VOA慢速英语2019 新奥尔良庆祝狂欢节（在线收听）

New Orleans Celebrates Mardi Gras

The streets of New Orleans will be filled with people of all ages Tuesday night.

星期二晚上，新奥尔良的街道上将会挤满男女老少。 

Happy children hope to catch colorful beads thrown from people standing high atop ladders. Many adults are making last-minute changes to bright, colorful costumes, which they will wear as they walk through the city’s French Quarter.

欢快的孩子们希望能捡到人们站在高高的梯子上抛出的彩珠。许多成年人正在进行最后一刻的换装，他们将身穿色彩鲜艳的服饰，穿过该市的法国角。

Tuesday marks the final day of the Mardi Gras season, which began on January 6. The term Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday.”French settlers brought the tradition to New Orleans long before it became part of the United States. Historians believe the city’s first Mardi Gras parade took place in 1837. Today, parties and parades take place throughout Mardi Gras season.

马尔迪·格拉斯音乐狂欢节从1月6日开始，以星期二为标志代表狂欢节的最后一天。Mardi Gras（马尔迪·格拉斯）是法语词汇，意为“肥胖星期二”。在新奥尔良成为美国领土之前很久，法国殖民者就把这个传统带到了新奥尔良。历史学家认为这个城市的第一次狂欢节游行发生在1837年。如今，派对和游行贯穿整个狂欢节。

Rainy weather affected some parades on Sunday. But the weather Tuesday was expected to be sunny and cold.

周日的阴雨天影响了一些游行。但周二预计将是寒冷的晴天。 

The celebrations started early in the morning. The Northside Skull and Bone Gang walked through the city’s Treme neighborhood before sunrise. The group’s members wore costumes that look like human skeletons. They wake people up to celebrate Mardi Gras.

庆祝活动一大早就开始了。日出前，北边骷髅和骨头团伙（（The Northside Skull and Bone Gang）穿过城市的特雷姆（Treme）社区。该组织成员穿着像骷髅人一样的服装。他们叫醒人们来庆祝狂欢节。

Then the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club marched along the city’s Saint Charles Avenue. Its members have worn black makeup during the parade in other years. This time, many people criticized the custom after two Virginia politicians admitted to wearing “blackface” when they were younger.

然后，祖鲁社会援助和娱乐俱乐部沿着城市的圣查尔斯大道游行。在此之前，其成员游行时都化着黑色的妆。这次，在两位弗吉尼亚州政客承认他们年轻时化过“黑脸”后，许多人对这种习俗表示批判。

The club released a statement, saying that its members’ costumes are unlike racist “blackface” images from a century ago. It also said the costumes are designed to honor clothing worn by South African Zulu warriors.

该俱乐部发表声明称，其成员的服装与上世纪种族主义者的“黑脸”形象不同。 俱乐部还表示，这些服装的设计旨在纪念南非祖鲁族战士所穿的服装。

Tuesday’s Rex parade is also expected to stop at The Rex House on St. Charles Ave. A fire on February 20 severely damaged the three-floor, 150-year-old building. The home has been an important stop along the Rex parade path since 1907. The Rex parade “king” usually stops at the house during the parade.

周二的雷克斯游行预计也将在圣查尔斯大街的雷克斯之家停留。2月20日，一场大火严重损坏了这栋有着150年历史的三层楼房。自1907年以来，该建筑就一直是雷克斯游行路线的重要一站。雷克斯游行“国王”在游行时通常也会在这个房子前停下来。

The party officially ends at midnight, when the new day begins. Police officials on horses ride down Bourbon Street to ceremonially clear the street, marking the end of the Mardi Gras season.

派对于午夜，即新的一天开始时，正式结束。警察官员沿着波旁街（Bourbon Street）骑马前行，形式上清理街道，标志狂欢节结束。

Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, which for many Christians is a time for fasting and thought ahead of the religious observance of Easter.

星期三是四月斋的开始，对于许多基督徒来说，这段时间用来禁食，同时也用来在复活节的宗教仪式前进行思考。

Words in This Story

costumes – n. clothes that are worn by someone such as an actor who is trying to look like a different person or thing

ladder – n. a device used for climbing that has two long pieces of wood, metal, or rope with a series of steps between them

fasting – v. to refuse food and drink

bead – n. a small ball or piece of material connected to a wire or string.