A Letter from a Legend 传奇总统的亲笔信

By Charles Scanlon, BBC Journalist, Americas

媒体英语会带大家一起学习BBC撰稿人在报道世界大事时常用到的单词和短语

Background:美国前总统林肯多年前写给一名男孩的书信以6万美元的高价（41万人民币）在美国售出。当这名八岁男孩告诉同学他见到了总统时，不仅没人相信而且他还受到众人的一阵讥讽。

Abraham Lincoln was facing the biggest crisis in American history. The Southern states had seceded from the Union and civil war was imminent.

But shortly after his inauguration in 1861 he still found time to write to a distressed eight year-old boy. George Patton had met the newly-nominated candidate the year before with his journalist father but he faced howls of disbelief when he told his classmates.

A teacher wrote to the White House and back came the terse four-line reply confirming the meeting.

Abraham Lincoln set the ideal for the presidency that all his successors have aspired to. The brief letter feeds the legend of the man and the austere gentility for which he was renowned.