Inspired by Alan Shepard， the first American to journey into space， a 14-year-old from suburban Chicago wrote a letter to NASA in 1961 asking what she needed to do to become an astronaut.
She got a curt reply： Girls are not being recruited by the nation's space program.
“It had never crossed my mind up until that point that there might be doors closed to me simply because I was a girl，” recalled the letter writer， better known today as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton， as she was enshrined Saturday in the National Women's Hall of Fame， along with nine other inductees.
“I am extremely proud to help highlight the contributions of women to our great nation throughout our history —— not just the heroines who blazed the trail before us， but also the women whose stories have yet to be told， who are holding families together， lifting up communities and performing heroic acts everyday across America，” Clinton said.
Clinton， who was elected in 2000 and is up for re-election to continue representing New York next year， is one of the most popular Democratic politicians.
She leads her party in opinion polls for the 2008 presidential election， with 42 percent saying they would vote for her. But she has not said she would run for president.
Honored with her were Maya Lin， who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington， D.C.； Dr. Rita Rossi Colwell， who became the first female director of the National Science Foundation in 1998； and Betty Bumpers， a crusader for childhood immunizations who was Clinton's predecessor as Arkansas' first lady.
“I don't think there has ever been a better time to be a woman than in the United States of America in the 21st century，” Clinton said in an interview.
The women's hall of fame was created in 1969 in Seneca Falls， New York， the birthplace of the battle for women's voting rights， which were granted in 1920.
More than 200 women are part of the hall of fame， including Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole， ex-secretary of state Madeleine Albright and writer Harriet Beech Stowe， the author of “Uncle Tom's Cabin.”
Vocabulary：
curt： using few words； terse（簡明的；簡潔的）
cross sb's mind ： （掠過某人的腦際，被某人突然想到）
crusader ： a disputant who advocates reform（改革者）
1961年，受到美國第一位太空人艾倫。謝潑德的激勵，一位來自芝加哥郊區(qū)的14歲女孩給美國航空航天局寫信詢問自己怎樣才能成為一名宇航員。
可惜，她只得到了一個簡單的回答：美國航空計劃概不招募女性。
寫這封信的小女孩如今就是人們所熟知的美國參議員希拉里。克林頓。她回憶說：“那是我第一次意識到，因為我是一個女孩，有些機會可能就會與我無緣?！鄙现芰推渌?位杰出女性一起入選美國國家女性名人堂。
“能夠在此體現女性在我們偉大國家歷所做出的巨大貢獻，我感到非常自豪。不僅僅是那些在我們之前開辟道路的女英雄們，還包括那些至今默默奉獻卻不為人所知的女性。她們是家庭的支柱，她們支撐起整個社會，每天，在美國的每一寸土地上，她們都在創(chuàng)造著英雄的事跡?！毕＠镎f。
2000年，希拉里。克林頓當選為紐約州參議員，她還將參加下一屆的競選，爭取在明年繼任紐約州的代表。她是美國民主黨中歡迎的一位政治家。
在2008年總統(tǒng)大選的民意調查中，有42%的民眾支持以希拉里為首的民主黨，并表示愿意投票支持希拉里，但她還沒有表示將參加總統(tǒng)競選。
和希拉里一起入選美國女性名人堂的還有華盛頓特區(qū)越南戰(zhàn)爭紀念碑設計者林瓔、1998年成為美國國家科學基金會首位女主席的麗塔。羅西。科爾韋爾博士和推動兒童免疫運動的貝蒂。邦珀斯，她曾是希拉里?？肆诸D的前任，也是阿肯色州州長夫人。
“我想沒有比在21世紀的美國做一名女性更好的了，”希拉里?？肆诸D在訪談中說。
美國女性名人堂始建于1969年，坐落在紐約州塞尼卡福爾斯市，這里是美國女性投票權戰(zhàn)爭的發(fā)源地。1920年，美國婦女成功獲得投票權。
迄今為止已有200多名美國女性入選女性名人堂，其中包括北卡羅來那州參議員伊麗莎白。多爾、前國務卿奧爾布萊特和《湯姆叔叔家的小屋》的作者比徹。斯托夫人。
She got a curt reply： Girls are not being recruited by the nation's space program.
“It had never crossed my mind up until that point that there might be doors closed to me simply because I was a girl，” recalled the letter writer， better known today as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton， as she was enshrined Saturday in the National Women's Hall of Fame， along with nine other inductees.
“I am extremely proud to help highlight the contributions of women to our great nation throughout our history —— not just the heroines who blazed the trail before us， but also the women whose stories have yet to be told， who are holding families together， lifting up communities and performing heroic acts everyday across America，” Clinton said.
Clinton， who was elected in 2000 and is up for re-election to continue representing New York next year， is one of the most popular Democratic politicians.
She leads her party in opinion polls for the 2008 presidential election， with 42 percent saying they would vote for her. But she has not said she would run for president.
Honored with her were Maya Lin， who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington， D.C.； Dr. Rita Rossi Colwell， who became the first female director of the National Science Foundation in 1998； and Betty Bumpers， a crusader for childhood immunizations who was Clinton's predecessor as Arkansas' first lady.
“I don't think there has ever been a better time to be a woman than in the United States of America in the 21st century，” Clinton said in an interview.
The women's hall of fame was created in 1969 in Seneca Falls， New York， the birthplace of the battle for women's voting rights， which were granted in 1920.
More than 200 women are part of the hall of fame， including Republican Senator Elizabeth Dole， ex-secretary of state Madeleine Albright and writer Harriet Beech Stowe， the author of “Uncle Tom's Cabin.”
Vocabulary：
curt： using few words； terse（簡明的；簡潔的）
cross sb's mind ： （掠過某人的腦際，被某人突然想到）
crusader ： a disputant who advocates reform（改革者）
1961年，受到美國第一位太空人艾倫。謝潑德的激勵，一位來自芝加哥郊區(qū)的14歲女孩給美國航空航天局寫信詢問自己怎樣才能成為一名宇航員。
可惜，她只得到了一個簡單的回答：美國航空計劃概不招募女性。
寫這封信的小女孩如今就是人們所熟知的美國參議員希拉里。克林頓。她回憶說：“那是我第一次意識到，因為我是一個女孩，有些機會可能就會與我無緣?！鄙现芰推渌?位杰出女性一起入選美國國家女性名人堂。
“能夠在此體現女性在我們偉大國家歷所做出的巨大貢獻，我感到非常自豪。不僅僅是那些在我們之前開辟道路的女英雄們，還包括那些至今默默奉獻卻不為人所知的女性。她們是家庭的支柱，她們支撐起整個社會，每天，在美國的每一寸土地上，她們都在創(chuàng)造著英雄的事跡?！毕＠镎f。
2000年，希拉里。克林頓當選為紐約州參議員，她還將參加下一屆的競選，爭取在明年繼任紐約州的代表。她是美國民主黨中歡迎的一位政治家。
在2008年總統(tǒng)大選的民意調查中，有42%的民眾支持以希拉里為首的民主黨，并表示愿意投票支持希拉里，但她還沒有表示將參加總統(tǒng)競選。
和希拉里一起入選美國女性名人堂的還有華盛頓特區(qū)越南戰(zhàn)爭紀念碑設計者林瓔、1998年成為美國國家科學基金會首位女主席的麗塔。羅西。科爾韋爾博士和推動兒童免疫運動的貝蒂。邦珀斯，她曾是希拉里?？肆诸D的前任，也是阿肯色州州長夫人。
“我想沒有比在21世紀的美國做一名女性更好的了，”希拉里?？肆诸D在訪談中說。
美國女性名人堂始建于1969年，坐落在紐約州塞尼卡福爾斯市，這里是美國女性投票權戰(zhàn)爭的發(fā)源地。1920年，美國婦女成功獲得投票權。
迄今為止已有200多名美國女性入選女性名人堂，其中包括北卡羅來那州參議員伊麗莎白。多爾、前國務卿奧爾布萊特和《湯姆叔叔家的小屋》的作者比徹。斯托夫人。