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6章 弗吉尼亚州(2)

Tim Kaine is married to Anne Holton,a former juvenile court judge and the daughter of former Republican Governor Linwood Holton.Their three children—Nat,Woody,and Annella—attend Richmond public schools.

State Bird州鸟

弗吉尼亚州在1950年将北美红雀作为本州的州鸟,以清脆高亢的叫声和耀眼夺目的羽毛见长,这种鸟也是这六个州的州鸟。红雀有时也被称为冬红雀,因为在冬天里它是目前惟一的红色鸟,最显而易见的。这种鸟常常出现在公园、草场和森林。雄鸟除了颈部和嘴的周遍部位的羽毛是黑色的,其余部位都是红色的。而雌鸟的羽毛颜色则与周遍自然环境相融,以便保护它们的卵和雏鸟。它们的羽毛颜色不会随着季节的改变而改变。

In 1950,the General Assembly chose the northern cardinal(Cardinalis cardinalis)as the state bird because of its bright plumage(羽毛,翅膀)and cheerful song.In eighteenth-century England,the cardinal was called “the Virginia nightingale([动]夜莺).”The cardinal is part of the finch family.

The northern cardinal is also the state bird for six other states.These are Illinois,Indiana,Kentucky,North Carolina,Ohio,and West Virginia.

The Cardinal is sometimes called the Winter Redbird because it is most noticeable(显而易见的)during the winter when it is the only “redbird”present.The Cardinal is one of the most common birds in our gardens,meadows,and woodlands.The male Cardinal is red all over,except for the area of its throat and the region around its bill which is black;it is about the size of a Catbird[[动]猫声鸟,猫鹊(产于北美的一种鸣禽)]only with a longer tail.The head is conspicuously(显著地,超群地)crested and the large stout bill is red.The female is much duller(阴暗的)in color with the red confined mostly to the crest(鸟冠),wings,and tail.This difference in coloring is common among many birds.Since it is the female that sits on the nest,her coloring must blend more with her natural surroundings to protect her eggs and young from predators.There are no seasonal changes in her plumage.

The Cardinal is a fine singer,and what is unusual is that the female sings as beautifully as the male.The male generally monopolizes(独占,垄断)the art of song in the bird world.

The nest of the Cardinal is rather an untidy affair built of weed stems,grass and similar materials in low shrubs,small trees or bunches of briars([植]石南),generally not over four feet above the ground.The usual number of eggs set is three in the South and four further North.Possibly the Cardinal raises an extra brood down in the South to make up the difference,or possibly the population is more easily maintained here by the more moderate winters compared to the colder North.

State Flower州花

本州在1910年弗吉尼亚州将山茱萸花作为本州州花,多花狗木是美国用与装饰的树种之一。人们只知道这种树叫狗木,其实它还有其他的名字,包括黄杨木和山茱萸。核果椭圆形,熟时深红色。花期3—4月,果期9—10月。它的果实对人体有害,但却是野生动物们的食物。这种木材质地光滑、结实且有织纹,现在用于特制产品的材料。

In 1918,the state floral emblem commonly known as the American dogwood(山茱萸)(Cornus florida)was adopted.It was selected to foster(养育,抚育,培养,鼓励)a feeling of pride in our state and to stimulate an interest in the history and traditions of the Commonwealth.

Flower:Flowers are highly modified leaves that perform reproductive functions for plants that bear them.A flower petal is merely a special leaf that typically through brightly colored pigment([生]色素,颜料)may attract a pollinator(〈美〉(黑人用语)(受雇用的)殡仪员).The actual reproductive work of the flower is conducted by the stamens(雄蕊)(which bear pollen)and the pistil([植]雌蕊)(which receives the pollen and allows it to contact the flower ovary,where a fruit is produced).

The small flower clusters on the Flowering Dogwood are surrounded by 4large,showy bracts([植]苞叶,苞)that are often mistaken as petals.Each quarter-inch flower has four tightly curved petals,plus two stamens and a single pistil.Flowers that have dropped their petals is a sign they likely have been pollinated(对……授粉).Eventually,after all the white bracts and tiny petals have fallen,the remaining flower parts will wither and turn brown,giving rise to several fertilized ovaries[(植物)子房],the bright green berries that turn scarlet(猩红的,鲜红的,深红的)as they ripen.

Flowering dogwood blooms in either white or pink,depending on the cultivar(栽培变种),and 2inches in diameter(直径).Appearing March to April in the south,June in the north.

Plant Type:Deciduous(每年落叶的,非永久性的)

Leaf:Opposite,simple,arcuately veined(有脉纹的),3to 6inches long,oval(卵形的,椭圆的)in shape with an entire margin.

Fruit:A shiny,oval red drupe(核果),1/4to 1/2inch long,in clusters of 3to 4.Maturing in September to October.

Twig(嫩枝,小枝):Slender,green or purple,later turning gray,often with a glaucous bloom.The terminal flower(顶生花)buds are clove-shaped,vegetative(有生长力的)buds resemble a cat claw(爪).

Bark(树皮):Gray when young,turning very scaly to blocky.

Form:A small tree with a short trunk that branches low,producing a flat-topped crown.Branches are opposite,and assume a “candelabra(枝状大烛台)”appearance.

State Flag州旗

弗吉尼亚州州旗代表着自由之爱,在蓝底的旗帜上有着本州的州印和本州箴言:“永远打倒专制的君主”,图案上的两个人像正表明了这个意思。两个人都是武将扮相。女将象征弗吉尼亚州,被踩在她脚下的人是暴君,他的手里拿着皮鞭和锁链,而他头上的王冠就落在他的附近。本州在1861年使用该州旗。

Because Virginia was the first part of the country to be settled by English colonists,the state flag proudly represents Virginia’s love of freedom.A deep blue field contains the seal of Virginia with the Latin motto “Sic Semper Tyrannis”—“Thus Always to Tyrants”.Adopted in 1776.The two figures are acting out the meaning of the motto.Both are dressed as warriors(战士,勇士).The woman,Virtue,represents Virginia.The man holding a scourge(鞭)and chain shows that he is a tyrant.His fallen crown is nearby.

State Song州歌

Carry Me back to Old Virginny

Carry me back to old Virginny,

There’s where the cotton and the corn and tatoes grow,

There’s where the birds warble(鸟鸣)sweet in the springtime,

There’s where the old darke’ys heart am long’d to go,

There’s where I labored so hard for old massa

[〈美〉(南部黑人用语)主人(=master)],

Day after day in the field of yellow corn,

No place on earth do I love more sincerely(真诚地)

Than old Virginny,the state where I was born.

CHORUS

Carry me back to old Virginny,

There’s where the cotton and the corn and tatoes grow,

There’s where the birds warble sweet in the springtime,

There’s where this old darkey’s heart am long’d to go.

Carry me back to old Virginny,

There let me live ’till I wither(枯萎)and decay(腐朽),

Long by the old Dismal Swamp have I wandered,

There’s where this old darke’ys life will pass away.

Massa and missis have long gone before me,

Soon we will meet on that bright and golden shore,