U.S. Town ready to welcome return of special guest

 　　BEIJING,Feb.?13 (Xinhuanet) – The small town on the banks of the Mississippi River is "Feeling Great", abuzz with excitement and recalling happy memories as it looks forward to the return of an old friend - Vice-President Xi Jinping.

　　It was 27 years ago that Xi visited Muscatine, an agricultural center in the U.S. heartland, when he led a delegation¹ to learn about farming technology. The delegates were all given badges to wear sporting the town's slogan: "Feeling Great".

　　Sarah Lande, a resident of the town, had the same feeling early last month when she got a call from Iowa State Governor Terry Branstad.

　　"Sarah, guess what, I think Xi is coming to our state," Branstad said.

　　"I was really surprised and excited. I also felt humble², honored and, of course, a little proud," Lande said.

　　Lande, 73, and her husband Roger, 74, were among several families in Muscatine to host Xi in April, 1985.

　　Xi, then a local official in North China's Hebei province and director of Shijiazhuang Feed Association, led a five-member delegation to learn about agricultural technology in Iowa, the state that calls itself the Food Capital of the World.

　　They were visiting as part of an Iowa Sister State program after Hebei and Iowa cemented the relationship in 1983.

　　The delegation spent two weeks in Iowa, visiting farms, feed suppliers, and grain processing and food biotechnology companies.

　　The three days Xi spent in the small, charming town of 23,000 left him with fond memories.

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。