每日对话围绕一家人在美国50个州的旅行见闻展开。请来跟随他们一起体验地方风情和历史。这个对话系列适于中级或中级以上英语水平的学生使用。

今天他们来到弗吉尼亚州 (Virginia)的蒙蒂塞洛（Monticello），参观美国第三任总统托马斯·杰斐逊（Thomas Jefferson）的故居。

Sam: Did Thomas Jefferson live at Monticello when he was president?

Paul: No. He, like all other U.S. presidents, lived at the White House during hispresidency. The only exception is George Washington.

Claudine: So he lived here before and after he was president?

Paul: That’s right. And he loved this place. Jefferson designed the house and was even buried on the grounds here.

Gina: And it was built as a plantation house. Remember, this was during theantebellum period, and this was part of the South.

Claudine: So Jefferson had slaves?

Gina: Yes. He had several hundred slaves during his lifetime.

Paul: But while we were in Pennsylvania, we learned that he drafted the Declaration of Independence. And that document states “that all men are created equal.” How could he have slaves and still think all men are equal?

Gina: That is a great question. Perhaps we’ll learn more about him today at Monticello that will help answer your question.

让我们复习一些词语：

Thomas Jefferson : 托马斯·杰斐逊，第三任美国总统

Monticello ：蒙蒂塞洛，杰斐逊总统故居的名称

A presidency ：这里指总统任职时期

To bury ：埋葬，安葬

Grounds ：宅地

A plantation house ：种植园主宅第。A plantation：种植园（作物可包括棉花、小麦等）。历史上，美国南方的种植园主用奴隶从事种植园的农活和其他劳务。

Antebellum ：战前的；美国南北战争（Civil War）以前的（相关内容可见在宾夕法尼亚州的每日对话）

To draft : 起草（文件等）

The Declaration of Independence :《独立宣言》，宣告北美洲13个殖民地脱离英国独立的文献。《宣言》于1776年7月4日生效，故7月4日是美国国庆节，即7月4日独立日（Fourth of July and Independence Day） 。

Everyday conversations: A day at a president’s house [audio]

This series of Everyday Conversations is about a family traveling to each of the 50 states in the U.S. Join the family members as they learn about local pastimes and history. These conversations are for intermediate-level English-language learners or higher.

In this conversation, the family goes to Monticello, in Virginia, the home of the third U.S. president, Thomas Jefferson.

Sam: Did Thomas Jefferson live at Monticello when he was president?

Paul: No. He, like all other U.S. presidents, lived at the White House during hispresidency. The only exception is George Washington.

Claudine: So he lived here before and after he was president?

Paul: That’s right. And he loved this place. Jefferson designed the house and was even buried on the grounds here.

Gina: And it was built as a plantation house. Remember, this was during theantebellum period, and this was part of the South.

Claudine: So Jefferson had slaves?

Gina: Yes. He had several hundred slaves during his lifetime.

Paul: But while we were in Pennsylvania, we learned that he drafted the Declaration of Independence. And that document states “that all men are created equal.” How could he have slaves and still think all men are equal?

Gina: That is a great question. Perhaps we’ll learn more about him today at Monticello that will help answer your question.

Now let’s review the vocabulary.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States.

Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson.

A presidency is the period of time a person is president.

To bury someone means that a person who is no longer alive is placed in a grave (a hole in the ground that is covered with dirt after the body is placed in it).

The land around a large building is called the grounds.

A plantation house is the main house of a plantation. A plantation is a large area of land where crops (such as cotton or wheat) are grown. During a period of time in the southern United States, plantation owners used slave labor to do the farming and other work on the plantation.

Antebellum means “before the war.” In the U.S., it refers to the time before the American Civil War. (For more information on the Civil War, see our Pennsylvania Everyday Conversation.)

To draft a written document means to write the first version of it, before writing the final version of the document.

The Declaration of Independence is a document that stated the 13 colonies in America were independent from Great Britain. It took effect on July 4, 1776. July 4 is a national holiday (called the Fourth of July and Independence Day) in the U.S.