托福听力短文 I-05-1

(woman) So, uh... as Jim said, James Polk was the eleventh President, and... uh... well, my report's about the next President --- Zachary Taylor.

Taylor was elected in 1849. It's surprising because... well, he was the first President that didn't have any previous political experience. The main reason he was chosen as a candidates was because he was a war hero.

In the army, his men called him "Old Rough and Ready"... I guess because of his... "rough edges." He was kind of blunt and he didn't really look like a military hero. He liked to do things like wear civilian clothes instead of a uniform --- even in battle. And he was so short and plump he had to be lifted up onto his horse. But he did win a lot of battles and he became more and more popular. So, the Whig party decided to nominate him for the presidency, even though no one knew anything about where he stood on the issues.

I couldn't find much about his accomplishments --- probably because he was only in office about a year and a half before he died. But one thing --- he pushed for the development of the transcontinental railroad because he though it was important to form a link with the West Coast --- there was a lot of wealth in California and Oregon from commerce and minerals and stuff. Also, he established an agricultural bureau in the Department of the Interior and promoted more government aid to agriculture.

Well, that's about all I found. Like I said, he died in office --- in 1850 --- so his Vice President took over... and that's the next report, so... thank you.