书城外语课外英语-美国各州小知识(十二)(双语版)
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第3章 佛蒙特州(3)

After the admission of Vermont to the Union in 1791and Kentucky in 1792,the design of the U.S.flag was changed by Congress in 1794to include fifteen stripes and fifteen stars.This design remained the National emblem(徽章)until 1818,and was the flag which inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star Spangled Banner,”and is usually known as the Fort McHenry flag.

The first distinct Vermont flag was a state militia(民兵)flag created on October 31,1803.Tennessee and Ohio had now been admitted into the Union and,apparently(显然地)anticipating that the U.S.flag would continue to add stripes and stars for each addition,Vermont authorized a flag of seventeen stripes and seventeen stars,“with the word ’VERMONT’in capitals above the said stripes and stars.”However,in April,1818,Congress authorized our present United States flag of thirteen stripes,with a star for each state.

The second Vermont flag,then,was authorized on October 20,1838,and contained “thirteen stripes,alternate red and white,and a union of one large star,white in a blue field,with the coat-of-arms of the State of Vermont therein(在那里).”This remained our state flag until 1919,although it does not appear that this flag was ever used or displayed to any extent,nor even that many people were familiar with its existence.In fact,when the desirability(愿望)of a change was in question,only a few of these state flags could be found.

It was felt that a distinctive Vermont flag should be created,one that as it hung on a pole could not be confused with the United States flag.The second state flag had never been carried as the state colors in any of the wars in which Vermont participated(参与,参加),but that the flag borne by regiments of the State of Vermont in the Civil War,the Spanish-American War,the Mexican-Border service and at the outbreak[(战争的)爆发]of World War I,was a flag having the state coat-of-arms on a blue field.A flag of the same design had by custom also been carried as the Governor’s flag.No.8of the Acts of 1919approved the design of the official state flag as we know it today.

The first Stars and Stripes Flag known to have been used in the Revolutionary War was carried by the Green Mountain Boys of Vermont at the Battle of Bennington,August 16,1777,and is now the most cherished possession of the Bennington Historical Museum,Bennington,Vermont.

State Song州歌

These Green Mountains

These green hills and silver waters

are my home.They belong to me.

And to all of her sons and daughters

May they be strong and forever free.

Let us live to protect her beauty

And look with pride on the golden dome(圆屋顶)

They say home is where the heart is

These green mountains are my home.

These green mountains are my home.

Facts and Trivia相关资料

1.Vermont was the first state admitted to the Union after the ratification(批准)of the Constitution.

2.With a population of fewer than nine thousand people,Montpelier,Vermont is the smallest state capital in the U.S.

3.Montpelier,Vermont is the only U.S.state capital without a McDonalds.

4.In ratio(比率)of cows to people,Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.

5.Montpelier,Is the largest producer of maple syrup(枫蜜)in the U.S.

6.Vermont’s largest employer isn’t Ben and Jerry’s,it’s IBM.

7.Until recently,the only way a Vermonter could get a drivers license with their photo on it was to drive to Montpelier.

8.Vermont was,at various times,claimed by both New Hampshire and New York.

9.Until 1996,Vermont was the only state without a Wal-Mart.

10.Ben &Jerry’s Ice Cream company gives their ice cream waste to the local Vermont farmers who use it to feed their hogs(肥(公)猪).The hogs seem to like all of the flavors except Mint Oreo.

11.Rudyard Kipling,living in Vermont in the 1890’s invented the game of snow golf.

12.Vermont does not sell alcohol to out of state licenses,you must have a liquor ID in order to purchase alcohol at liquor stores and grocery stores.This doesn’t apply to bars,but can affect those traveling through the state.

13.U.S.President Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the fourth of July.Born in Plymouth 7/4/1872.

14.Vermont’s state capitol building is one of only a few to have a gold dome.Atop the dome is a statue of Ceres([罗神]谷类的女神).

15.The Vermont Attractions Association was founded in 1956to promote attractions throughout the State of Vermont and establish,develop and promote high standards for tourism in Vermont.

16.Lowell Lake State Park was established in 1981when the State of Vermont purchased(买,购买)207acres from the Estate of Arline Weiss Gardner on the southern end of Lowell Lake.

17.The historic Stone Hut(小屋,棚屋)was originally built as a warming hut in 1936by the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC).These same crews(全体人员)cut some of the original ski trails on Mt.Mansfield.Once a home away from home for the ski pioneers of Vermont,it is now operated as a public lodging(寄宿)facility with a unique partnership between the Vermont Department of Forests,Parks,and Recreation and the Stowe Mountain Resort(Mt.Mansfield Company)between Mid-November and Mid-April.

18.The Green Mountain State is bordered(接壤)by Canada,New York,Massachusetts,and New Hampshire.

19.Vermont is the second largest state in New England after Maine.Dominating the state’s geography are the Green Mountains,one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world.