大家應該知道，7月4日是美國的國慶日。為此咱們就應景一下，學一下有關美國自由的象徵：自由女神像吧！J
As you may know, the 4th of July happens to be America’s National holiday. That’s why I’d like to introduce to you the background of America’s symbol of freedom: The statue of Liberty! Here we go…
The Statue of Liberty
Designer:Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi
The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly in the United States. Financing for the pedestal was completed in August 1885, and pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere" which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. She was a centennial gift ten years late.
There are 25 windows in the crown , which symbolize gemstones found on the earth and the heaven's rays shining over the world. The seven rays of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. The tablet which the Statue holds in her left hand reads (in Roman numerals) "July 4th, 1776." The total weight of copper in the Statue is 62,000 pounds (31 tons) and the total weight of steel in the Statue is 250,000 pounds (125 tons). Total weight of the Statue's concrete foundation is 54 million pounds (27,000 tons). The copper sheeting of the Statue is 3/32 of an inch thick or 2.37mm.
Wind sway: winds of 50 miles per hour cause the Statue to sway 3 inches (7.62cm) and the torch sways 5 inches (12.70cm).
On October 28th, 1886, it was inaugurated. President Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue on behalf of the United States and said in part: "We will not forget that Liberty has here made her home; nor shall her chosen altar be neglected."
Source: http://www.nps.gov/archive/stli/prod02.htm
Vocabulary List：
- liberty (n.) = freedom
- pedestal (n.) = base [字根ped- = foot ]
- assembly (n.) = gathering 組合/組裝→ (n.) assemble
- transport (v.) = ship = move = transfer [字首trans- = 穿,過]
→ transportation (n.)
- re-assemble (v.) = re + assemble [字首 re- = again]
- crown (n./v.) (戴)皇冠
- ray (n.) = light
- continent (n.) 大洲
- copper (n.) 銅
- steel (n.) 鐵
- inaugurate (v.) = start (a ceremony) [此為高階單字，也可用在總統就職一事]
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