VOA标准英语2010年-China Ushers in Year of the Tiger

Worshippers light incense¹ at the Yonghe Gong (Lama Temple) on the first day of the Chinese New Year in Beijing, China, Feb. 14, 2010

China welcomed the start of the new lunar year with traditional deafening² and dazzling firework displays.

Firecrackers echoed across major cities as the Year of the Tiger was ushered³ in on the stroke of midnight Saturday.

Dragons dancers, drummers, bell and gong ringers added to the cacophony⁴ of celebrations.

Hundreds of millions braved the cold winter weather to travel home to be with their families, putting a great strain on the country's transport system.  The government says 210 million passengers boarded trains and nearly 30 million traveled by air.

Millions more used buses and cars in what is believed to be the world's biggest annual human migration⁵.

English graduate Kong Juan, 21, echoed the wishes of millions of Chinese, saying she hoped to have a prosperous year ahead for herself and her country.

"Happy Tiger Year.  The Tiger Year is stronger," she said.  "I want to study English harder and better than the year before and I hope the work and business is better than before.  I hope my friends and everybody is fine.  I want my country to become stronger."

Snow failed to dampen the traditional celebrations in Shanghai, and families visited temples to pray for good fortune in the year ahead.

Beijing's night sky was lit up by thousands of exploding fireworks to scare off evil spirits. Roughly 800,000 police and volunteers patrolled the capital to help ensure safety, but 52 people were reported injured in firework accidents.

Chinese TV showed wall-to-wall pageantry shows and the country's leaders visiting different parts of the nation.

In a New Year speech given Friday, Premier⁶ Wen Jiabao praised the county for facing up to the global financial crisis and overcoming recession.  He said 2009 saw the Chinese people gain pride and confidence as the country's influence and status grew on the world stage. But he warned 2010 would be "a more complicated and complex year", domestically and internationally.

President Hu Jintao was shown visiting old Communist Party revolutionary bases, and promised to speed up development and improve living standards in the year ahead.

 

1 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

2 deafening   

adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
• The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。

3 ushered   

v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The secretary ushered me into his office. 秘书把我领进他的办公室。
• A round of parties ushered in the New Year. 一系列的晚会迎来了新年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 cacophony   

n.刺耳的声音

参考例句：

• All around was bubbling a cacophony of voices.周围人声嘈杂。
• The drivers behind him honked,and the cacophony grew louder.后面的司机还在按喇叭，且那刺耳的声音越来越大。

5 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

6 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。