外教口语

flag

The state flag and the state seal are similar. Passed in 1923, Washington state law describes the flag as having dark green bunting with a state seal in the center. It is the only state flag that is green. It is also the only state flag with a

picture of a president.

nickname

Washington

On November 11, 1889, Washington became the 42nd state to enter the Union. It is the only state named for a president. Washington was nicknamed “The Evergreen State”by C.T. Conover, pioneer Seattle realtor and historian, for its abundant evergreen forests. The nickname was adopted by the Legislature in February, 1893.

Motto:Alki

o Bye and Bye

Capital City: Olympia

Olympia’s downtown has unique character that comes alive in the evenings. I can’t imagine living anywhere else!—Anonymous

Washington State Flower

In 1892, before they had the right to vote, Washington women selected the coast rhododendron as the state flower. They wanted an official flower to enter in a floral exhibit at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Six flowers were considered, but the final decision was narrowed to clover and the "rhodie," and voting booths were set up for ladies throughout the state. When the ballots were counted, the rhododendron had been chosen as the Washington state flower.

Washington State Tree

Western hemlock

Leaf: Leaves single, linear, and spirally arranged (but somewhat 2-ranked); short (1/4 to 3/4 inches long), flat, and have two distinctly different sizes that alternate on the twig; yellow-green to green above with two white bands below. Leaves have rounded tips and short, but distinct, petioles.

Flower: Monoecious; male cones are tiny, yellow, and occur axillary on previous year's growth; female cones are tiny, purple, and terminal.

Fruit: Small, woody, egg-shaped cones (about 1 inch long) with numerous thin, imbricate scales; pendent, sessile, and terminal; reddish-brown; mature in one season, abundant.

Twig: Slender, flexible, and minutely pubescent, roughened by diagonally-raised and rounded leaf scars. Bark: Young bark is thin, superficially scaly, and brown to black. On mature trees bark is thin (about 1 inch) with flattened ridges. Inner bark is dark red streaked with purple.

Form: A large evergreen conifer that reaches 200 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter, mature trees have a pyramidal crown and lacy foliage that droops at the terminal ends.

1579 年∶英国探险家法兰西斯•赘克Sir Francis Drake 到达靠太平洋的美洲西北岸Pacific Northwest。

1792 年∶乔治•温哥华船长Capt. George V ancouver 被派遣去寻找西北方的通道和绘制这个地区的地图，他到达Puget Sound。

1805 年∶刘易斯Meriwether Lewis 和克拉克William Clark 到达华盛顿和太平洋。

1853 年∶包含爱达荷Idaho 北部和蒙大拿Montana 西部的华盛顿地界产生。

1872 年∶圣璜群岛San Juan Islands 被英国送给了美国，结束了和英国的争执时期。

1889 年∶华盛顿州成为美国第四十二州。

1897 年∶克隆戴克〈The Klondike〉的掏金热为这个地区带来繁荣，让这个地区变为想掏金发财人的前哨站。

1909 年∶女性在华盛顿拥有选举权，大约比全美国其它地方还早了十年。

1942 年∶大库利水坝〈The Grand Coulee Dam〉完成，是世界上最大的混凝土工程之一。1962 年∶西雅图举行了二十一世纪世界展。

1980 年∶圣海伦斯火山St. Helens 爆发，摧毁了附近的地区。

1999 年∶雷尼尔山Mount Rainier 庆祝了国家公园成立100 年纪念。

Washington

Population, 2009 estimate 6,664,195 307,006,550

13.1% 9.1%

西雅图（Seattle）是美国太平洋西北区最大的城市，它位于华盛顿州普吉特海湾和华盛顿湖之间的金县，距离加美边境约174千米。西雅图也是金县的县治所在。西雅图建于1869年，是美国太平洋西北部商业，文化和高科技的中心，也是贯穿太平洋及欧洲斯堪的纳维亚半岛的主要旅游及贸易港口城市。大西雅图地区常年被青山绿水环绕，而远处，就是美国最高的火山－－雷尼尔山（Mount Rainier）。