林肯是美國著名的政治家、律師、演說家。1860年，林肯擔任美國總統。對於林可少有人不知道。下面，我們通過這篇英語聽力文摘深入瞭解一下林肯吧。
Lincoln's face is familiar to people all around the world, at least his face when he was wearing a beard. But he didn't wear a beard until later in his life. When he started out as a judge and then a lawyer, he had two first was Honest Abe. And there are many stories of his honesty both as a child and as he went on throughout all of his life. His second nickname was Homely Abe. He was not good looking. Then something happened in 1860. That year Abe Lincoln was the Republican Party nominee, the man the recently formed Republican Party chose a sits candidate for President of the United States.
全世界的人們都熟悉林肯的臉，至少熟悉他留著大鬍子的臉。但是他的鬍子是在他後來的日子裡才留起來的。當他開始當法官和後來當律師的時候，他有兩個綽號。第一個是誠實正直的亞伯。有許多關於林肯小時候和他以後一生中的誠實的故事。他的第二個綽號是其貌不揚的亞伯。他長得不好看。然而在1860年發生了一件事。那一年亞伯·林肯成了共和黨的被提名者，即新近成立的共和黨選出作為美國總統的候選人。
Just a few weeks before the presidential election,Lincoln received a short letter. It was from a girl who lived in New York State. Her name was Grace Bedell. Grace wrote to Lincoln about his homely face, but in a polite way.
總統選舉前的幾個星期，林肯收到一封簡訊、信來自紐約州的一個小姑娘。她叫格雷絲·伯戴爾。她寫信給林肯是關於他那其貌不揚的臉，但信寫得很有禮貌。
"I am a little girl only 11 years old, but I want you should be the President of the United States very much so
I hope you won't think me very bold to write such a great man as you are."
“我是一個11歲的小姑娘，但我非常想讓您成為美國總統，所以我希望您不要認為我給您這樣一個偉大的人寫信太鹵莽了。”
And then Grace went on.
然後格雷絲接著寫道:
"I have got four brothers and part of them will vote for you anyway, and if you will let your whiskers grow, I will try to get the rest of them to vote for you. You would look a great deal better for your face is so thin. All the ladies like whiskers and they would tease their husbands to vote for you, and then you would be President”
“我有四個哥哥，無論如何有幾個要投您的票，而且如果您讓您的鬍子長起來的'話，我就設法讓另外幾個也投您的票。您會好看得多，因為您太瘦了。所有的夫人都喜歡鬍子，而且她們會纏著她們的丈夫投您的票，這樣您就能當上總統了”
Lincoln took Grace Bedell's advice, and over the next two weeks he did not shave. By election day on November 6th of 1860, he already had enough whiskers to make a short beard. And he did get elected. Maybe his new beard had something to do with that. And he did wear the beard for the rest of his life.
林肯果然聽從了格雷絲·伯戴爾的話，在隨後兩個星期裡他沒有刮鬍子。到1860年11月6日的選舉日，他的鬍子已經長得可以成為短的絡腮鬍子。而且他確實被選上了。或許這與他新留的鬍子有關。在以後的歲月裡他一直都留著絡腮鬍子。
