世界节假日博览 第34期:华盛顿诞辰日

 　　In the U.S.A. people celebrate the birthday of their first president, George Washington¹. They don’t always celebrate on his birth date, which is February 22, because if it falls on a weekend, people don’t get the day off. So, on the third Monday in February there is a national holiday. Not everyone agrees on the name or even the reason for the holiday. A 1968 law called it Washington’s Birthday. However, since the 1980s, lawmakers have tried to change the name to Presidents Day. Many people want the holiday to celebrate the birthday of another president, Abraham Lincoln, who was also born in February. Different U.S. states have renamed the day Presidents Day. And in Alabama, they call it "Washington and Jefferson Day".

　　在美国，民众会庆祝美国首位总统乔治·华盛顿的诞辰。他们不会在2月22日诞辰日来庆祝这一天，因为如果这一天是周末，那么他们就无法抽出一天来休息。所以，将每年的二月第三个周一定为国家假日。并不是所有人都同意该节日的名称，甚至是举办该节日的原因。1968年所签订的法律条文中，将这一天定为华盛顿诞辰日。自从20世纪80年代起，法律制定者不断试图将该节日的名称更名为总统日。许多人希望庆祝亚伯拉罕·林肯的诞辰，他也出生于二月。许多美国大州已经将其更名为总统日。在阿拉巴马州，他们将其称为“华盛顿和杰弗逊日”。

　　华盛顿诞辰.jpg

　　The holiday honors² George Washington for founding the nation. He is perhaps the most famous face in U.S. history. Up and down America, towns become red, white and blue. People put flags in their windows and hang ribbons³ in their gardens or outside stores. Many children learn about the history of how the United⁴ States came into being. They learn about the Revolutionary War and Washington’s role in America’s independence. Various communities stage pageants⁵ and festivals that re-enact the important events in Washington's life. People also eat cherry pies, a food that has become associated⁶ with his birthday. It’s also a good day for shoppers, as many stores hold a sale hoping to attract customers with the day off.

　　该节日是为了纪念乔治·华盛顿建国。他或许是美国历史上最著名的人物。美国上上下下，城镇变成了红白蓝色的海洋。人们在窗户上插上国旗，在花园或是商店外挂上彩带。儿童会在这一天学习美国建国的历史。还会了解革命战争以及华盛顿在美国独立中所起到的作用。社区会举办盛会活动，重演华盛顿时期重要的历史事件。人们还会享用樱桃饼，这与华盛顿的生日也密切相关。这天也是购物狂的节日，商店会举办打折活动来吸引顾客。

　　1. Revolutionary War 革命战争

　　例句：The revolutionary war has deteriorated⁷ the country.

　　这场革命战争已使该国解体。

　　2.associated with 与…有关系

　　例句：Cigarette smoking⁸ has been associated with lung cancer.

　　肺癌被认为与吸烟有关。

　　3.come into being 形成

　　例句：We shall not allow a new bourgeoisie to come into being.

　　我们不能允许产生一个新的资产阶级。

　　4.try to 试着

　　例句：Mary is very quiet,try to fetch out at the party.

　　玛丽非常腼腆，设法鼓励她在聚会上开口说话。

1 Washington   

n.华盛顿特区(是美国首都)

参考例句：

• His birthplace is Washington,but he lives in San Francisco.他出生于华盛顿，但住在旧金山。
• They, together with my father,have gone to Washington.他们和我父亲一起去华盛顿了。

2 honors   

n.礼仪；荣典；礼节； 大学荣誉学位；大学优等成绩；尊敬( honor的名词复数 )；敬意；荣誉；光荣

参考例句：

• He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 ribbons   

n.带( ribbon的名词复数 )；（打印机的）色带；绶带；带状物

参考例句：

• Her hair was interlaced with ribbons and flowers. 她的头发上编扎着缎带和花。
• Typewriter ribbons may be all black or black and red. 打字机的色带可以是全黑的或黑红色的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

5 pageants   

n.盛装的游行( pageant的名词复数 )；穿古代服装的游行；再现历史场景的娱乐活动；盛会

参考例句：

• It is young people who favor holding Beauty pageants. 赞成举办选美的是年轻人。 来自互联网
• Others say that there's a fine line between the pageants and sexual exploitation. 其他人说，选美和性剥削之间只有非常细微的界线。 来自互联网

6 associated   

adj.联合的

参考例句：

• the risks associated with taking drugs 与吸毒有关的危险
• I don't want to be associated with your scheme; I'm contracting out. 我不想参与你们的计划，我要退出。

7 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

8 smoking   

n.吸烟，抽烟；冒烟

参考例句：

• He was wise to give up smoking.他戒烟是明智的。
• He has decided to cut out smoking and drinking.他已决心戒烟、戒酒。