Presidents_参考网

Presidents

2018-07-16景一

中学生英语·中考指导版 2018年1期

景一

Presidents Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated every year on the third Monday of February to honor George Washington， Abraham Lincoln and also all the Presidents of the country.

总统日是美国的一个联邦节日，在每年二月的第三个星期一庆祝，以纪念乔治·华盛顿、亚伯拉罕·林肯以及所有的美国总统。

Until 1971 both 12th February and 22nd February were celebrated as public holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. In 1971， President Richard Nixon declared the Presidents Day as one federal public holiday to honor all the Presidents of the United States.

在1971年之前，人们把每年的2月12日和2月22日作为公众假日来分别庆祝亚伯拉罕·林肯和乔治·华盛顿的诞辰。1971年，理查德·尼克松总统宣布总统日为联邦公共假日，以纪念美国所有的总统。

Presidents Day never falls on the actual birthday of any American president. Four presidents—George Washington， William Henry Harrison， Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan—were born in February， but their birthdays all come either too early or late to coincide with Presidents Day， which is always celebrated on the third Monday of the month.

总统日从来没落在任何美国总统的生日那天。四位总统——乔治·华盛顿、威廉·亨利·哈里森、亚伯拉罕·林肯和罗纳德·威尔逊·里根都在二月出生，但他们的生日要么在总统日之前，要么在总统日之后，而总统日总是在该月的第三个星期一庆祝。

Like Independence Day， Presidents Day is traditionally viewed as a time of patriotic5 celebration and remembrance6. In its original incarnation7 as Washingtons Birthday， the holiday gained special meaning during the difficulties of the Great Depression， when portraits of George Washington often graced the front pages of newspapers and magazines every February 22. In 1932 the date was used to reinstate8 the Purple Heart， a military9 decoration10 originally created by George Washington to honor soldiers killed or wounded while serving in the armed forces. Patriotic groups and the Boy Scouts11 of America also held celebrations on the day， and in 1938， some 5，000 people attended mass at Saint Patricks Cathedral in New York City in honor of Washington.

同美國独立日一样，总统日在传统中被当作是一个爱国性质的庆祝日和纪念日。在最初作为华盛顿诞辰的年代，该节日对经济大萧条的困难时期有着特殊的意义。当时乔治·华盛顿的画像在每年的2月22日经常登上报纸和杂志的头版头条。在1932年的这个日子，美国恢复了颁发紫心勋章。该勋章最初是乔治·华盛顿为纪念在军队服役期间牺牲或受伤的士兵而颁发的军事勋章。美国的爱国团体和童子军也在这一天举行庆祝活动。1938年约有5000人参加了在纽约的圣帕特里克大教堂举行的纪念华盛顿的活动。

In its modern form， Presidents Day is used by many patriotic and historical groups as a date for staging celebrations， reenactments12 and other events. A number of states also require that their public schools spend the days leading up to Presidents Day teaching students about the accomplishments13 of the presidents， often with a focus on the lives of Washington and Lincoln.

在现代，总统日是许多爱国团体和传统团体举办庆典、重温历史和举行其他活动的日子。有些州还要求公立学校在总统日之前的那几天，向学生讲授总统的成就，通常把重点放在了华盛顿和林肯的生平上。

Marketers jump at the opportunity to play up the three-day weekend with sales， and “Presidents Day” bargains were advertised at stores around the country.

市场营销人员抓住这个机会，为为期三天的周末促销造势。在全国各地的商店里都有“总统日”特价的广告。