世界节假日博览 第158期:世界和平日

 　　The International Day of Peace should be one of the most important days of the year. It occurs annually¹ on September 21st. It is dedicated² to peace as well as the absence of war. This day also serves as a global ceasefire day. Many countries, political groups and military groups observe it. The day starts when the U.N. rings the "Peace Bell" at its New York headquarters. This bell was a gift from the people of Japan. There is a message on the side of the bell that says: "Long live absolute world peace." The U.N. said: "Peace Day should be devoted³ to commemorating⁴ and strengthening the ideals of peace [and] that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace."

　　世界和平日是一年中最重要的节日之一。这一节日通常是在每年的9月21日。世界和平日致力于维护和平，反对战争。这一节日也是全球止战日。许多国家、政治团体和军事组织都庆祝这一节日。这一节日始于联合国在纽约总部摇响“和平铃”的时刻。“和平铃”是日本人民的献礼。“和平铃”的一侧写着“愿世界永久和平。”的字样。联合国称：“世界和平日应致力于庆祝和加强和平的理想信念，这是我们的永久承诺。和平建立在所有利益和分歧之上。”

　　Thousands of Peace Day events take place around the world every year. These include concerts involving rock superstars to football tournaments for peace and baking cakes for peace. Many organizations hold educational workshops in schools, especially those in war-torn countries. Nobel Peace Prize laureates also make speeches to show the world their work has not finished. Anyone can celebrate Peace Day. It can be a simple, individual act such as lighting⁵ a candle and saying a prayer. For those who want to be more active, it can involve getting the support of friends and colleagues to plan a large event. Hopefully, this day will take off and people will think about peace more seriously.

　　每年世界上有成千上万项和平日纪念活动，包括摇滚明星的演唱会、为纪念和平举办的足球比赛及蛋糕制作活动。许多组织在学校举办教育研讨会，尤其在饱受战争摧残的国家更是如此。诺贝尔和平奖获得者会四处演讲，表明和平这一伟大事业仍需努力。任何人都可以庆祝和平日，形式可能很简单，它可以是个人行为，点支蜡烛，衷心祈祷。那些想表现得更活跃积极的人，在获得朋友同事的支持后可能会计划一个大项目。值得期待的是，和平日会越来越受重视，人们会更认真地思考和平。

　　1.it occur… 发生…

　　例句：Does it occur to you that you may never hear from him?

　　你不认为你永远也收不到他的信了吗？

　　2.be dedicated to 献身于

　　例句：His mother had been told by an angel that she would bear a son whose life would be dedicated to God and whose hair must never be cut.

　　天使曾告诉他的母亲，她将生下一个献身于上帝的儿子，并且他的头发始终不能被剪掉。

　　3.light a candle 点灯

　　例句：Mourners recite the Kaddish prayer three times that day, go to synagogue and light a candle that burns for 24 hours.

　　哀悼者们一天诵读三遍悼词，去犹太教堂并为故人点燃长明灯。

　　4.take off 起飞；成功

　　例句：I sit in the back wearing a harness and we usually take off the doors before flight.

　　我背好降落伞背带坐在飞机后座，在飞机起飞前我们会离开舱门。

1 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

4 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

5 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。