英语周报：美元上的托马斯·杰弗逊

　　2007-2008 学年 第6期

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　　Host: Earlier this month, the United States Treasury Department released a new dollar coin. It is the third in a series that honors American Presidents. Steve Ember has more.

　　Steve Ember: The new dollar coin honors Thomas Jefferson, the nation's third president. The nation's first president, George Washington, was honored with a similar coin in February. A coin honoring second president John Adams appeared in May. And one honoring fourth president James Madison will follow in November.

　　Congress created the program in the Presidential Dollar Coin Act of two thousand five. It calls for the secretary of the treasury to design and produce presidential dollar coins honoring each president in the order in which they served. Four coins will be released each year.

　　The coins show the president and his years in office on one side. The other side shows the Statue of Liberty.

　　The presidential coins are the same size and color as the golden dollar coin that honors the American Indian guide, Sacagawea. That coin was introduced seven years ago, but has not been very popular with the American public.

　　Department of Treasury official Edmund Moy expects the presidential coins to be more popular. He told reporters the presidential coins have an educational value. They can teach the American public about past presidents. A study carried out last month found that the public does not really know much about the presidents.

　　Only about thirty percent of Americans could name Thomas Jefferson as the nation's third president. Ninety-four percent knew that George Washington was the first president. But only seven percent could name the first four presidents in order.

　　Mister Moy says another coin series already is helping educate Americans about their country. That is the fifty-state quarter program.

　　Each twenty-five cent coin in that series honors an American state. The coins are released in the order in which each state became part of the United States.

　　Reports say more than one hundred forty million people in the United States are collecting those state quarters. They are learning about American history and geography at the same time.

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