(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember. July Fourth is America's birthday. This year is the two
hundred thirtieth anniversary of independence.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Thousands of people are expected to celebrate Independence Day at Mount
Vernon, Virginia, the home of George Washington.
As a general, he led an army of colonists against British rule. Later George
Washington became the first president of the United States. He helped the nation
grow during its very early, very difficult days.
July Fourth celebrations take place each year at Mount Vernon. But organizers
at the home of the man they call the first American hero say this year is
special. There will be an expanded military presence eighteenth century
military, that is. Members of groups including the Fifes and Drums of Prince
William the Third will perform.
VOICE TWO:
Visitors will listen to eighteenth century and modern music as they eat
birthday cake to celebrate the Fourth of July. And the George Washington Chapter
of the Sons of the American Revolution will lead a procession. It will end at
George Washington’s burial marker.
There will be actors dressed as George and Martha Washington. And visitors
will hear a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
VOICE ONE:
Holiday observances also take place at Monticello, the Virginia home of
Thomas Jefferson. Like Washington, Jefferson was a hero of America's earliest
days. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. And he became the third
president of the United States.
At Monticello a naturalization ceremony will be held to swear in new American
citizens. This Independence Day event has been a yearly tradition since 1963.
Almost three thousand people have been sworn in as citizens at the Fourth of
July ceremonies at Monticello.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence after war began
between the American colonies and their British rulers. King George the Third of
England taxed the colonies, but they could not elect members to Parliament.
Taxation without representation angered the colonists. So did other British laws
for the colonies.
In 1775, the first Americans died in battle against British troops. Some
colonists remained loyal to England. But others were in full rebellion.
Among them was Richard Henry Lee. Lee represented Virginia in the Continental
Congress in Philadelphia. On June seventh, 1776, he proposed a resolution. The
resolution said Congress should declare America free of British rule.
VOICE ONE:
A committee was named to prepare the document. Thomas Jefferson wrote it
between June eleventh and June twenty-eighth. And on July fourth, 1776, members
of the Second Continental Congress approved it. They called it "The unanimous
declaration of the thirteen United States of America."
Listen now to some of the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence.
READER:
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal,
that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure
these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers
from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes
destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles,
and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to
effect their Safety and Happiness."
VOICE TWO:
Today the original Declaration of Independence is shown at the National
Archives building in Washington, D.C.
VOICE ONE:
Independence Day is celebrated across the country as a national holiday. But
it was not always that way.
Federal law says Congress can declare official holidays only for federal
employees and the District of Columbia. States and local governments can choose
to observe these holidays or declare their own.
Massachusetts became the first state to officially recognize Independence
Day. That is where the Revolutionary War began. Massachusetts declared the
Fourth of July a holiday in 1781. Two years later, Boston, Massachusetts, became
the first city to make Independence Day an official holiday.
VOICE TWO:
Outdoor gatherings with family and friends are a Fourth of July tradition.
And no picnic meal would be complete without one of the favorite sweet fruits of
summer -- watermelon.
“We get the watermelon all over our faces and hands," says a woman from
Valencia, California. "Sometimes insects bite us. Or we get too much sun. But it
would not be the Fourth of July without a picnic."
Patriotic music is another Fourth of July tradition. Listen as Faith Hill
sings "The Star-Spangled Banner."
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Francis Scott Key wrote the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner" in 1814 as
America and Britain were at war. The poet and lawyer watched as British forces
attacked Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.
After the battle ended, he could see that the American flag still waved above
the fort. He wrote a poem and said it should be sung to the music of the popular
English song "To Anacreon in Heaven."
That poem later became America's national anthem .
But some people say the high notes are too difficult to sing, or the words do
not make enough sense. Some think "America the Beautiful" would make a better
national anthem.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Cities and towns of all sizes hold Independence Day celebrations. Hebron,
Indiana, with a population of less than four thousand, will hold a parade. In
California, the Taiwan Visitors Association is one of the organizers of a music
and fireworks show planned in San Francisco.
Not surprisingly, some of the biggest Fourth of July celebrations take place
in the nation's capital. The National Independence Day Parade in Washington
includes invited bands from across the country.
VOICE ONE:
Then, in the evening, the National Symphony Orchestra performs a free
concert. The event takes place on the West Lawn of the Capitol building, where
Congress meets.
People gather along the National Mall to listen to the music. The United States
Army Salute Battery provides cannon fire during the "Eighteen-Twelve Overture"
by Tchaikovsky. And, weather permitting, the night ends with a big
fireworks show over the Washington Monument.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Mario Ritter. I'm
Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. You can download a transcript and audio of this show
at voaspecialenglish.com. And we hope you can join us again next week for THIS
IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.
national
anthem : 國(guó)歌
（來(lái)源：VOA 英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯）
