VOA慢速英语2021 大流行期间的节日灯光秀点亮生活（在线收听）

Businesses around the country are creating complex and costly light shows to spread happiness this holiday season.
美国各地的企业都在创作复杂而昂贵的灯光秀，以便在这个假期传播快乐。

From Maine to California, more and more light shows have been set up during the coronavirus pandemic. They are more complex than ever, with many bright and sparkling lights.
从缅因州到加利福尼亚州，新冠病毒大流行期间举办了越来越多的灯光秀。它们有着许多明亮和闪耀的灯光，比以往任何时候都更加复杂。

"They're exploding because people are looking for something to do. That has been a boom for this business," said Wayne Wheeler. His company, Reindeers Incorporated, imports lights and other equipment used in the professionally produced shows.
韦恩·惠勒表示：“它们正在爆炸式增长，因为人们都在寻找消遣。这促进了这门生意的繁荣。”他的公司Reindeers Incorporated进口用于专业灯光秀使用的灯光和其它设备。

Lighting displays during the holidays have long been an American tradition. People often drive through neighborhoods to look at the colorful lights. The professional productions take it to another level, with hundreds of thousands of lights, synchronized music, animated props, and other lights.
节日期间的灯光秀一直是美国的一项传统。人们经常驾车穿过街区去欣赏五彩缤纷的灯光。拥有数十万盏灯光、同步音乐、动画道具和其它灯光的专业制作将其提升到了另一个档次。

The pandemic appears to have made light shows more popular in America. And commercial light shows have been showing up in fair grounds, farms, zoos, and parking lots, some in the industry said.
大流行似乎使灯光秀在美国更受欢迎。一些业内人士表示，而商业灯光秀已经在展览中心、农场、动物园和停车场开始展示。

Enjoying outdoor lights on foot, or from inside a car, is a safe activity while COVID-19 infection numbers are rising. Ticketing is often done online, and tickets can be electronically confirmed through a car window.
在新冠肺炎感染人数飙升的情况下，步行或在车内欣赏户外灯光是一项安全的活动。买票通常在网上完成，并且可以从车内通过车窗以电子方式确认门票。

E.J. Dean is the creator of the first "Maine Celebration of Lights" at the Cumberland Fair Grounds.
E.J. 迪恩是坎伯兰展览中心首届“缅因州灯光庆典”的创办者。

He said he created the event to keep his workers employed after the pandemic almost closed his business. His company provides park rides and games, all of which were canceled in 2020.
他说创办这项活动是为了在大流行几乎关停他的企业后，让他的员工继续就业。他的公司提供公园游乐设施和游戏用具，所有这些都在2020年被取消。

Inventor Thomas Edison is credited with creating the first string of lightbulbs in 1880. In 1923, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge started a new tradition by lighting the National Christmas Tree with 2,500 electric lights. The tradition started getting popular after that.
发明家托马斯·爱迪生因在1880年发明了第一串灯泡而受到赞誉。1923年，美国总统卡尔文·柯立芝用2500颗灯珠点亮了国家圣诞树，开创了一项新的传统。从那以后，这项传统流行了起来。

Most major cities have one or more light shows. Large events designed to be seen from cars are now popular.
大多数主要城市都有一场或多场灯光秀。旨在从车内观赏的大型活动现在很受欢迎。

The "Big Bright Light Show" in Rochester, Michigan, covers a big part of the town. The "Winter Light Spectacular" at the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Pennsylvania had performances for children by Disney characters. Both have more than 1 million lights.
密歇根州罗彻斯特的Big Bright Light Show覆盖了该镇的很大一部分。宾夕法尼亚州利哈伊谷动物园的“冬季灯光秀”为孩子们带来了迪士尼角色的表演。这两场灯光秀都有超过100万颗灯珠。

Light shows are also becoming costly. For Texas-based Extreme Lightscapes, the average budget for a holiday light show with music is $500,000.
灯光秀也变得愈发昂贵。对于总部位于德州的Extreme Lightscapes来说，一场带音乐的节日灯光秀的平均预算是50万美元。

"Everybody continues to try to outdo each other in terms of size, scope, and technological complexity," said company head Darren Vader.
公司负责人达伦·维德表示：：“在规模、范围和技术复杂度方面，每个人都在不断努力想超越对方。”

Such events are run by businesses, nonprofit organizations and cities.
此类活动由企业、非营利性组织和城市举办。

Many of the operators, however, started with shows at their homes before deciding to get into the business, said Matt Reed. He is with Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Products. The Arizona-based business provides lights for companies and cities.
马特·里德表示，很多运营商在决定进入该行业之前，都在家里搞过灯光秀。他在尤因灌溉和景观产品公司工作。这家总部位于亚利桑那州的企业为公司和城市提供照明。

"You feel a difference when there's a lot of love behind the project," he said. "It's not just a job for them."
他说：“当项目背后有诸多热爱之时，就会感觉不一样。这对他们来说不仅仅是一项工作。”