Long and short of Miao fashions

    BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Secluded¹ in the mountains for hundreds of years, the Kongshen Miao ethnic² group remained little known until 1996, when their unique costumes came under the spotlight（聚光灯） at a festival in Rongjiang county, Guizhou province.
    A recent（最近的,近代的） trip to their village hidden in the mountains of Yongping town, threw up several more surprises.
    The Kongshen Miao call their village ou xi, which means "clear brook³" in the Miao language. Indeed, a clear brook runs through rows of wooden houses on stilts⁴ scattered(散乱的) over rolling, green hills, where children welcome visitors with a ready smile.
    According to local legend, the first settlers led a very hard life. Women wore hats made of tree bark and wrapped themselves in banana leaves to shield themselves from sun and rain.
    The ingenious women later made V-shaped cloth hats that they tied with slender dyed ribbons（带状物）, a sight that will remind visitors today of the witches in fairytales.
    They also wore black blouses with short lake-blue sleeves to match their beautiful skirts, which are about 30 cm long and made from some 30 layers of black cloth, with pleats resembling the veins⁵ of banana leaves.
    The skirts fit in nicely with the warm and humid climate, and do not get in the way when the women climb the hills and work in the paddy fields.
    The mini-skirt is, however, covered in front by a knee-length embroidered⁶ apron⁷. The women also wear silver necklaces and other silver ornaments⁸ that produce a pleasant sound as they walk and dance.
    The most interesting folk custom here is the maoren festival, which falls on the third day of the third lunar month - sometime in April.
    The festival（节日） is looked forward to by single men and women, as this is their opportunity to find their love partner through song and dance.
    After a special meal of boiled herbs, whose plain appearance masks a delectable⁹ taste, the entire village gathers in the center - and the dancing begins.
    As some young men blow into their bamboo lushengs, a wind instrument that makes melodious¹⁰ music, others form a circle and dance with a rhythmic¹¹ switching of arms and light steps.
    Next comes the climax¹² of the festival - climbing the maoren slope. As women disappear behind a hill, young men busy themselves cutting tree branches and binding¹³ them with cogon-grass to make simple, scarecrow-like maoren, which stand in a line facing the village.
    The tallest maoren represents an older sister and is placed in the middle, with her shorter, "younger" sisters standing¹⁴ on both sides.
    The young men sit in a row and begin singing. Quietly, the girls come out of their hiding places and sit behind the one they like, singing softly in the Miao language.
    As dusk falls, pair after pair get up and leave.
    The story first appeared in Trends Traveler magazine.(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑)

1 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 ethnic   

adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的

参考例句：

• This music would sound more ethnic if you played it in steel drums.如果你用钢鼓演奏，这首乐曲将更具民族特色。
• The plan is likely only to aggravate ethnic frictions.这一方案很有可能只会加剧种族冲突。

3 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

4 stilts   

n.（支撑建筑物高出地面或水面的）桩子，支柱( stilt的名词复数 )；高跷

参考例句：

• a circus performer on stilts 马戏团里踩高跷的演员
• The bamboo huts here are all built on stilts. 这里的竹楼都是架空的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 embroidered   

adj．绣花的

参考例句：

• She embroidered flowers on the cushion covers. 她在这些靠垫套上绣了花。
• She embroidered flowers on the front of the dress. 她在连衣裙的正面绣花。

7 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

8 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 delectable   

adj.使人愉快的；美味的

参考例句：

• What delectable food you cook!你做的食品真好吃！
• But today the delectable seafood is no longer available in abundance.但是今天这种可口的海味已不再大量存在。

10 melodious   

adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的

参考例句：

• She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.她说话轻声细语，嗓音甜美。
• Everybody was attracted by her melodious voice.大家都被她悦耳的声音吸引住了。

11 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。

12 climax   

n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点

参考例句：

• The fifth scene was the climax of the play.第五场是全剧的高潮。
• His quarrel with his father brought matters to a climax.他与他父亲的争吵使得事态发展到了顶点。

13 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。

14 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。