双语新闻：白宫花园对美国的诠释

The earliest presidents who lived in the White House did not want the large outdoor areas that the monarchs of Europe might enjoy.

最早住在白宫的总统们并不想要欧洲君主们可能享受的大片户外空间。

Marta McDowell is writer of All the Presidents' Gardens. She said, "You can understand that, given our democratic form of government." But she said she thinks that a visit to the home of the British royal family, Buckingham Palace, caused President John Kennedy to expand the White House gardens.

玛尔塔·麦克道尔是《总统花园》一书的作者。她说:“考虑到我们的民主政府，你可以理解这一点。”但她说，她认为是约翰·肯尼迪总统参观了英国王室的住所白金汉宫，才扩大了白宫的花园。

From the start, presidents and their families influenced the 7.2 hectares of open space in the front and back of the White House differently. Their choices often showed their values and traditions of their day.

从一开始，总统和他们的家人就对白宫前后7.2公顷的空地产生了不同的影响。他们的选择往往体现了他们当时的价值观和传统。

McDowell said that the White House is "really their home" while they are in office. She added that as long as they work with the historic plan of the gardens the National Park Service tries to meet the desires of the administration. The National Park Service oversees the gardens.

麦克道尔说，在他们执政期间，白宫是他们“真正的家”。她补充说，只要它们符合花园的历史规划，国家公园管理局就会努力满足政府的愿望。国家公园管理局负责监督这些花园。

John Quincy Adams, America's sixth president, worked in the garden. Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president, took down glass structures called greenhouses that were first built by James Buchanan, the 15th president, in the 1850s.

美国第六任总统约翰·昆西·亚当斯曾在花园里工作。第26任总统西奥多·罗斯福拆除了由第15任总统詹姆斯·布坎南于19世纪50年代首先建造的被称为温室的玻璃建筑。

John Kennedy, the 35th president, redesigned one garden called the Rose Garden in the 1960s. First lady Michelle Obama, wife of the 44th president, built a food garden using plants and seeds from the home of Thomas Jefferson, the third president. Today, the garden has more than 50 kinds of vegetables.

美国第35任总统约翰·肯尼迪在20世纪60年代重新设计了一个名为“玫瑰园”的花园。第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马，第44任总统的妻子，用第三任总统托马斯·杰斐逊家里的植物和种子建造了一个食物花园。如今，菜园里有50多种蔬菜。

Pierre L'Enfant was the city planner and architect for America's first president, George Washington. At first, he planned for a 30-hectare presidential garden. However, as a believer in small government, Jefferson reduced the White House grounds to just 2 hectares. The gardens were expanded to the current 7.2 hectares.

皮埃尔·朗方是美国第一任总统乔治·华盛顿的城市规划师和建筑师。起初，他计划建一个30公顷的总统花园。然而，作为一个小政府的信徒，杰斐逊把白宫的土地减少到只有2公顷。花园扩大到目前的7.2公顷。

Jefferson, like many Americans who had just freed themselves from a British monarch, was concerned about creating a new king.

杰斐逊和许多刚刚摆脱英国君主统治的美国人一样，关心的是创造一位新国王。

"Avoid palaces and gardens of palaces," William Thornton, a Washington city representative warned. "If you build a palace with gardens, I will find you a king."

“远离宫殿和宫殿的花园，”华盛顿市代表威廉·桑顿警告说。“如果你建一座带花园的宫殿，我就给你找一个国王。”

Over time, several different plants and flowers were planted at the White House. They include roses which have been around since at least Jefferson's time. They also include peonies, wanted by first lady first lady Nancy Reagan of the 40th president, and Texas bluebells, asked for by first lady Laura Bush of the 43rd president.

随着时间的推移，白宫种植了几种不同的植物和鲜花。其中包括至少从杰斐逊时代就已经存在的玫瑰。这些礼物还包括第40任总统的第一夫人南希·里根想要的牡丹，以及第43任总统的第一夫人劳拉·布什想要的德州风信子。

Oak and elm trees have also been on the White House grounds almost since the beginning. One tree, a chestnut oak southeast of the White House, might be the oldest tree on the grounds. The White House says it has been around since 1800.

橡树和榆树也几乎从一开始就在白宫的土地上。白宫东南方向的一棵栗树可能是这片土地上最古老的树。白宫表示，该法案自1800年以来一直存在。

McDowell says the White House gardens represent gardening tradition over time. First it followed designs in Europe, and then it was shaped by local traditions, the area, and the climate.

麦克道尔说，白宫花园代表了长期以来的园艺传统。首先，它遵循了欧洲的设计，然后受到当地传统、地区和气候的影响。

But she said, "It's not that they are always the leader. In fact, sometimes they're following."

但她说:“这并不是说他们总是领导者。事实上，有时候他们会跟着你。”

The White house grounds were open to the public up until 1923. That was when Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president, permanently closed them to unapproved visitors.

白宫一直对公众开放到1923年。当时，第30任总统卡尔文·柯立芝永久禁止未经批准的游客参观。

These days, the White House Garden planned visits for the public are usually available for the public twice a year, one weekend in the spring and again in autumn.

如今，白宫花园计划向公众开放的时间通常一年两次，一个周末在春季，另一个周末在秋季。

McDowell said, "They are full of tradition. They're full of beauty."

麦克道尔说:“他们充满了传统。它们充满了美。”