VOA慢速英语:George Washington: The President Who Did Not Want to Be President

短语讲解：

1. Today we are talking about George Washington.

talk about 讨论，谈论
例句：He went on to talk about his accident.
他接着谈到了他的意外事故。

2. He says when Washington took office, the country was “fragile.”

take office 就职; 任职; 绾结印绶
例句：When you take office supplies home, you are stealing.
你把办公室的用品拿回家，你就在偷窃了。

3. “He wasn’t just trying to establish an office and then figure out a way to justify it, he was trying to work with his Constitution.”

figure out 想出; 解决; 计算出
例句：It took them about one month to figure out how to start the equipment
他们花了大约1个月的时间才搞清楚如何启动设备。
work with 与…在一起干; 从事…工作
例句：You cannot expect to like all the people you will work with
不要指望你会喜欢所有和你共事的人。

4. Instead of going to college, Ellis says, Washington went to war.

instead of （用…） 代替…， （是…）而不是…
例句：Instead of abating, the wind is blowing even harder.
风不但没有减小，反而越刮越大了。

5. In other words, Washington was essential to the American experiment in self-government.

in other words 换句话说; 就是说
例句：The mobile library services have been reorganised — in other words, they visit fewer places.
流动图书馆服务重新作了安排——换句话说，他们去的地方减少了。
be essential to 对…必要的
例句：It will be essential to establish how the money is being spent
查清楚这笔钱将作何用途至关重要。