第6章　建在沼澤里的城市

大家戴在腦袋上的帽子（cap），意思就是“頭”。

一名上尉（captain），指的也是“頭兒”，因為他是一個連隊里的士兵的頭兒。

而一座首府（capital），也有“頭”的意思，因為它是一個國家或者一個州領頭的城市。

我小的時候，就居住在美國的首都（capital），不過，那時我并沒有在美國的國會大廈（Capitol）里住過。這聽上去很好玩，但事實卻正是如此，因為在英語里，這是兩個同音詞。capital指的是一座城市，Capitol指的則是一座大樓。我呢，自然沒有在國會大廈這棟大樓里住過。連美國總統，也不住在那里呢。

美國剛剛建國的時候，人們想要找到一個適合的地方，來作為首都。他們考查過八個地方，最終選定了一處沼澤，認為那里最適合于建立首都，因為在當時，那里就在美國中部地區的附近。于是，人們在那里修建起了一座城市，并且根據喬治·華盛頓的名字，將那里命名為華盛頓市，因為喬治·華盛頓是合眾國的第一任總統。甚至到了我小的時候，大家都還把華盛頓市里的一個地區稱為“沼澤潭”或者“沼澤池”呢。我很想知道，目前住在那里的孩子們，是不是還會這樣來稱呼那個地區。如今，這里已經成為世界上最美麗的一座城市，里面有著許多秀美的公園和漂亮的建筑。喬治·華盛頓可沒有在華盛頓市里居住過。他住在離該市大約十英

has.

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.

When I was a boy I thought the Capitol was the most beautiful building in the World. Since then I have seen nearly all of the most beautiful buildings in the World, and I have changed my mind.I have even seen a building fit to be in Heaven.I used to make a copy of the Capitol as nearly as I could in my sand-pile.I would fill a shoe-box with wet sand, then turn it carefully upside down so as to empty it out without breaking, and I made the dome on top in the same way with a tea-cup.

I thought all capitols of other countries must have domes too. I didn't learn until later that not capitols but churches were the first buildings to have domes, and that many capitols have no domes.As a boy I used to climb to the top of the dome—for there was no elevator—to see the view of the city, and to look down on the inside at the floor far below where people walking seemed like ants crawling.

里以外、屬于弗吉尼亞州一個叫作“弗農山”的地方。現在，華盛頓市處于美國的邊上，距美國的中心地帶有一千多英里遠了呢。不是這座首都移動了，而是美國的中心地帶轉移了。

在美國，總共有二十八座城市，都叫“華盛頓”。首都華盛頓市在地圖上看來，似乎位于馬里蘭州，可實際上并非如此。它沒有位于任何一個州里。作為全國的首都，它必須有一塊屬于自己的地盤才是，于是，這處地盤便被稱為“哥倫比亞特區”，或者簡稱“特區”。哥倫比亞特區，是用發現美洲的哥倫布這個人物的名字來命名的。因此，假如你們要給首都華盛頓的哪個人寫信的話，那就必須非常仔細，得在“華盛頓市”后面加上“特區”才行，因為美國有那么多以華盛頓的名字來命名的市鎮和城市，如果不加上“特區”二字的話，你們的信件可能就到不了正確的城市呢。

小的時候，我曾經以為國會大廈是世界上最漂亮的一座建筑。自那以后，由于已經見過了世界上差不多所有最漂亮的建筑，因此我不再那樣認為了。我甚至還見過一座堪稱天上才有的建筑呢。以前在玩堆沙的時候，幾乎只要做得到，我都會用沙子堆出國會大廈的模樣來。我會用一個鞋盒子裝滿濕沙，然后小心翼翼地將盒子倒過來，倒出里面的沙子，不讓沙子散開，接著再用同樣的方法，用一只茶杯在上On one side of the Capitol is a large room called the Senate, and on the other side is a still larger room called the House of Representatives.In both the Senate and the House of Representatives men sit at desks like boys in school.These men are the ones who make our laws, which are rules that everybody in the United States must obey.The men in the Senate are called Senators.The men in the House are called Representatives.When I say“men，”I mean women too, for some of the Senators and Representatives are women.

Each State chooses two Senators to go to the Capitol in Washington. No matter whether the State is big like Texas or whether it is little like Rhode Island, it sends only two Senators.And each State also sends to the Capitol in Washington other men or women called Representatives, but the number of Representatives each State sends depends on the number of people in the State；New York has the most people, so it sends the most Representatives.Several States have so few people that they send only one Representative.The Senate and the House of Representatives together are called“Congress，”and when Congress is holding a meeting a flag is flying over the Capitol.

Look in the front of this book or any other book and you will see printed there“Copyright.”Just across a park from the Capitol is a large building with a golden dome on top. This building is the Library of Congress.Every one in the United States

面做出一個穹頂來。

我曾經以為，其他國家的國會大廈，一定也都建有穹頂。直到后來我才知道，最先修建穹頂的可不是國會大廈，而是教堂，并且許多的國會大廈也沒有修建穹頂。小的時候，我經常爬到那座穹頂上面（因為那時還沒有電梯），去觀看這座城市，去俯瞰國會大廈的內部，人們遠遠地在下面的地上走動，似乎就是一只只爬動著的螞蟻呢。

國會大廈一側，有一個巨大的房間，叫作參議院，而另一側還有一個更大的房間，叫作眾議院。在參議院和眾議院里，人們都是像學校里的學生一樣，坐在桌子旁邊。這些人，就是為美國制定法律，即制定合眾國里任何人都必須遵守的規定的人。參議院里的人，叫作參議員。眾議院里的人，則叫眾議員。我說的“人們”當中，也有女性，因為有些參議員和眾議員就是女性議員。

每個州都會推選出兩名參議員，入駐位于華盛頓市的國會大廈。不管一個州是像得克薩斯那樣的大州，還是像羅德島這樣的小州，都只能派出兩名參議員。每個州還會向位于華盛頓市的國會大廈派駐眾議員，男女都有，可各州所派眾議員的數量，卻取決于各州的人口數量。紐約州的人口最多，因此該州派駐的眾議員人數也最多。有好幾個州，都由于人口太少，因此只能派出一名眾議員呢。參議院與眾議院合稱為“國會”，每當國會舉行會議的時候，國會大樓上方都會飄揚著一面美國國旗。

who prints a book sends two copies of it to this library, and the library sends him a“copy right，”which means that no one else has the“right”to copy it or print it without his permission. In the Library of Congress there are more books than in any other building in the country.

Look on your camera or phonograph, or any other machine in your home, and see if you can find the word“Patented.''Any one in the country who invents anything new and useful—whether it is a fountain-pen, an airplane, or a mouse-trap—sends one—a model, it is called—to another building in Washington called the Patent Office and asks for a patent. If the thing is really new and no one has ever made anything of the kind before, the Patent Office gives him the sole right to make and sell it, and no one else is allowed to make or sell it.That is called a patent.Some of the models are very curious.One model that some one had invented was a steam-engine that walked with iron legs.When-I-was-a-boy I invented a“snapback”handkerchief.I would blow my nose, then let go the handkerchief, and a rubber pulled it back into my pocket.But I didn't get a patent.

Parades！Soldiers！Bands of music！Flying flags！Some of the greatest parades have passed down a very wide street in Washington called Pennsylvania Avenue, or usually just“The Avenue.”It might be called“Parade Avenue.”It stretches from the Capitol to another building about a mile away that looks like a big bank. This other building is called the Treasury.There is a picture of it on the$10 bill.In the Treasury is kept money of the United States.We write United States with two letters, U.S.，and we write the sign for

看一看本書的前部，或者看一看其他任何一本書的前部，大家就會發現，這些書上都印有“版權”兩個字。與國會大廈隔著一個公園相對而立的，是一棟樓頂建有一座金色穹頂的大樓。這座大樓，就是國會圖書館。美國國內每個出版圖書的人，都會送上兩冊到這座圖書館來，而這座圖書館則會把一種所謂的“復制權”授予給那個人，這就意味著，未經此人許可，其他任何人都沒有“權利”來復制或者出版該書了。國會圖書館里的藏書，比美國國內其他任何一棟建筑里面的藏書都要多。

看一看家里的照相機、留聲機，或者家中其他的機器設備，看你們能不能找出“專利”這個詞來。美國國內任何一個發明了新穎、有用之物的人，無論他發明的是一支自來水筆、一架飛機還是一臺捕鼠器，都會送上一件所謂的“樣品”，到華盛頓市另一座叫作“專利局”的建筑里去，并且要求獲得專利。如果發明的東西的確新穎，并且以前從未有人發明過同類之物，“專利局”便會授予發明者獨家生產并銷售這種東西的權利。這種權利，就叫專利。其中有些樣品非常古怪。有個人發明的一件樣品，竟然是一臺用兩條鐵腿走路的蒸汽發動機。小的時候，我也發明過一種“迅速復原”的手帕呢。擤完鼻涕之后，我放開手帕，一根橡皮筋便會把手帕拽回我的口袋里去。不過，我并沒有獲得這種手帕的專利。

游行隊伍！士兵！樂隊！飛揚的旗幟！華盛頓市里一條叫作“賓夕法尼亞大道”的寬闊街道上，曾經舉辦過一些最為盛大的游行活動，這條大街，人們通常都簡稱為“大道”。其實，它也可以稱為“游行大道”。它從國會大廈開始，延伸到

“dollars”with the same two letters, written one on top of the other, with the bottom of the“U”cut off—thus，$.

Paper money and postage-stamps are printed in another building.

“You see that man over there turning the handle of that printing-press?”says the guide who shows you around.“He makes a million dollars a day！”

“Whew！He must be the richest man in the World.”

“Oh, no. He only gets$5 a day.”

The money made out of silver, and gold, and copper is made in another city—not in Washington—at a place called the Mint.

When I was a boy I had an old bookcase which I called my museum. In it I had a starfish, some shells, a bird's nest, a“gold”rock, and so forth.In Washington there is a large museum called the National Museum in which there is a huge collection of all sorts of curious and remarkable things from all over the World.

There are many white houses in the country, but next door to the Treasury is a White House that is different from any other, for in this house the President lives. There is a picture of it on the$20 bill.From the back porch of The White House the latest President of the United States can look across his back yard and see a monument to the First President—-Washington.The Washington Monument is the highest piece of stone work in the World.It's like a giant finger, five hundred and fifty-five feet high.It seemed a mile high, but it is really only about a tenth of a mile high—not even as high as a low mountain.

了大約一英里之外的另一棟建筑，那座大廈的樣子，就像是一家大型的銀行。這棟建筑，叫作財政部大樓。在面值十美元的紙幣上，就印有這座大樓的照片。財政部大樓里，保存著美國的貨幣。我們將美國縮寫成U.S.，并且也用這兩個字母來書寫“美元”的符號：將它們疊起來，然后切掉U字的底部，就變成了$。

美國的紙幣和郵票，卻是在另一棟大樓里印制的。

“大家看到那邊那個轉動印刷機手柄的人了嗎？”帶領你們參觀的導游說。“他每天都會印出一百萬美元來呢！”

“嗬！那他一定是世界上最富有的人了。”

“噢，可不是那么回事。他每天的工資只有五美元。”

銀幣、金幣和銅幣，則是在華盛頓以外的另一座城市里，在一個叫作鑄幣廠的地方制造出來的。

小的時候，我曾經有過一只舊書柜，并稱它是我的博物館。書柜里，我存放了一只海星、一些貝殼、一個鳥巢、一塊“金”石頭，以及諸如此類的東西。而在華盛頓，也有一座大型的博物館，叫作“國家博物館”，里面收藏著從世界各地搜集來的、各種各樣古怪而非凡的東西。

美國國內，有許多白色的房子，但緊挨著財政部大樓的，卻是一座與眾不同的

No man has ever been able to build as high as God. Though there is an elevator, I used to run up the stairs, two steps at a time, to the top of the monument—just for fun—to see how quickly I could do it, and whether I could beat the elevator.Boys are like that.They will run a race with anything.I could beat the elevator down by jumping half a dozen steps at a time, but not up.My heart did the beating going up.

There is a long pool of water at the foot of the Washington Monument in which you can see the monument as in a mirror. At the other end of this pool is a marble building with columns all around the four sides.It was built in honor of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President after Washington.It is probably the most thrilling memorial ever built to a

“白房子”，因為住在里面的，是美國總統。在面值二十美元的紙幣上，就印有這座房子的照片。從白宮的后陽臺上，在任的美國總統既可以眺望自家后院的景色，還能看到美國第一任總統華盛頓的紀念碑。華盛頓紀念碑，是世界上最高的一座石制藝術品。它就像是一根巨大的手指，有五百五十五英尺高呢。雖說看上去似乎高達一英里，可實際上它卻只有差不多十分之一英里高，甚至還沒有一座小山那么高。有史以來，還沒有人能夠建造出像上帝所造之物那樣高的建筑。盡管紀念碑里有電梯，但我以前經常沿著樓梯跑上去，一次跨過兩級臺階，爬到紀念碑的頂上去，這樣做只是為了好玩，只是為了看一看我能跑多快，能不能打敗那部電梯。男孩子就是那樣的。他們會為了任何東西來比賽。下來的時候，我一次可以跳下六級臺階，因此可以超過電梯，但上去的時候就不行了。往上跑時，我的心跳會不斷加快，弄得上氣不接下氣。

華盛頓紀念碑的腳下，有一個長長的水池，它就像一面鏡子，人們可以在池中

human being. There is a picture of Lincoln on the$5 bill and on the other side a picture of his Memorial.Lincoln was born in a tiny house made of logs, so small that the whole house could be put in one room of your home.No boy was ever poorer, or had less money or less chance, and yet he became President of the United States.While he was President two parts of the United States fought a terrible war with each other and almost became un-United, but Lincoln kept the States together.That's why this beautiful building was built in his honor.The only thing in the building is a statue of Lincoln sitting in a chair.He looks down on the crowds of people who visit him, as if his spirit were inside that figure of stone.

看到紀念碑的倒影。這個水池的另一端，是一座大理石建筑，其四面都有圓柱環繞。這座建筑，是為了紀念華盛頓之后、曾任美國第十六屆總統的亞伯拉罕·林肯而修建的。它很可能是有史以來為紀念一個人類而修建起來的、最令人激動的一座紀念館了。在面值五美元的紙幣上，一面印有林肯的頭像，而另一面就是他這座紀念堂的照片。林肯出生于一座小木屋里，那座小木屋實在是太小了，你們家里的一個房間就可以容納下來呢。再也沒有其他的孩子比他更窮，或者比他更沒有錢、機會更渺茫的了，可盡管如此，后來他還是成了美國的總統。他擔任總統的時候，美國的南北兩個地區之間爆發了一場可怕的戰爭，使得整個國家差一點兒就四分五裂，可林肯卻維護了美國的統一。人們之所以修建這座美麗的建筑來紀念他，原因就在于此。紀念堂里唯一的物品，就是一尊坐在椅子里的林肯雕像。他俯瞰著前來瞻仰自己的那一群群民眾，仿佛他的精神永遠活在那尊雕像里。