2004-6-27
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Gwen
Outen.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Bob Doughty. Summer is when a lot of Americans take
trips. So today come with us as we travel through seven states in
fifteen minutes.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
We start in Washington. Not the capital city, but the state of
Washington on the other side of the country. It is in the Pacific
Northwest, on the border with Canada. It is the only state named
after a president. George Washington was the first president of the
United States.
Washington State entered the union in eighteen-eighty-nine. It is
a major shipping port for Asia. Fishing is another big industry. So
is technology. Washington State is home to the biggest maker of
computer programs, Microsoft. Boeing still makes airplanes here. But
its headquarters are now in Chicago.
Mountains divide Washington State. The east is heavily
agricultural, but the west gets most of the rain.
VOICE TWO:
Washington is called "the
Evergreen State." It has lots of trees that keep their leaves all
year. Those trees are important to the forest products industry.
They are also important to the many people who hike through forests
and climb mountains. The highest one here is Mount Rainier, in
western Washington. It stands almost four-thousand-four-hundred
meters above sea level.
Not too far away is Seattle. It is the largest city in
Washington. But the state capital is Olympia.
VOICE ONE:
Washington is one of three states along the West Coast. As we
leave Washington, we travel south into Oregon. It became a state in
eighteen-fifty-nine. Forests cover a lot of the state. In fact,
Oregon leads the United States in wood production.
Visitors enjoy places like Crater Lake National Park. A volcano
formed this deep lake in the mountains. The bright blue water has
appealed to photographers from all over the world. Cities in Oregon
include Portland, Eugene and the capital, Salem.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
From Oregon, we continue south into California. People from Spain
settled the land in the seventeen-hundreds. Mexico later controlled
it, until some of the land became the American state. The capital is
Sacramento.
Americans captured the California territory during the
Mexican-American War in the eighteen-forties. The discovery of gold
helped California join the United States in eighteen-fifty.
Many gold miners came through San Francisco. And that is where we
stop. Visitors like to ride the old cable cars up and down the hills
of the city. They also like to see the Golden Gate Bridge. And, when
they get hungry, many go for seafood along Fisherman's Wharf.
To the south of San Francisco is the area with a large of number
of computer technology companies -- better known as Silicon Valley.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
And a lot farther south is Los
Angeles. Many communities form the city and county of Los Angeles.
One of them is Hollywood, the center of the film and television
industry.
California has one of the largest economies in the world. It also
has the largest population in the country, more than thirty-five
million people. One-third of them are of Hispanic ancestry. But
people come here from all over the world.
These include a growing number from Africa. Population
researchers say the Los Angeles-Long Beach area has the third
largest number of African-born people in the United States. About
forty-three thousand live there. About twelve-thousand live farther
south, in San Diego.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Now, from Southern California, we
travel east into Arizona. Arizona is known the "Grand Canyon State."
Over time, the Colorado River cut through stone and rock to form the
Grand Canyon. It is more than one and one-half kilometers deep.
Millions of people come to see it.
Arizona is a desert state. People once thought the land was
worthless. But today many people come to Arizona for its hot, dry
climate and its natural beauty. Phoenix is the largest city, and a
shipping center for agriculture. It is also the state capital.
Many people who come to Arizona visit Native American
reservations. Indians who live on these tribal lands must obey
United States laws, but they also make their own laws.
VOICE ONE:
To the east of Arizona is New Mexico. Both states are on the
border with the country of Mexico. New Mexico has a rich Spanish
history. It also has a lot of land – almost three-hundred-fifteen
thousand square kilometers. But fewer than two million people live
here.
Lots more come to hunt, fish, or snow ski. They also come to
enjoy arts and cultural activities. Santa Fe claims the largest
collection of folk art in the world. Santa Fe is the state capital.
But the largest city is Albuquerque.
New Mexico has mines for coal, copper, potash and uranium. And it
has around as many cows as it has people. Cattle growers help keep
some traditions of the Old West alive. But New Mexico is also a
center of scientific research. There are national laboratories. In
fact, the first atomic bomb was exploded in the desert here.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
To the east of New Mexico is a state with a tradition of thinking
big: Texas. Texas has more land than any other state except Alaska.
There are still cowboys with big hats. That is true. But visitors
can also find a rich cultural life in cities like San Antonio,
Houston and Dallas. The city of Austin is the state capital.
Texas once belonged to Mexico. Mexican influence remains strong.
More than thirty percent of Texans are Hispanic. But many other
groups also live here. Among the more recent arrivals are people
from Africa. About forty-seven thousand live in Houston and Dallas.
VOICE ONE:
One of the places that many people like to visit in Texas is a
stone building in San Antonio called the Alamo. The American hero
Davy Crockett was among those who died in a long battle there. They
were fighting for independence from Mexico. "Remember the Alamo!"
became a battle cry after that.
The Americans lost the battle of the Alamo, but they won the
Mexican-American war. Texas became a state in eighteen-forty-five.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
From Texas we travel north into Oklahoma, deeper into the central
part of the United States. Oklahoma is our last stop today. It too
has lots of land but not a lot of people. It became a state in
nineteen-oh-seven.
Oklahoma is a big producer of fuel and food for the country. Flat
areas and low hills make good places to grow wheat and raise cows.
Oklahoma is part of what people call the American heartland.
People think of the heartland as a peaceful place. So what happened
in April of nineteen-ninety-five seemed especially shocking. A bomb
wrecked the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City, the
state capital.
A former soldier angry at the government was executed for the
attack. One-hundred-sixty-eight people were killed. A national
memorial now stands in place of the building to honor the victims.
VOICE ONE:
So, we have told you a few things about seven of the fifty
states. Visitors leave with memories of wide open spaces, and cities
without enough space. Forest-covered mountains, and flat, dry land
without any trees as far as the eye can see. Farmers working in
their fields, and fields with workers drilling for oil and natural
gas. White-topped waves on the Pacific Ocean, and a golden sun
setting over the Grand Canyon.
If you do ever visit, don't forget to bring a camera.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty
Weaver. I'm Bob Doughty.
VOICE ONE:
And I'm Gwen Outen. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA,
in VOA Special English.