【美国精神】第98期

Explanation:

    At the beginning of almost any football, basketball, or baseball game in the United States, people sing the country’s national anthem¹, or the song that officially represents the United States. This song is called The Star-Spangled Banner. When Americans sing it, they take off their hat, put their hand over their heart (or rest their right hand on the left side of their chest), and sing while looking at the U.S. flag.

    The phrase “Star-Spangled Banner” is another name for the U.S. flag. A banner is a long piece of fabric², like a flag. The U.S. flag is star-spangled because it is covered with stars.

    The melody (or the musical notes) come from an old British drinking song, or a song that men used to sing after they had drunk too much alcohol. The melody is very difficult to sing, because it has a wide range, meaning that some of the notes are very low and other notes are very high.

    The lyrics³ (or the words that are sung in the song) were written by a man named Francis Scott Key. He wrote the lyrics while watching Fort McHenry, a military place in Maryland, being attacked by the British during the War of 1812.

    In the lyrics, Francis Scott Key is asking whether people can still see the flag in the early morning after a long night of being attacked. It is a very patriotic⁴ song, or a song that makes people feel proud of their country.

    The flag that inspired the lyrics, or made Francis Scott Key want to write them, is called the Star-Spangled Banner and it has become an important artifact (or a historical object that has a lot of meaning). The flag has been restored (or cleaned and repaired or fixed) and is on display (or being shown to people) at the National Museum of American History in the nation’s capitol, Washington, DC.

 

问题：

What is the name of the national anthem?

Answer:

The Star-Spangled Banner

1 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

2 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

3 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

4 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。