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美国早期生活方式重现威廉斯堡

News Background

新闻背景  威廉斯堡位于弗吉尼亚东南部詹姆斯河与约克河之间的一个半岛上,依湖傍水,气候温暖宜人。在城堡内,有一座完全按照殖民时期原样保存修建的小镇,名为“殖民时期的威廉斯堡”。这座小镇全部是对原有建筑加以修复或者是按照考古学家从美国和欧洲所发现的原建筑蓝图在原来地点上重建的。虽然是个假古迹,还是给美国人提供了一个朝圣并确认自己历史神话的很好的机会。走在小小的威廉斯堡的街上时,也能遥想一下200多年前的那些人和事,想想他们创下的大大的基业,再告诉自己华盛顿、杰斐逊、麦迪逊、门罗,这美国第一、三、四、五任总统都出自脚下这方水土,也能有点抚今追昔的感觉了。

News Transcript VOA 新闻梗概

The streets of Williamsburg look just like they did in the summer of 1781, when Britishsoldiers occupied Williamsburg toward the end of the Revolutionary War. The British onlystayed for a week, then marched out of town on July 4th, fi ve years to the day after the Americancolonies had fi rst declared their independence.

Three hundred fi fty actors and re-enactors are creating the British military presence in town -setting up camp and harassing the colonists, to recreate the atmosphere of 200 years ago.

The annual event attracts thousands of tourists and history buffs every year. Carl Kavanaghand his family came from New Jersey for the celebrations.

The three million visitors who fi ll the streets of Williamsburg every year are immersed notNews Transcript VOA

新闻梗概only in early American life but in the struggle of a small, new country to fi ndits own identity.

Besides being an historic site, Williamsburg is also the home of one ofAmerica’s oldest universities, the College of William and Mary. It is part ofan historic triangle that includes the site of the 1607 Jamestown settlementand the Yorktown battlefield, where the Revolutionary War ended. Mostimportantly it’s where early Americans decided to build a new society basedon equality and liberty.

occupy v.

占领colony n.

殖民地independence n.

独立harass v.

骚扰annual a.

每年的immerse v.

沉湎于battlefield n.

战场equality n.

平等词汇加油站1 The British only stayed for then marched out of town on, five years to the day after the American colonies had firstdeclared their independence.

2 Which statement is right according to the context? ( )A. Three hundred fi fty actors and re-enactors are creating the British militarypresence in town.

B. The biennial event attracts thousands of tourists and history buffs everyyear.

C. Carl Kavanagh and his family came from New Jersey for the celebrations.

D. All the above.

3 Besides being an historic site, Williamsburg is also ( )A. Williamsburg is also the home of one of America’s oldest universities, theCollege of William and Mary.

B. It is part of an historic triangle that includes the site of the 1607 Jamestownsettlement and the Yorktown battlefi eld, where the Revolutionary War ended.

C. It’s where early Americans decided to build a new society based on equalityand liberty.

D. All the above.

1. a week; July 4th2. B 3. D KeyListening Comprehension听力理解1 the Revolutionary War 美国独立战争美国独立战争也称“北美独立战争”。指1775年波士顿人民在美国来克星顿与英军交战拉开独立战序幕到1783年英军在法国签订《巴黎条约》投降的战争。美国独立战争既是一次民族独立战争,又是一次资产阶级革命。美国独立战争是世界史上第一次大规模的殖民地争取民族独立的战争,它的胜利,给大英帝国的殖民体系打开了一个缺口,为殖民地民族解放战争树立了榜样。

2 harass有侵扰;骚扰还有不断攻击(敌人)的意思,在这里根据语境取第二个意思例:

Our detachments took turns to harass them. 我们的一些小分队不断攻击他们。

3 It is part of an historic triangle that includes the site of the 1607 Jamestown settlement and theYorktown battlefield, where the Revolutionary War ended. It is + 被强调部分 + that ... 就是强调句。将被强调的部分放在前面,其他部分置于that之后。被强调部分可以是主语,宾语,表语或状语。如果把这种句型结构去掉后,应该是一个完整无缺的句子。这也是判断强调句型与其它从句的方法。后面where the Revolutionary War ended是后置状语修饰Yorktown battlefield。

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