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New Orleans’ Carnival: Throwing the Perfect Party 恣意狂欢纽奥良

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课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

Want to throw a party that will be talked about for decades? Just follow the age-old recipe New Orleans has created for its spectacular carnival.

想办个会被传颂数十年的派对吗?只要效仿纽奥良为其盛大嘉年华所设计的古老食谱就对了!

The New Orleans recipe starts off with a large city full of quaint neighborhoods and rich in French culture: the latter is an essential ingredient as French culture has the architecture, history, and culinary traditions second to none. Next, a liberal amount of great music is stirred in, such as rock, blues, country, and, for a swinging good time, jazz. Then, a traditional festival called Mardi Gras is added. This festival includes street processions, masked balls, huge parades, and other lavish events. It is certainly one of the most important ingredients in the New Orleans party recipe.

纽澳良派对食谱是以一个充满古老街坊并洋溢着法国文化气息的大型城市作为前菜—后者更是不可或缺的成分，因为法国的建筑、历史及饮食传统是无与伦比的。接着，再大量加入如摇滚、蓝调、乡村等超赞音乐及让人愉快摆动身躯的爵士乐!然后，一个名为「狂欢节」的传统节庆登场。这个节庆包括了街头游行、化装舞会、盛大游行及其它奢华的项目。这肯定是纽奥良派对食谱中最重要的原料之一。

But no recipe for a great party would be complete without a secret ingredient. New Orleans, no surprise here, has one of the best: secret societies hold daily street pageants and extravagant parades which really spice things up. Lastly, the recipe calls for a king to preside over the celebration. New Orleans has Rex, the King of Mardi Gras, and it would be hard to find a nobler individual anywhere.

但是，一份为盛大派对所设计的食谱若没有秘方就不算完备。纽澳良当然也不例外，它有一项最好的秘方：秘密会社每天都举办街头盛装队伍和奢华游行来替纽奥良嘉年华加料提味。最后，这份食谱需要一位国王来主持庆典。纽澳良有狂欢节之王Rex，要在别处找到比他更高贵的人可是很难的。

We realize this is quite a recipe to follow. Fortunately, if you want to have a great party, just go to New Orleans yourself in February. All the ingredients are there already.

我们知道要仿效这套食谱并不容易。幸运的是，如果你想要有个很棒的派对，就在二月亲临纽奥良吧!所有的材料在那儿可是一应俱全!

Vocabulary

单词发音

recipe [ˋrɛsəpɪ] n. 烹饪法；食谱；（糕饼等的）制作法

spectacular [spɛkˋtækjəlɚ] adj. 壮观的；壮丽的

ingredient [ɪnˋgridɪənt] n. 原料﹐材料﹐成分

liberal [ˋlɪbərəl] adj. 大量的，丰富的，充足的

procession [prəˋsɛʃən] n.（人或车辆等的）行列，队伍

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单词发音

throw [θro] v.【口】举行（宴会等）

quaint [kwent] adj. 古雅的；奇特而有趣的

culinary [ˋkʌlə͵nɛrɪ] adj. 烹饪的；厨房的

second to none 不亚于任何人, 最佳  better than everything else

swinging [ˋswɪŋɪŋ] adj. 【非正式】令人兴奋的; 欢快的; 摇摆的

pageant [ˋpædʒənt] n.（常有彩车的）盛装游行；庆典

extravagant [ɪkˋstrævəgənt] adj. 奢侈的；浪费的

spice up 使增添趣味  [(+up/with)]make more interesting or flavorful

Reading Questions

1.  Which of the following statements about Mardi Gras is CORRECT?

A.  It is the musical ingredient in the New Orleans recipe.

B.  It is a festival for the residents of New Orleans only.

C.  It is another name for the New Orleans Carnival.

D.  It includes a number of colorful outdoor activities.

2.  What makes the New Orleans Carnival so famous?

A.  It has secret societies that can’t be found anywhere else.

B.  It has everything you need for a great time.

C.  It is designed by French architects and historians.

D.  Its recipe is an exhibition on the best in French food.

3.  What is the author suggesting to us?

A.  A secret ingredient is unnecessary for a party like the New Orleans carnival.

B.  Rex, the King Mardi Gras, should be a member of royalty.

C.  February is a good time for paying a visit to New Orleans.

D.  It is easy to follow New Orleans’ recipe and throw your own party.

课文讲解

Carnival in New Orleans consistently serves up one of the world’s best parties. It’s a multi-week festival and ends with Mardi Gras, the famous street celebration which literally means “Fat Tuesday.”

纽澳良的嘉年华会一直是世界上最棒的派对之一。它是个持续数周的节庆，由本意为「油腻星期二」的街头庆典—「狂欢节」画下句点。

If Mardi Gras is the main event at Carnival, then the daily parades and floats must be the warm-ups. These warm-ups are put together by the secret societies – or “Krewes” – of New Orleans and get the party atmosphere really rolling several weeks before Mardi Gras. When the floats go down the streets, Krewe members stand on the floats and toss “throws” into the crowd. Locals and tourists alike vie to catch these items, which may be strings of beads, coins, or, most prized of all, hand-painted coconuts from the Zulu Krewe.

如果「狂欢节」是嘉年华会中的主力项目，那么每天上街的游行和花车就是暖身活动了!这些暖身活动是由纽奥良的秘密会社(或称克鲁会社)所举办，它们在「狂欢节」前几个礼拜就开始带动派对气氛。当花车上街时，克鲁会社的成员就站在车上，朝着人群抛掷「throws」。当地民众和游客们都会争抢这些可能是珠炼、钱币，或是由「祖鲁克鲁会社」所掷出最有价值的手绘椰子壳。

During the morning hours of Fat Tuesday, Rex leads the largest parade of the whole Carnival. Krewes and revelers wear masks and costumes and everyone goes wild with celebration. Finally, at midnight, it is all over. It’s now Ash Wednesday, or Trash Wednesday as some call it in reference to all the garbage left on the street.

油腻星期二上午，Rex会带领整场嘉年华会中最盛大的游行。克鲁会社成员和寻欢者们戴上面具、穿上戏装，每个人都随着庆典狂欢。最后，一切在午夜时分归于平静。「圣灰星期三」接着来到，或是有些人因为留在街上的许多垃圾也称它为「垃圾星期三」。

This year’s Mardi Gras promise to be truly special, as New Orleans vows to celebrate despite the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina. It just goes to show that the best party town in the world will let nothing stand in the way of a good time.

今年的狂欢节势必非常特别，因为尽管受到飓风卡崔娜的侵袭，纽澳良仍誓言庆祝，以此证明这世界上最棒的派对城市绝不容许任何事物妨碍了它享乐狂欢的时光

−by Bill Martin

Vocabulary

单词发音

consistently [kənˋsɪstəntlɪ] adv. 一贯地；固守地

literally [ˋlɪtərəlɪ] adv. 实在地，不加夸张地

toss [tɔs] v. 抛，扔

costume [ˋkɑstjum] n. 化装服; 戏装

devastation [͵dɛvəsˋteʃən] n. 蹂躏；荒废

More Information

单词发音

serve up 端上, 提供, 提出 to offer something

float [flot] n.（游行时用的）花车

warm-up  准备运动  the act or procedure of warming up

vie [vaɪ] v. 争；竞争

reveler ['rɛvlɚ] n.饮酒狂欢者

hurricane [ˋhɝɪ͵ken] n. 飓风

stand in the way  挡道  to try to stop or prevent

Mardi Gras 2012- Another Magical Crescent City Carnival

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