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In a big house called Springwood（现在是故居，保护很好）, high above the Hudson River in Hyde Park（美国纽约的小镇）, New York（纽约州不是纽约市）, a baby boy was born on January 30, 1882.

“At a quarter to nine（8点3刻） my Sallie had a splendid large baby boy. He weighs ten pounds （几乎9斤）without clothes,” his father, James Roosevelt, wrote. The baby’s mother, Sara Delano （娘家的姓）Roosevelt（夫家的姓）, said that he was “pink, plump and nice.” She named him Franklin after her favorite uncle.

When they met, Sara was twenty-five and James was fifty-one, a widower （鳏夫男性）with a grown son. James fell in love with Sara at a dinner party. The hostess（女主人） remembered that James couldn’t keep his eyes off Sara. They were married in 1880.

Sara and James came from old, wealthy families in the Hudson Valley（两方都是很富有，虽然年龄差距大，但是门当户对）. They grew up in lovely homes with lots of help – cooks, butlers（管家）, maids（女仆）, and gardeners. James was a gentleman farmer and hired workers to do the farming.

Franklin was an only child. He was the apple of his mother’s eye（掌上明珠） and Franklin loved her very much, even when she was bossy（喜欢指挥别人）.

Franklin grew up around adults. He did not go to school. He was taught at home by tutors（私人教师） until he was thirteen. Yet（相当于however）, even with no other children around, Franklin found life at Springwood fun. In the winter, he went on sleigh rides（坐雪橇） or sledded full speed down snowy hills. He was happy exploring the woods and fields. Franklin loved horseback riding with Popsy（对爸爸的称呼）. That’s what he called his father.

Vocabulary

estate n. 大片私有土地，庄园

plump adj. 胖乎乎的

name sb after sth/sb 以某人或某物命名某人

widower n. 鳏夫

widow n. 寡妇

help n. 帮佣

butler n. 管家

bossy adj. 好发号施令的

sleigh n. （动物拉的）雪橇

sled v. 滑雪橇

Notes

■ Hyde Park

a town in Dutchess County, New York.

■ Springwood estate

The Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site preserves the Springwood estate in Hyde Park, New York. Springwood was the birthplace, lifelong home, and burial place of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.