新西兰英语 08 Waitangi Day

　　Today, New Zealanders celebrated¹ Waitangi Day in many places but the main events were held at the Treaty² grounds in Waitangi. This is in Northland, about 3 hours drive north of Auckland³.
The day before, on Tuesday 5th February, leaders held a meeting with important people to discuss matters concerning⁴ Maori. John Key, the leader of the Opposition⁵ (the National Party), attended the meeting but the Prime⁶ Minister did not because in the past she was treated rudely and pushed by protesters. The Minister of Maori Affairs attended instead. He gave a speech about the government’s policies⁷ but protesters shouted so loudly it was hard to hear what he said.
Waitangi Day celebrations⁸ began very early this morning, at 5am, with a church service. Again Helen Clark did not attend but later she held a breakfast for community leaders. After that she was taken a short distance to the Treaty grounds by a waka (Maori canoe). Nine other waka joined them. It was a beautiful sight to see.
Nearly 50,000 people attended the celebrations at Waitangi, in a day that was meant for families to enjoy. There were protesters but they behaved in a peaceful way. In the past, many protesters have been arrested on Waitangi day.
Some people do not believe Waitangi Day is for celebrating. They say that this is a day to remember the Treaty of Waitangi which was signed on February 6th 1840 between Maori chiefs and Queen Victoria. The Treaty promised Maori rights to their land and places where they got their food such as forests and the sea but Maori lost a lot of their land and other rights after that. Protesters come to Waitangi every year to remind people about the promises made in the Treaty.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。

3 Auckland   

n.奥克兰(新西兰港市)

参考例句：

• Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand.奥克兰是新西兰最大的城市。
• Return to auckland by bus in afternoon.下午乘车返回奥克兰。

4 concerning   

prep.关于，论及

参考例句：

• What do you know concerning this?关于这事你知道些什么？
• Some senior students wrote in asking for information concerning postgraduate studies.一些四年级学生写信询问有关研究生课程的信息。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

7 policies   

n.政策( policy的名词复数 )；策略；政府；策略性

参考例句：

• The Chancellor was forced into a humiliating climbdown on his economic policies. 财政大臣被迫狼狈地承认他的经济政策存在失误。
• an angry denunciation of the government's policies 愤怒谴责政府的政策

8 celebrations   

n.庆祝( celebration的名词复数 )；庆祝会（仪式）

参考例句：

• The mayor was there to dignify the celebrations. 市长的光临为庆祝活动增辉。
• Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations 维多利亚女王登基50周年庆典