nominate him for the presidency, even though no one knew anything about where he stood on the issues. I couldn’t find much about his accomplishments, probably because he was only in office about a year and a half before he died. But one thing, he pushed for the development of the transcontinental railroad because he thought it was important to form a link with the West Coast. There was a lot of wealth in California and Oregon from commerce and minerals and stuff. Also, he established an agricultural bureau in the Department of the Interior and promoted more government aid to agriculture. Well, that’s about all I found. Like I said, he died in office in 1850, so his Vice President took over, and that’s the next report, so . . . thank you.

【生词摘录】

1. rough and ready:crude but effective for the purpose at hand马虎的(粗犷 而有能力的,大致不差的)
2. rough:adj.having an uneven surface(表面)粗糙的,不平的
3. edge: n. [C]the part of an object that is furthest from its center 边,边缘
4. blunt: adj. speaking in an honest way even if this upsets people(说话)不客气的,直言不讳的
5. civilian: n. anyone who is not a member of the army, navy, airforce, or police 非军人,文职人员;平民,百姓
6. uniform:n.aparticulartypeofclothingwornbyallthemembersofagroup or organization such as the police, the army etc(警察、军人等穿的)制服
7. plump: adj. a word meaning pleasantly fat, often used when you want toavoid saying the word fat 丰满的,胖乎乎的
8. nominate:v.toofficiallysuggestsomeoneforanimportantposition,duty,or prize 提名,推荐
9. presidency: n. [C]the job of president 总统(主席,校长等)的职位
10. 10.accomplishment: n. [C]something successful or impressive that is achieved after a lot of effort and hard work; achievement 成就,成绩
11. transcontinental: adj. crossing a continent 横贯大陆的
12. Oregon: 俄勒冈
13. bureau: n. especially AmE a government department or a part of agovernment department 【尤美】(政府部门的)司;局;处;

文波讲词：

cand 白   candle

candidate [‘kændɪdeɪt]               n.  申请人,候选人,考生-古罗马人身着白袍，以示清白

candid [‘kændɪd]                  adj.  坦白的   acid  adj. 酸的 A