VOA常速英语2018--2018年5月28日:阵亡将士纪念日

On the last Monday in May, Americans honor those who have fallen in defense¹ of the country and of its ideals. It is a solemn day, this Observance on which we gather to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us, and to pay them homage².

The occasion, originally called Decoration Day, began in Illinois in May 1868, when General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, a local organization of civil war veterans, proclaimed the Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the Union war dead with flowers. The purpose of the remembrance, he said, was to cherish tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade³ between our country and its foes⁴. The practice spread throughout the country, and in 1966, the name was changed to Memorial Day and at the same time, it became a federal holiday.

And so on every Memorial Day, small flags and bouquets⁵ of colorful flowers spring up on headstones and memorial plaques⁶ in cemeteries⁷ all over the country, decorating the graves of military heroes. Every one of these decorations represents a member of the military who died protecting his or her country and what it stands for. They died defending a way of life, and values they believed in, and the honor they earned by their sacrifice abides⁸ with them forever.

It is often said that as long as we are remembered, we remain alive. Thus, on Memorial Day, we recognize the valiant⁹ efforts of the hundreds of thousands of men and women who put the country and what it stands for, before themselves.

They remain with us in spirit, and every Memorial Day, we honor and dignify¹⁰ their offering. On every Memorial Day, a grateful nation remembers its heroes, and recognizes that lives and blood lost in defense of its freedoms are never given in vain.

5月的最后一个星期一，美国人会纪念那些为捍卫祖国及其理想而捐躯的人。这是庄严的一天。这一天，我们会聚集在一起，纪念那些为我们做出终极牺牲的人，并向他们致敬。

这一天也称阵亡将士纪念日，1868年5月始于伊利诺斯州。当时，当地内战联邦退伍军人协会的约翰 洛根(John A. Logan)宣布，这一天，美国人要为在战争中死去的英魂之墓献上花朵。约翰表示，这个纪念日的目的是轻轻地寄托我们对英雄的缅怀之情。这些英雄用自己的胸膛为祖国挡住了敌人的炮火。这个纪念日随后广为流传，等到1966年的时候，它就更名为阵亡将士纪念日，同时也成了一个联邦节日。

于是，每一年阵亡将士纪念日的这一天，全国各地墓园里的墓碑和纪念碑上都布满了小旗子和鲜艳的花束，装点着烈士们的墓地。每一个受到装点的墓地都代表着一位烈士，他/她们为国捐躯，为自己代表的信仰捐躯。他们为了捍卫一种他们坚信的生活方式和价值观而死，他们通过自我牺牲而赢得的荣誉将与他们永远同在。

人们常说，只要一个人还留在他人心中，他/她就没有逝去。因此，在阵亡将士纪念日这一天，我们认可无数英勇的烈士，他们将国家利益和信仰摆在第一位。

他们的精神与我们同在，所以每一年的阵亡将士纪念日，我们都要为他们的付出赋予荣耀。每一年的阵亡将士纪念日，一个知恩的国家都会铭记他们的英雄，并认识到为捍卫自由而牺牲的生命和洒出的热血是会发挥作用的。

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• 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。

2 homage   

n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬

参考例句：

• We pay homage to the genius of Shakespeare.我们对莎士比亚的天才表示敬仰。
• The soldiers swore to pay their homage to the Queen.士兵们宣誓效忠于女王陛下。

3 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

4 foes   

敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They steadily pushed their foes before them. 他们不停地追击敌人。
• She had fought many battles, vanquished many foes. 她身经百战，挫败过很多对手。

5 bouquets   

n.花束( bouquet的名词复数 )；（酒的）芳香

参考例句：

• The welcoming crowd waved their bouquets. 欢迎的群众摇动着花束。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• As the hero stepped off the platform, he was surrounded by several children with bouquets. 当英雄走下讲台时，已被几名手持花束的儿童围住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

7 cemeteries   

n.（非教堂的）墓地，公墓( cemetery的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It's morbid to dwell on cemeteries and such like. 不厌其烦地谈论墓地以及诸如此类的事是一种病态。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• In other districts the proximity of cemeteries seemed to aggravate the disease. 在其它地区里，邻近墓地的地方，时疫大概都要严重些。 来自辞典例句

8 abides   

容忍( abide的第三人称单数 )； 等候； 逗留； 停留

参考例句：

• He abides by his friends. 他忠于朋友。
• He always abides by the law. 他素来守法。

9 valiant   

adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人

参考例句：

• He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
• Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。

10 dignify   

vt.使有尊严；使崇高；给增光

参考例句：

• It does not dignify the human condition. It does not elevate the human spirit.它不能使人活得更有尊严，不能提升人的精神生活。
• I wouldn't dignify this trash by calling it a novel.这部劣等作品我是不会美称为小说的。