Presidential dollar coins proposed

Before long, American pockets could be jingling with dollar coins engraved with the faces of Ronald Reagan, Millard Fillmore and Bill Clinton, as Congress considers a plan to begin minting dollar coins to commemorate all the past presidents.

Hoping to cash in on the popularity of the state quarter program - which has generated $5 billion in revenue and turned an estimated 140 million Americans into coin collectors - the House of Representatives began debate Tuesday on legislation that could turn the dollar coin into a collectable. The current dollar coin, which made its debut in 1998, features Sacagawea, the young Shoshone interpreter who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition. It has yet to come into widespread use.

The presidential coins would be minted at a rate of four presidents a year, starting with George Washington and working up to the modern day. Every former president, living and deceased, would be on a dollar coin if the bill becomes law. Sitting presidents would be excluded. Supporters hope the new twist would drive up demand for dollar coins that are now gathering dust in sock drawers and coin collections.

"That coin needs some sort of boost to do better," said Michael Castle, who sponsored both the state quarter and the presidential dollar legislation. "The question is, will there be enough demand for a young person to walk into McDonald's and tell the cashier, 'I want a $1 coin in change.' "

Because coins are more durable than bills, the government could save as much as $500 million a year on printing costs if the public embraced the dollar coin, according to a 2002 report by the Government Accountability Office. The government minted just 6.7 million Sacagawea dollars last year, most of them destined for private coin collections.

In addition to the state quarters, the mint is rolling out a series of commemorative nickel designs celebrating the Lewis and Clark expedition.

"We've really seen a coin renaissance in the past few years," said Henrietta Holsman Fore, director of the U.S. Mint. "Coins tell the story of our nation. They help us reconnect with our history."

The dollar coin legislation is expected to win approval in both the House and Senate. But to get to the floor, Castle had to persuade North Dakota, which did not want to have one of its most famous residents, Sacagawea, booted off the dollar coin. The compromise calls for Sacagawea dollars to be minted with the presidential coins - and for the presidential coin rollout to wait until after the Lewis and Clark anniversary celebration ends in 2008.

美国计划发行历届总统纪念币

美国国会正在考虑一个铸造纪念币的计划，以纪念历届美国总统。不久以后，美国人口袋里叮当作响的1美元硬币上将出现罗纳德·里根、米勒德·菲尔莫尔和比尔·克林顿的头像。

本周二（4月26日），抱着乘“50州纪念币（25美分）”风靡之机继续赚一笔的愿望，美国众议院开始讨论是否应通过一项法案，使1美元硬币也变成收藏品。现在流通的1美元硬币最早出现在1998年，上面印着萨卡加维亚的头像，面世后很快被广泛使用。萨卡加维亚是一位年轻的肖松尼族翻译，曾担任过刘易斯和克拉克探险队的向导。“50州纪念币项目”创造了50亿美元的收益，促使大约1.4亿美国人变成了钱币收藏爱好者。

新的总统头像硬币将以每年四位总统的速度推出，从美国“国父”乔治·华盛顿总统开始，之后按时间顺序逐渐推到现代。如果这项提案变成法律，那么每一位前总统，不论在世与否，都将在1美元硬币上“露脸”。不过现任总统除外。支持者们希望这一新举措能使市面上对1美元的需求上涨，现在这些硬币多半被丢在装袜子的抽屉或钱币收藏者的柜子里，积满了灰尘。

“这种硬币需要某些推动措施，使它更好地流通起来。问题是，年轻人真的会走进麦当劳，对收银员说‘我想换1美元的零钱’吗？”迈克尔·卡索说。他是“50州纪念币项目”和“历届总统纪念币”法案的积极支持者。

美国国家审计总署2002年发布的一份报告指出，因为硬币比纸币更耐磨损，如果1美元硬币能够受到公众欢迎的话，政府每年可以节省5亿美元的印刷费用。去年美国政府仅铸造了670万枚萨卡加维亚1美元硬币，其中绝大部分都落到了私人钱币收藏家手里。

除了50州纪念币，造币厂还大量生产了一系列5美分纪念币（镍币），以庆祝“刘易斯和克拉克探险队”的光辉历程。

“过去几年中，我们确实看到了硬币风尚的重新兴起。”美国造币厂负责人亨丽埃塔·侯斯曼·芙尔说，“硬币讲述了美利坚民族的故事。它们能帮助我们重温历史。”

关于1美元硬币的法案预计在参议院和众议院都将获得通过。但要真正地付诸实施，卡索还要成功说服北达科他州，他们可不想眼看着萨卡加维亚——自己土地上最著名的公民之一——就这样从1美元硬币上消失。一种折衷的办法是让萨卡加维亚纪念币和历届总统纪念币同时发行，并且将“总统币”的首发仪式推后到2008年“刘易斯和克拉克探险队”周年庆典结束后。

Vocabulary

dollar coin: 1美元硬币

cash in on: 靠...赚钱，乘机利用

state quarter: 50州纪念币。为了庆祝美国50个州的独立，美国造币厂从1999年开始，按照各州加入美联邦的先后，每隔10周推出一个州的25美分纪念币，每年五个，共计划发行十年。每个州的纪念币都是独一无二的，述说一个这个州背后的故事。

the Lewis and Clark expedition: 刘易斯和克拉克探险队。1802年，在当时的美国总统杰斐逊的委托下，美国探险家刘易斯和克拉克进行了从东向西横越美国大陆的首次探险考察。由于当时美国人对密西西比河以西的大面积土地的认识还一片空白，因此杰斐逊总统要求刘易斯和他的探险队在寻找水路的同时，认真记录下这片土地生长的一草一木以及那里的风土人情，让美国人通过这次探险认识到他们国家的全貌。

work up to: 逐渐达到

sitting: 在任期中的，现任的