VOA慢速英语:John Quincy Adams: Great Diplomat, Poor Politician

短语讲解：

1. Today we are talking about John Quincy Adams.

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. As a child, he learned to speak at least four languages and read Greek and Latin. He also studied Shakespeare’s plays.

at least 至少
例句：He's been away for at least a week.
他走了总有一个星期吧。

3. He was working as a lawyer by the age of 23.

by the age of 到…年龄
例句：By the age of 20, however, he was in trouble again.
20岁那年，他又碰到了麻烦。

4. But many people of the West and South did not believe that the Constitution gave the federal government the power to do all these things. They believed these powers belonged to the states.

belong to 属于
例句：Earls, princes, and kings belong to the nobility.
伯爵、亲王和国王属于贵族。

5. At the time, lawmakers were considering a proposal.

at the time 当时; 在那时， 在那段时间
例句：I was out of work at the time
那时我失业了。