书城外语课外英语-美国各州小知识(三)(双语版)
45807700000004

第4章 佛罗里达州(4)

Gestation:Eggs hatch in 12-13days,the young fledge 11-13days after that.

Number of young:Eggs are blue-green with brown markings(斑纹).The 2-6,usually 3-5,eggs per nest are a pale blue-greenish with brown spots.

Nest Location:Ground-low nesting

Nest Type:Open-cup the nest,a joint male/female project,is a bulky,open cup of grass,twigs(嫩枝,小枝)and rootlets(小根,支根)carelessly arranged in a dense.

Migration Status:Permanent resident.This year-round resident is known for its fierce defense of the family nest.

Diet:Mockingbirds require open grassy areas for their feeding,thick,thorny(多刺的,痛苦的)shrubs for hiding the nest and high perches where the male can sing and defend his territory.Gardens are among its favorite dwelling places especially if winter berries are available.The Mockingbird’s primary diet is insects(beetles,ants,grasshoppers(蚱蜢,蝗虫)and spiders),berries and seed.

Facts:

1.Only unmated males sing at night.

2.Mockingbirds often form long-term pair bonds.

3.Mockingbirds vigorously(精神旺盛地)defend their territory against many other species including dogs,cats and man!

4.Female mockingbirds often build a new nest while the males finish feeding older fledglings(羽毛初长的雏鸟,刚会飞的幼鸟)and teaching them to fly.

5.Scientists have found that female mockingbirds are attracted to males that can make the most different sounds.

6.Mockingbirds are the state bird of Arkansas,Florida,Mississippi,Tennessee,and Texas and one of the few birds found in every kind of habitat,from desert to forest to city.

7.Mockingbirds are thought to raise and lower their wings in order to scare up a meal of insects,frighten snakes and impress their mates.

State Flower州花

橘花是在1909年11月15日美国国会两院所通过而不需总统签署的共同决议案指定为本州州花。它是佛罗里达州最芬芳的花朵之一。在橘花开放时节,数百万朵花香飘中部和南部的佛罗里达州。这种甜橘,就像柑橘类的植物,生长在亚热带的东南亚。

The orange blossom was designated State Flower by Concurrent Resolution November 15,1909Legislature.It is one of the most fragant flowers in Florida.Millions of these white flowers perfume the atmosphere throughout central and south Florida during orange blossom time.

The sweet orange,like most citrus(柑橘类的植物),is native to subtropical(亚热带的)Southeast Asia.The Arabians were the first people to mention citrus in their writings,and our word for this fruit is derived from their Sanskirt name.The Moors(摩尔人(非洲西北部伊斯兰教民族))brought these plants to Spain,where they were used medicinally and in religious services.Although the bitter orange(Citrus aurantium)reached Europe by the 1000s,the sweet orange did not arrive in India until 1330,and was planted in Versailles in 1421.Columbus transported oranges to South America in 1493,and by 1587Cuba was covered with these beautiful trees.It was the Spanish Missionaries who brought this highly prized fruit to California,establishing the first orange groves in the 1700s.

Leaf:The leaves are shiny and leathery,oblong(长方形的)to elliptic(椭圆形的),up to 4″long,and have narrow wings on their petioles(叶柄,柄部)(leaf stems).

Flower:Orange blossoms are white,very fragrant,and arranged in clusters(串,丛)of 1-6.They bloom in spring and give rise to oranges the following autumn or winter.Last year’s oranges often are still on the trees when the new flowers are blooming(盛开的).

Fruit:A large,round multiple of drupes that is 4to 5inches in diameter.The fruit is roundish,golden-yellow or tawny,and several-celled,with a fleshy,juicy pulp;the seeds white and several.The cysts(胞,包囊)in the rind(外壳)are convex(表面弯曲如球的外侧,凸起的)(L.)The fruit has a very distinctive citrus smell.

Twig:The twigs on many orange cultivars are thorny.

Bark:Bark of a greenish-brown color,having axillary(腋窝的,叶腋的,腋生的)spines on the branches.

Form:The sweet orange is a compact evergreen tree 20-30′tall with a rounded,symmetrical crown(对称路拱)spreading 15-20′or so.

State Flag州旗

自从1513年Juan Ponce de Leon占领以来,许多旗帜都曾在佛罗里达州的上空飘过。主要有五个主权国家:西班牙、法国、英国、美国和美国南部联邦。还有许多其他非官方旗帜也一次有一次地飘在半岛的上空。1899年立法机关的联合决议在1900年由本州投票者赞成现在使用的旗帜为佛罗里达州的官方旗帜。

Many flags have flown over Florida since Juan Ponce de Leon landed in 1513.Among them have been the flags of five sovereign nations:Spain,France,Great Britain,the United States,and the Confederate States of America.Numerous other unofficial flags also have been flown on the penninsula at one time or another.Only a written description remains of some of these banners.

A joint resolution of the legislature in 1899,approved by state voters in 1900,made the current State Flag the official banner of Florida.The Department of State is the custodian(管理人)of the State Flag.

Between 1868and 1900,Florida’s state flag consisted of a white field with the state seal in the center.During the late 1890s,Governor Francis P.Fleming suggested that a red cross be added,so that the banner did not appear to be a white flag of truce(休战,休战协定)or surrender when hanging still on a flagpole(旗杆).

State Song州歌

The Swanee River

Way down upon de Swanee Ribber,

Far,far away,

Dere’s wha my heart is turning ebber(退潮,衰落),

Dere’s wha de old folks stay.

All up and down de whole creation

Sadly I roam,

Still longing for de old plantation(耕地,殖民),

And for de old folks at home.

CHORUS

All de world am sad and dreary,

Eb-rywhere I roam;

Oh,darkeys(〈蔑〉黑人),how my heart grows weary,

Far from de old folks at home!

2nd Verse

All round de little farm I wandered

When I was young,

Den many happy days I squandered(浪费),

Many de songs I sung.

When I was playing wid my brudder

Happy was I;

Oh,take me to my kind old mudder!

Dere let me live and die.

3rd Verse

One little hut among de bushes,

One dat I love

Still sadly to my memory rushes,

No matter where I rove.

When will I see de bees a-humming

All round de comb?

When will I hear de banjo(班卓琴,五弦琴)

strumming(乱弹,乱奏),

Down in my good old home?

Florida,My Florida

Land of my birth,bright sunkissed(受阳光照射的)land,

Florida,my Florida.

Laded((用勺子)舀出)by the Gulf and Ocean grand,

Florida,my Florida.

Of all the States in East or West,

Unto my heart thou art the best

Here may I live,here may I rest

Florida,my Florida.

The golden fruit the world outshines

Florida,my Florida,

Thy gardens and thy phosphate mines,

Florida,my Florida,

In country,town,or hills and dells

((两边有树的)小谷,小溪谷,幽谷),

Florida,my Florida,

The rythmic chimes of the school bells