VOA标准英语2012--Circus Museums Pay Tribute to 'Greatest Show on Earth'
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(五月)
Circus Museums Pay Tribute to 'Greatest Show on Earth'
“Ladies and gentlemen, and children of all ages!”
That’s a favorite ringmaster’s refrain at the circus, a cherished entertainment tradition across America. And it’s lovingly preserved at two unusual U.S. museums.
It was not a ringmaster’s whistle that heralded 1 “Circus Day” in every decent-sized town in America for several decades on each side of the turn of the 20th Century.
It was the synchronized 2 clopping of draft horses, mingled 3 with the rousing tunes 4 of a brass 5 band atop a four-ton wagon 6 at the head of a grand street parade bearing the circus from the railroad depot 7 into town.
Behind the bandwagon rolled brightly painted chariots; mounted cages carrying big cats, elephants, and other exotic animals; and baggage wagons 8 disguised as theme floats. Raucously 9 bringing up the rear was a steam calliope, piercing the air with peppy, whistled tunes.
Train-borne circuses dwindled 10 to a handful by 1940, and one by one, the gaudy 11 circus wagons found their way into carnivals 12 or storage sheds. Hundreds rotted and rusted 13 in open fields.
But in 1959, John Kelley, a former attorney for the Ringling Brothers Circus, opened Circus World, a museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where the five Ringlings had founded their show.
That museum is still going strong. It’s filled with circus wagons that arrived terribly decayed and were then restored. And one weekend each July, they again take a train ride to Milwaukee, 145 kilometers away, where they rumble 14 once again in a Great Circus Parade.
The second circus museum also has a Ringling connection. One of the Ringling brothers - John - and his wife, Mable, built a beautiful estate in Sarasota, Florida. It is now a lavish 15 art museum, owned by the state of Florida. On the grounds, the state built a circus museum containing more circus wagons, an animated 16 miniature circus, spangled costumes and other memorabilia.
These collections are not the Greatest Show on Earth, as the Ringling Brothers called their circus.
But they are a glittering tribute to it.
- The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Do not use the synchronized keyword in Managed Objects. 不要在管理对象上使用synchronized关键字。 来自互联网
- The timing of the gun was precisely synchronized with the turning of the plane's propeller. 风门的调速与飞机螺旋桨的转动精确同步。 来自辞典例句
- The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
- The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。
- a potpourri of tunes 乐曲集锦
- When things get a bit too much, she simply tunes out temporarily. 碰到事情太棘手时，她干脆暂时撒手不管。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
- Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
- We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
- The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。
- The depot is only a few blocks from here.公共汽车站离这儿只有几个街区。
- They leased the building as a depot.他们租用这栋大楼作仓库。
- The wagons were hauled by horses. 那些货车是马拉的。
- They drew their wagons into a laager and set up camp. 他们把马车围成一圈扎起营地。
- His voice rang raucously. 他的声音听起来很沙哑。 来自互联网
- Someone in the hushed bar suddenly laughed raucously at how stupid everyone had become. 沉默的酒吧中有人忽然沙哑地大笑起来，嘲笑每个人都变的如此的愚蠢。 来自互联网
- Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
- His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She was tricked out in gaudy dress.她穿得华丽而俗气。
- The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him.浮华的蝴蝶却相信花是应该向它道谢的。
- The Venice Carnival is one of the oldest and most famous international carnivals in the world. 威尼斯嘉年华是世界上最古老、最富盛名的国际嘉年华会之一。 来自常春藤生活英语杂志-2006年2月号
- A few exceptions would be made, he said, such as for carnivals. 他说一些免责条款将被制定出来，例如嘉年华会。
- I can't get these screws out; they've rusted in. 我无法取出这些螺丝，它们都锈住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- My bike has rusted and needs oil. 我的自行车生锈了，需要上油。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
- We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。
- He despised people who were lavish with their praises.他看不起那些阿谀奉承的人。
- The sets and costumes are lavish.布景和服装极尽奢华。