VOA标准英语2009年-California Gears Up for Annual Rose Pa

Volunteer Paige Hergenreter works on a float named "All-Star Dreams" in Pasadena, Calif., 28 Dec 2009, in preparation for the Rose Parade

In California, preparations are underway for the annual Rose Parade, a colorful New Year's Day tradition.  Volunteers are working around the clock to decorate parade floats with flowers, plants and other organic materials.

Hundreds of thousands of people will line the streets of Pasadena to see the flower-covered floats, marching bands and equestrian¹ units.  This is the 121st annual Rose Parade, and it will be seen on television by millions around the United States and in many other countries.

Hundreds of volunteers have come to Pasadena to help with decorations, including Cheryl Vanos, her children and other family members from eastern California.  She is sorting through masses of dried green moss².

"We're helping³ to get all the stuff ready to go on the floats.  I brought my kids from South Lake Tahoe and we figured that this would be something that they could do.  We did it when we were kids," she said.

AP
Student volunteers help decorate the Cal Poly float in preparation for Tournament of Roses Parade, near Pasadena's Rose Bowl, California, 27 Dec 2009

They are decorating a float sponsored by the two campuses of California Polytechnic⁴ State University, known as Cal Poly.  The display has a humorous theme, showing a lion, giraffe, and zebra getting haircuts.  As with every float, each square centimeter of space must be covered with flowers or other organic material, including moss, seeds, bark and plant fiber⁵.

Thirty-nine elaborate parade floats will celebrate a variety of themes, from the bicentennial of the war for Mexican independence to American major league baseball.

The overall theme of this year's parade is "2010: a Cut Above the Rest," and the New Year's procession will be led by grand marshal Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the celebrated⁶ airline pilot.  Last January, Sullenberger's airliner⁷ lost both engines and he managed to safely land the troubled jetliner on New York's Hudson River, saving the lives of 155 people on board.

Frank Scalfaro of West Covina, California, is helping with his city's entry in the parade, which also has an aviation theme.

"This is our 12th entry.  And this is the one that we're most proud of," he said.

AP
Volunteer Sally Murphy, center, works on a float named "Tuskegee Airmen" in Pasadena, Calif., 28 Dec 2009, in preparation for the Rose Parade

The float celebrates the legacy⁸ of the Tuskegee Airmen, a World War II unit of African-American pilots. The movable display, which is 15 meters long and five meters high, has two nearly life-sized models of fighter aircraft, covered with flowers, and flower-decked insignia.

"The float itself will have an eagle on it.  So we have the eagle that represents freedom," he said.  "We have the two P-51 aircraft, which is the aircraft the men flew later on in the war.  We're going to have 16 riders, all original airmen," he explained.

Harlan Leonard is one of the former Tuskegee Airmen who will ride atop the float.  He was a fighter pilot during the war, then served in the post-war Air Force, retiring as a lieutenant⁹ colonel.  He says the war-time unit helped break down racial barriers in the United States.

"The Tuskegee airmen, because of their achievements, contributed to our getting an integrated Air Force, and therefore opened the door to the opportunities.  I was able to take advantage of those opportunities," he said.

Nearby, volunteer decorator George Torney of San Francisco is sorting and gluing yellow flower petals¹⁰ on the float that honors the airmen.  He says that volunteers like him are assigned to different jobs according to their skills.

"Some are just sweeping¹¹ and cleaning, carrying things.  Other people, as you can see, are way up high up on the scaffolds putting wings on the eagles.  We've worked on 10 or 12 floats, so we know basically how to go about this," he said.

For the volunteers, the meticulous¹² work will continue through New Year's Eve, and the colorful results will be on display early New Year's morning.
 

1 equestrian   

adj.骑马的；n.马术

参考例句：

• They all showed extraordinary equestrian skills.他们的骑术都很高超。
• I want to book two equestrian tickets.我想订两张马术比赛的票。

2 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

3 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

4 polytechnic   

adj.各种工艺的，综合技术的；n.工艺(专科)学校；理工(专科)学校

参考例句：

• She was trained as a teacher at Manchester Polytechnic.她在曼彻斯特工艺专科学校就读，准备毕业后做老师。
• When he was 17,Einstein entered the Polytechnic Zurich,Switzerland,where he studied mathematics and physics.17岁时，爱因斯坦进入了瑞士苏黎士的专科学院，学习数学和物理学。

5 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

6 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。

7 airliner   

n.客机，班机

参考例句：

• The pilot landed the airliner safely.驾驶员使客机安全着陆。
• The passengers were shepherded across the tarmac to the airliner.旅客们被引导走过跑道去上飞机。

8 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

9 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

10 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

11 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

12 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。