On the American National Flag

 

 

     One of our great symbols is the American flag, 13 red and white ¹⁾stripes ²⁾corresponding to the number of original states on a ³⁾rectangular piece of cloth, one corner blue with 50 white stars for 50 states.

     You see the flag everywhere now, ⁴⁾ “what so proudly we hail.” It means the World Trade Center happened to all of us. “We’re proud to be Americans,” say flags on front ⁵⁾porches in small towns across the country. Some homes seem to have been built to fly the flag. This wouldn’t be complete without it; just perfect. “We’re American too” say the flags ⁶⁾inelegantly glued to the city apartment windows. The declaration of ⁷⁾patriotic¹ intent is everywhere, the simplest as ⁸⁾persuasive² as the displays where one was considered not enough. Rockefeller Center with 150 beauties is in show business, a stirring sight although it’s unlikely that management there loves our country more than the owner of the smallest small business, displaying just one.

     The Annin flag company makes most American flags. They have more business than they can do now. You don’t have to go to Annin to buy a flag though. Flag sales are a street corner cottage industry. ⁹⁾Furtive³ operatives set up shop, to them the buck⁴ means more than the ¹⁰⁾banner.

     The colors of our flag and the numbers of stars and stripes are ¹¹⁾ordained⁵, but there is no rule regarding dimension. There are tiny flags on sticks made in China. This grand flag is so big on a building in New York that it had to be continued around the corner. This beauty hangs from the side wall of a fire house. And you wouldn’t want a dirty flag so they wash theirs.

     Everyone wants to be associated with the flag. America and Yale, America and ¹²⁾Episcopalians, America and ¹³⁾J.P. Morgan, America and ¹⁴⁾Maxell, America and the Ritz Tower.

     There are inevitably⁶ people who are more anxious to appear patriotic than to be patriotic. They tread a fine line between patriotism⁷ and commerce. The flag is everywhere in close ¹⁵⁾proximity⁸ to a business interest. It sells shoes and shoe repair, women’s dresses. The American flag invites ¹⁶⁾diners to foreign restaurants, Japanese, Italian, even Afghan.

     There is an official flag code but it is ¹⁷⁾routinely ignored. It is not proper to use the flag as a table cloth. It is not to be used as an ¹⁸⁾awning⁹ or a ¹⁹⁾canopy¹⁰ or plastered to the ²⁰⁾hood¹¹ of a car. The code says the American flag is not to be used as ²¹⁾decorative¹² clothing. Some find it ²²⁾irresistibly^{13 23)}fashionable though and we are more amused than they.

This is how the star ²⁴⁾spangled banner was meant to be flown on the end of a pole of its own, free to wave ²⁵⁾majestically¹⁴ in our own free air.CE

11、美国国旗

 

美国的伟大象征之一是国旗，长方形布上13道红白相间的条纹表示美国原来的州数，蓝色一角上印着的50颗白星代表50个州。

现在是四处都能看到国旗，“是什么让我们如此骄傲。”那表示世贸中心事件与每个美国人息息相联。美国各小城镇的前廊悬挂着的国旗体现出“身为美国人的骄傲”。有些房子仿佛就是为了挂国旗而建的。没有国旗便不完整；挂上后便完美了。“我们也是美国人”--这是斜贴在这所市内公寓窗外的国旗传达出的信息。处处洋溢着爱国宣言，从小处看最能让人信服这一点，比如，有些人认为挂一面国旗还不足够。洛克菲勒中心高高飘起150面美丽的美国国旗，景象令人叹为观止，但这并不说明此处的管理者就比只挂出一面国旗的小商店店主更爱国。

安宁国旗公司出产全美大部分的国旗。现在他们的生意是应接不暇。但要买国旗并不非得到安宁公司。街角也有出售国旗的摊子。对于那些偷偷售卖国旗的街贩，钱比国旗更重要。

美国国旗的颜色、星星的数目、横条都是规定好了的，但尺寸大小就没有限制。有中国制造的小签国旗。纽约一栋大楼外的国旗巨大得要转弯接着挂起。消防局的墙上挂着一面国旗。如果不想挂脏国旗就像他们一样拿去清洗吧。

人人都想跟国旗扯上关系：美国和耶鲁、美国和圣公会教徒、美国和摩根、美国和万胜、美国和丽晶大厦。

难免也有人摆出爱国姿态而非真正爱国。他们在爱国主义和商业间徘徊。随处可见对国旗感兴趣的商家∶卖鞋和修鞋的，女士的裙子。美国国旗吸引顾客到外国餐馆用餐-日本餐馆、意大利餐馆、甚至阿富汗餐馆。

政府有国旗用法的规定，但常给人们忽视了：国旗不能拿来当餐布，不能做遮篷、檐篷或汽车贴条。美国国旗按规定是不能用来设计服装的--有些人却觉得难以抵制此诱惑，我们比他们还更乐在其中。

美国国旗应当高挂在旗杆上，自由自在地在美国领土的上空美丽庄严地飘扬。CE

 

1) stripe [straip] n. 条纹

2) correspond to 等于

3) rectangular [rek5ANgjulE] a. 矩形的

4) “What so proudly we hailed”The Star Spangled Banner”

5) porch [pC:tF] n. 门廊，走廊

6) inelegantly [in5eligEntli] adv. 不优美地

7) patriotic [pAntri5Ctik] a. 有爱国心的

8) persuasive [pE5sweisiv] a. 善说服的

9) furtive [5fE:tiv] a. 偷偷摸摸的

10) banner [5bAnEr] n. 旗帜，横幅 

11) ordained [C:5dein] a. 注定的，规定的

12) episcopalian [ipiskE5peiliEn] n.美国圣公会教徒

13) J.P. Morgan，是在世界上享有盛誉的一家综合性金融公司。

14) 美国Maxell公司是一家生产高品质录音和录象录制品和辅件的企业。

15) proximity [prCk5simiti] n. 接近，亲近

16) diner [5dainEr] n. 用餐者

17) routinely [ru:5ti:nli] adv. 例行公事地

18) awning [5C:niN] n. 雨篷

19) canopy [5kAnEpi] n. 遮篷

20) hood [hud] n. 车篷

21) decorative [5dekErEtiv] a. 装饰的

22) irresistibly [7iri5zistEbli] adv. 无法抵抗地

23) fashionable [5fAFnEbEl] a. 流行的，时髦的

24) spangled [5spANgEl] a. 闪烁的

25) majestically [mE5dVestikli] adv. 庄严地，壮丽地

 

 

1 patriotic   

adj.爱国的，有爱国心的

参考例句：

• His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
• The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。

2 persuasive   

adj.有说服力的，能说得使人相信的

参考例句：

• His arguments in favour of a new school are very persuasive.他赞成办一座新学校的理由很有说服力。
• The evidence was not really persuasive enough.证据并不是太有说服力。

3 furtive   

adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的

参考例句：

• The teacher was suspicious of the student's furtive behaviour during the exam.老师怀疑这个学生在考试时有偷偷摸摸的行为。
• His furtive behaviour aroused our suspicion.他鬼鬼祟祟的行为引起了我们的怀疑。

4 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

5 ordained   

v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定

参考例句：

• He was ordained in 1984. 他在一九八四年被任命为牧师。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was ordained priest. 他被任命为牧师。 来自辞典例句

6 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

7 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

8 proximity   

n.接近，邻近

参考例句：

• Marriages in proximity of blood are forbidden by the law.法律规定禁止近亲结婚。
• Their house is in close proximity to ours.他们的房子很接近我们的。

9 awning   

n.遮阳篷；雨篷

参考例句：

• A large green awning is set over the glass window to shelter against the sun.在玻璃窗上装了个绿色的大遮棚以遮挡阳光。
• Several people herded under an awning to get out the shower.几个人聚集在门栅下避阵雨

10 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

11 hood   

n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖

参考例句：

• She is wearing a red cloak with a hood.她穿着一件红色带兜帽的披风。
• The car hood was dented in.汽车的发动机罩已凹了进去。

12 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

13 irresistibly   

adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地

参考例句：

• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside. 她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He was irresistibly attracted by her charm. 他不能自已地被她的魅力所吸引。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 majestically   

雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地

参考例句：

• The waters of the Changjiang River rolled to the east on majestically. 雄伟的长江滚滚东流。
• Towering snowcapped peaks rise majestically. 白雪皑皑的山峰耸入云霄。