VOA标准英语2014--庆祝美国国歌200周年

 

'The Star Spangled Banner' Celebrates 200 Years 庆祝美国国歌200周年

BALTIMORE— 

This year, the U.S. city of Baltimore, Maryland is celebrating its role in the birth of America’s national anthem¹.

National Park Service Ranger² Vince Vaise is Chief of Interpretation³, or head storyteller, at Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor. He says that two of the greatest symbols of the United States came out of a British attack on the fort during the War of 1812.

“The American flag and the national anthem... Now, the flag had already been invented, but it hadn’t really caught on yet. It was really the words of Francis Scott Key who, upon seeing the flag [still flying] over this fort on September 14th, 1814, 200 years ago, that really led to the flag becoming the great national icon⁴ for the United States that it is today,” he said.

When darkness fell September 13, 1814, the British were shelling Fort McHenry, and through the night observers of the battle strained to see whether the fort had fallen. But when the sun rose the next morning the sight of the American flag flying over Fort McHenry prompted Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet, to write a poem he called “The Defence of Fort McHenry.”

“Word choice was very important to him," Vaise said. "We know that he thought about it because the original manuscript four verses are on display for this week and if you look at the first draft, you see that he scratched out a few words.  ‘Oh say can you see through.’ No, no, no.  ‘By the dawn’s- yes, by the dawn’s early light….’ So, clearly he thought about it.“

Vaise says Key didn’t immediately run to Washington, D.C. and announce he’d written the national anthem for his young country.

“Just the opposite.  Francis Scott Key gave those four verses to his brother-in-law and good friend, who was a captain in the fort during the battle," he said. "So he might have just given it to him as a personal thing -like ‘hey, you were there, here’s something I’ve written.”

Key’s brother-in-law began giving away copies of the poem and soon it appeared in newspapers with the title “The Star Spangled Banner.”   Someone set it to the tune⁵ of an old British drinking song and within weeks it was being sung outside of Maryland.

Park Ranger Kristin Schenning says it’s interesting that the poem that eventually became America’s national anthem isn’t about the war, but is about the flag.

“Yes, it’s about a battle, but it’s really about the emotions that Francis Scott Key captures," she said. "It’s not necessarily about guns, and beating the British and all of that. It’s about this idea of asking is the flag still there and answering it with yes, it flies over the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

It wasn’t until 1931 that an Act of Congress made “The Star Spangled Banner” the official U.S. national anthem. Schenning says there’s still a connection between the flag and the song for many people, which could explain why some people react so strongly when they hear the song performed in non-traditional ways.

Rocker Jimi Hendrix’s unconventional performance is one of 15 that beat-boxer and vocal⁶ percussionist⁷ Shodekeh included in an exhibit he curated at Baltimore’s Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture. The exhibit is called “For Whom It Stands,” and it brings together “culturally alternative” versions of the anthem as part of the bicentennial celebration.

“I listened to every state anthem, I listened to the anthems⁸ of all the island entities⁹. South America’s anthems. The continent of Asia, Africa," he said. "I mean, I went through them all and I tried to find some of the more controversial examples or reinterpretations throughout history.”

Shodekeh closed out Maryland’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner by joining with an improvisational¹⁰ hip¹¹ hop¹² group and a group of classically trained musicians to perform a new interpretation of the anthem. Vocalist Katrina Ford¹³ hopes that people won’t think their version is “wrong” just because it’s different.

“Every performance should have its own style," she said. "Every performer should bring something unique to it. And I think that that even holds true for the national anthem.”

1 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

2 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

3 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

4 icon   

n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像

参考例句：

• They found an icon in the monastery.他们在修道院中发现了一个圣像。
• Click on this icon to align or justify text.点击这个图标使文本排齐。

5 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 percussionist   

n.打击乐器演奏者

参考例句：

• She overcame her deafness and eventually became a successful percussionist. 她克服了耳聋的毛病，最后当了打击乐队敲打手。 来自辞典例句
• For many years I practiced these techniques as a professional percussionist in jazz and new music. 许多年来作为一个职业的爵士乐和新音乐演奏者我不断实践着。 来自互联网

8 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

9 entities   

实体对像； 实体，独立存在体，实际存在物( entity的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Our newspaper and our printing business form separate corporate entities. 我们的报纸和印刷业形成相对独立的企业实体。
• The North American continent is made up of three great structural entities. 北美大陆是由三个构造单元组成的。

10 improvisational   

adj. 即兴的

参考例句：

• I have never been at games like charades or improvisational acting. 您从来都唔擅长玩“有口难言”或者“即席表演”之类既游戏。
• I'm practicing self-control, those random and improvisational acts aren't allowed. 我在练习控制自己，那些随意的、即兴的举动是不允许的。

11 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

12 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

13 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。