时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:2013年VOA慢速英语(七)月


英语课

 


Fireworks!


 


Now, the VOA Special English program, Words and Their Stories.


I’m Rich Kleinfeldt.


Today we tell about the word fireworks.


The expression “fireworks” gets its meaning from the fireworks that people shoot into the sky when they are celebrating a great event. Rockets explode to fill the dark, night sky with bright reds and blues 1, with yellows and greens and whites.


The expression also means a great show of noisy anger, or something exciting. For example, a defense 2 lawyer in a court trial may become very emotional 3 in arguing with the government lawyer about evidence affecting the accused. The judge finally stops the loud argument and calls the two lawyers forward. He tells them, “I want no more of these fireworks in my courtroom.”


 


Another kind of fireworks can be any event or activity that is especially exciting. One such event is falling in love. If anything can produce fireworks, it is a sweetheart’s kiss or the touch of a lover’s hand. Often movie or television cartoons show fireworks to represent the excitement of a kiss.


People use the expression fireworks throughout the year. But if you live in the United States and want to see real fireworks, the best time of the year is about now. The Fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States. Americans traditionally celebrate their nation’s freedom with giant public parties and fireworks at night.


In Washington, for example, large crowds gather near the Washington Monument to listen to music and watch a huge fireworks show.


In other cities and smaller towns, local people listen to band concerts and watch fireworks explode in a dark sky.


Many other countries around the world also enjoy the tradition of exploding fireworks on special days. In Australia, the city of Sydney begins each new year with a fireworks show at midnight. China is the birthplace of fireworks. Large fireworks shows were held often during earlier times in China. Now, people use small fireworks to help celebrate weddings and birthdays.


?France also has a great fireworks tradition. A large fireworks show always takes place on Bastille Day, which celebrates the beginning of the French Revolution. The French city of Cannes holds an international fireworks competition each year in July and August.


In India, people have been using fireworks for more than 500 years. A great Indian fireworks show takes place during the religious celebration of Diwali, every autumn.


Fireworks shows are popular around the world. But, if I do not end this program right now, there will be fireworks from my producer.


This VOA Special English program “Words and Their Stories” was written by David Jarmul. I’m Rich Kleinfeldt.


 


 



1 blues
n.抑郁,沮丧;布鲁斯音乐
  • She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
  • He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。
2 defense
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
3 emotional
adj.令人动情的;易动感情的;感情(上)的
  • Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
  • This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。
学英语单词
absolute electrostatic system
acute transformation of chronic myelocytic leukemia
adlects
agricultural reform
Andeans Teaty Organization
at short intervals
atatturk
automatic data processing equipment
axe-head
axle arrangement
Bacterium viridis
Baoruco, Prov.de
bird-scarer
bit move subroutine
bizets
blocking component
bubble type flow counter
cascabels
Centaurea diffusa
central force
charge transfer complex
chromatographictheory
clilium or flagellum staining
committednesses
continuous baling press
coronary perfusion
cosmegem
cosmic medicine
CPMV
cross head
crystal block section
day fighter
decisionpackage
diachronous
dibromo-acetyl bromide
dimension of screen hole
dissymmetrical field
Dudna
economic union
eichholtz
electron impact desorption
encephalos
exploitation relationship
false identification
film size
fingerspelling
from stem to stern
glutaminic acid
GM_would-rather-would-sooner
graflex
ground asphalt storage
high performance resin
homothermal
hospital bus bar
industrial waste water
javanensis
kalange
kalians
keep one's weather eye open
laib
log-zero-poisson distribution
magnetic ore separator
mandibular prosthesis
message text size
microcontrollers
mucous membrane knife
Newark changing system
nonprofessionals
Northwest Coast Indian
OBGyH
olimpicoes
origin/datum (basic symbol)
outer-orbital complex
partial coefficient for resistance
photoconductivetube
pocket cabbage
power-assisteds
proleptical
running in property
scoline chloride
selkie
semi-bilinear functional
stochastic optimization
stonest
suction type carburetor
tailing down
tetrode thyratron
the crown of thorns
the riverside
took care of
transmission continuously variable
transport agent
ultimum supplicium
unbeatens
underfucked
underhand grip
urgent order
value compensated
vertical lower segment cesarean section
vitelline circuIation
Winstanley
Zindiwa