高中英语教学：校本教材《高中生英语教学策略》.doc

PAGE PAGE 1 Lesson 1 The father of our country George Washington was the first president of the United States. People call him the “father of our country”. He earned this title, or name, because he spent so much of his life serving the United States. Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. He grew to be a tall, strong boy. When he was a teenager, his older brother Lawrence taught him how to survey land. When Washington was 17 years old, he became county surveyor. When Lawrence died, Washington took his place as a major in the colonial army. He gathered troops and prepared them for battle. Because he was a strong leader, Washington was put in charge of all of Virginia’s troops. For three years, he defended Virginia’s western border. He was also a leader in the Seven Years’ War. In 1759 Washington returned home to his farm, Mount Vernon. He built a mill to crush grain and an ironworks to make iron products. He married Martha Custis and served in colonial government. He did not like many British policies, such as the Stamp Act. Under this law, Britain taxed the colonies without allowing them to vote. Washington thought that Britain’s rule was not good for the colonies. He believed that the colonies should rule themselves. The Revolutionary War between the colonies and Britain began in 1775. At that time, Washington became commander in chief of the Continental Army. His troops were ordinary people who had not been trained to fight. Then he had few supplies. His plan was to have patience and to bother the British whenever it was possible. In battle he would first hold back his troops. Then he would lead a surprise attack. After six years, he forced the British to give up. People thought that Washington was a hero. They wanted him to be the first president. Some even wanted to make him a king. Washington did not wanted to be a leader. He wanted to go home and work on his farm. However, Washington knew that the first president could help plan the future of t