【美国精神】第52期

Explanation:

    “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” 

    Probably almost all Americans can recite (or say without reading) this pledge (or promise) of allegiance (or loyalty¹). When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we are promising² to be loyal to the United States and its flag, which is a piece of fabric³ that represents the country. The United States flag has red and white stripes and there is a blue square that has 50 white stars. The Pledge of Allegiance reminds us that we must love our country and should not do anything to hurt it.

    When Americans say the Pledge of Allegiance, they must stand up, look at the flag, and put their right hand over their heart, on the left side of their chest. Let’s look at the words of the pledge of allegiance in more depth (or detail).

    The Pledge of Allegiance begins by saying, “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America…” This means that we promise to be loyal to the United States flag. The Pledge continues, “…and to the Republic for which it stands….” A republic is a country or nation with an elected president and representatives, so we are promising to be loyal not only to the flag, but also to the country that the flag represents – in this case, the United States.

    Then the Pledge says, “…one Nation under God….” This means that our country is one united nation (made of one piece, without many separate parts) and that God is watching over (or taking care of) the country. Then the Pledge says that our nation is “indivisible (or cannot be divided into smaller pieces), with liberty and justice for all.” Liberty is freedom and justice is fairness in the law.

    Most Americans learn to recite the Pledge of Allegiance when they are very young, reciting the Pledge every morning before classes begin in school. As adults, we don’t say the Pledge of Allegiance very often, but it is used for special occasions, like when people from other countries become U.S. citizens.

 

问题：

What do we show loyalty to when we say the Pledge of Allegiance?

Answer:

• The United States

• The flag

1 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。