The image of an eagle is on the US President's flag, and on the one-dollar bill. The bald eagle is a large, powerful, brown bird with a white head and tail. The term "bald" does not mean that this bird lacks feathers. Instead, it comes from the old word piebald, that means, "marked with white".

　　美国总统印章和一美元币上都有白头鹰(The bald eagle)的形象。白头鹰体形很大，动作有力，羽毛呈灰色，脑袋和尾巴呈白色。白头鹰英文名字中的 "bald"并不是指它没有羽毛。追根溯源，这个词其实来自一个旧词 "piebald"，意思是“黑白相间的”。

　　The US declared that the eagle was its national bird in 1782. It was chosen because of "its long life, great strength, and noble looks".

　　1782年，美国宣布白头鹰为国鸟。它之所以能够入选，是因为它“长久的生命力、不凡的力量和高贵的‘容貌’。”

　　A few eagles have even become American heroes. An eagle named "Old Abe", the mascot of a Wisconsin troop of soldiers during the Civil War, travelled 14,000 miles with its men. He was often shot at by the enemy, but survived 42 battles. 　

　　有一些白头鹰甚至成为了美国的英雄。一只名叫“老阿比”的白头鹰是美国内战时期威斯康星州一支部队的福星。它跟随这支部队转战14000英里，经历42场战役。敌军经常向它射击，但它最终却“全身而退”。

　　富兰克林认为白头鹰品质恶劣

　　But, one of the Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin didn't agree with the choice. "The bald eagle...is a bird of bad moral character; like those among men who live by robbing, he is generally poor, and often very messy" he argued. Franklin wanted the turkey as the country's national bird.

　　不过，美国开国元勋之一本杰明-富兰克林不赞成把白头鹰作为美国的象征。他说：“白头鹰……品质恶劣；就像那些依靠抢劫过活的人一样，它穷困潦倒，肮脏不堪。” 富兰克林想把火鸡作为美国的国鸟