VOA标准英语2012--Once Thriving Religious Sect Leaves Its Mark
时间：2019-01-14 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(十月)
Once Thriving Religious Sect 1 Leaves Its Mark
One of the swankiest suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, is Shaker Heights, and it’s not named for any kind of food shaker or for a Mister Shaker.
Nor are Shakertown, Kentucky; Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts; or Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine.
They were all once communal 2 settlements of an ultra-strict religious sect that got its name from its followers 3’ exuberant 4 dancing.
There are only two, possibly three, members of the Shaker religious band still alive. Nobody outside the private community where the women are cared for in Maine knows the number for sure.
Two hundred-thirty-eight years ago, Ann Lee - the charismatic British founder 5 of the sect - formally called the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing - moved, along with eight of her followers, to the United States.
Together, they began founding communal settlements from Maine in the Northeast to Kentucky in the mid-South.
Onlookers 6 called them “Shakers” as they watched these true believers twitch 7 and clap loudly - shaking off the sins of the world as they sang and danced.
President James Monroe, who stopped at a Shaker settlement in the 1820s, noted 8 in his journal that, "The singers began increasing the violence of their actions as they were warmed by the Spirit."
Shakers emphasized honesty, hard work, and simplicity 9. Shaker missionaries 10 walked the countryside, seeking converts.
New members were essential, because the Shakers lived as celibate 11 brothers and sisters.
There would be no children born to build the ranks - which helps explain why you can count the remaining Shakers on one hand.
But Shakers embraced some earthly pleasures, such as music on the Victrola phonograph, automobile 12 travel, and a glass or two of beer. Kentucky sourmash bourbon, too, at the Shakertown settlement in South Union, Kentucky.
They made their living by selling high-quality garden seeds and making fruit preserves, straw hats and brooms, oval boxes, and distinctive 13 wooden furniture whose simple designs still inspire the so-called Shaker style.
After the U.S. Civil War of the 1860s, tens of thousands of Americans headed westward 14 in search of fortunes and a new life, and lots of Shakers left the fold to do likewise. It was the beginning of a steady decline of their sect.
Some Shaker settlements became museums and still draw visitors, curious to find out what all that moving and shaking were about.
- When he was sixteen he joined a religious sect.他16岁的时候加入了一个宗教教派。
- Each religious sect in the town had its own church.该城每一个宗教教派都有自己的教堂。
- There was a communal toilet on the landing for the four flats.在楼梯平台上有一处公共卫生间供4套公寓使用。
- The toilets and other communal facilities were in a shocking state.厕所及其他公共设施的状况极其糟糕。
- the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
- The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。
- Hothouse plants do not possess exuberant vitality.在温室里培养出来的东西，不会有强大的生命力。
- All those mother trees in the garden are exuberant.果园里的那些母树都长得十分茂盛。
- He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
- According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
- A crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene of the crash. 在撞车地点聚集了一大群围观者。
- The onlookers stood at a respectful distance. 旁观者站在一定的距离之外，以示尊敬。
- The smell made my dog's nose twitch.那股气味使我的狗的鼻子抽动着。
- I felt a twitch at my sleeve.我觉得有人扯了一下我的袖子。
- The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
- Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
- She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
- The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。
- Some missionaries came from England in the Qing Dynasty. 清朝时，从英国来了一些传教士。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The missionaries rebuked the natives for worshipping images. 传教士指责当地人崇拜偶像。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
- He had defended the institution of a celibate priesthood.他捍卫了独身牧师制度。
- The instinct of the celibate warned him to hold back.单身汉的本能告诫他回头是岸。
- He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
- The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
- She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
- This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。