美国国家公共电台 NPR As Eclipse Madness Sweeps U.S., A Stonehenge Made Of Cars Prepares

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And we're going to turn now to Nebraska and a roadside attraction that mixes mysticism and Motown. It's Carhenge.

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UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Rising like monoliths from ancient times stands a formation of vintage American automobiles¹ which replicates² Stonehenge.

GREENE: I have to visit this place. It has been trapping tourists since the 1980s. And now, NPR's Geoff Brumfiel reports that Carhenge is gearing up for a moment in the sun, or rather, 2 minutes and 30 seconds in the shade. Carhenge is right in the path of this month's total solar eclipse.

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GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE³: So I never thought I'd be waiting on hold with the Visitors Bureau of Alliance, Neb., but these are unusual times.

KEVIN HOWARD: Hi, Geoff.

BRUMFIEL: Hello. Is that Kevin?

HOWARD: Yeah, this is Kevin. I'm sorry.

BRUMFIEL: Kevin Howard is in charge of eclipse planning, and his phone is ringing nonstop because later this month, the moon's shadow will fall on Carhenge.

HOWARD: Holy cow, man. Guess what? There's going to be an eclipse.

BRUMFIEL: He says the ancients who built Carhenge back in 1987 didn't know about this eclipse. It was a local named Jim Reinders who wanted to build a version of Stonehenge as a tribute to his dad. Now, the original Stonehenge in England was used to mark celestial⁴ events. It was built of giant rocks that prehistoric⁵ people dragged for miles from the quarries⁶. But Jim was an engineer, a practical-minded guy.

HOWARD: So he decided⁷, if we build it out of cars, the wheels on them would greatly simplify the logistics.

BRUMFIEL: During a family reunion, Reinders' relatives rolled up with a bunch of old jalopies and erected⁸ Carhenge. And people have been coming ever since.

HOWARD: Carhenge is one of the things that brought me to Alliance. I wanted to know - what's the magic? What's the thing that makes an upright junkyard into a tourist attraction?

BRUMFIEL: And how long have you been there now?

HOWARD: I've been there six years.

BRUMFIEL: Any insights?

HOWARD: I haven't figured it out at all.

BRUMFIEL: Howard says the town is expecting thousands to swarm⁹ Carhenge for the eclipse. They're planning concerts, a softball tournament. The local churches will put out all their best spreads.

HOWARD: And there's nothing better than a meal at the church. Those ladies put out the good stuff.

BRUMFIEL: You know what else Carhenge will have? Plenty of parking. Geoff Brumfiel, NPR News.

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1 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 replicates   

复制( replicate的第三人称单数 )； 重复； 再造； 再生

参考例句：

• The bluetongue virus replicates in the insect. 蓝舌病病毒在这种昆虫体内繁殖。
• The chameleon's skin replicates the pattern of its surroundings. 变色龙的皮肤可随环境的模式而改变颜色。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 celestial   

adj.天体的；天上的

参考例句：

• The rosy light yet beamed like a celestial dawn.玫瑰色的红光依然象天上的朝霞一样绚丽。
• Gravity governs the motions of celestial bodies.万有引力控制着天体的运动。

5 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

6 quarries   

n.（采）石场( quarry的名词复数 )；猎物（指鸟，兽等）；方形石；（格窗等的）方形玻璃v.从采石场采得( quarry的第三人称单数 )；从（书本等中）努力发掘（资料等）；在采石场采石

参考例句：

• This window was filled with old painted glass in quarries. 这窗户是由旧日的彩色菱形玻璃装配的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They hewed out the stones for the building from nearby quarries. 他们从邻近的采石场开凿出石头供建造那栋房子用。 来自辞典例句

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 ERECTED   

adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立

参考例句：

• A monument to him was erected in St Paul's Cathedral. 在圣保罗大教堂为他修了一座纪念碑。
• A monument was erected to the memory of that great scientist. 树立了一块纪念碑纪念那位伟大的科学家。

9 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。