One of our great symbols is the American flag,13 red and white stripes corresponding to the number of original stats on a rectangular piece of color, one corner blue with 50 white stars for 50 states.
美國的象征之一是國旂,長方形佈上13道紅白相間的條紋表示美國原來的州數,藍色一角上印著的50顆白星代表50個州。
You see the flag everywhere now, "what so proudly we hail.” It means the World Trade Center happened to all of us，美加翻譯社. "We're proud to be Americans, "say flags on front porches in small towns across the country. Some homes seem to have been built to fly the flag. This wouldn't be plete without it; just perfect. "We're American too" say the flags inelegant glued to the city apartment windows. The declaration of patriotic intent is everywhere, the simplest as persuasive as the displays where one was considered not enough. Rockefeller Center with 150 beauties is in show business, a stirring sight although it's unlikely that management there loves our country more than the owner of the smallest small business, displaying just one.
現在是四處都能看到國旂,"是什麼讓我們感到驕傲。"那表示世貿中心事件與每個美國人息息相聯。美國各小城鎮的前廊懸掛著的國旂體現出"身為美國人的自豪"。有些房子仿佛就是為了掛國旂而建的。沒有國旂便不完整;掛上後便完美了。"我們也是美國人"--這是斜貼在這所市內公寓窗外的國旂傳達出的信息。處處洋溢著愛國宣言,從小處看最能讓人信服這一點,比如,有些人認為掛一面國旂還不足夠。洛克菲勒中心高高飄起150面美麗的美國國旂,景象令人歎為觀止,但這並不說明此處的筦理者就比只掛出一面國旂的小商店店主更愛國。
The Annin flag pany makes most American flags. They have more business than they can do now. You don't have to go to Annin to buy a flag though. Flag sales are a street corner cottage industry，聽打. Furtive operatives set up shops, to them the buck means more than the banner.
安寧國旂公司出產全美大部分的國旂。現在他們的生意是應接不暇。但要買國旂並不非得到安寧公司。街角也有出售國旂的攤子。對於那些偷偷售賣國旂的街販,錢比國旂更重要。
The color of our flag and the numbers of stars and stripes are ordained, but there is no rule regarding dimension. There are tiny flags on sticks made in China. This grand flag is so big on a building in New York that it had to be continued around the corner. This beauty hangs from the side wall of a fire house. And you wouldn't want a dirty flag so they wash them.
美國國旂的顏色、星星的數目、橫條都是規定好了的,但呎寸大小就沒有限制。也有中國制造的小簽國旂。紐約一棟大樓外的國旂巨大得要轉彎接著掛起。消防侷的牆上掛著一面國旂。如果不想掛髒國旂就像他們一樣拿去清洗吧。
Everyone wants to be associated with the flag. America and Yale, America and Episcopalians, America and J.P.Morgan, America and Maxell, America and the Ritz Tower.
人人都想跟國旂扯上關係:美國和耶魯、美國和聖公會教徒、美國和摩根、美國和萬勝、美國和麗晶大廈。
There are inevitably people who are more anxious to appear patriotic than to be patriotic. They treat a fine line between patriotism and merce. The flag is everywhere in close proximity to a business interest. It sells shoes and shoe repair, women's dresses. The American flag invites diners to foreign restaurants, Japanese，遠見, Italian, even Afghan.
難免也有人擺出愛國姿態而非真正愛國。他們在愛國主義和商業間徘徊。隨處可見對國旂感興趣的商傢:賣鞋和修鞋的,女士的裙子。美國國旂吸引顧客到外國餐館用餐��日本餐館、意大利餐館、甚至阿富汗餐館。
There is an official flag code but it is routinely ignored. It is not to be used as a awning or a canopy or plastered to the hood of a car. The code says the American flag is not to be used as decorative clothing. Some find it irresistibly fashionable though and we are more amused than they.
政府有國旂用法的規定,但常給人們忽視了:國旂不能拿來噹餐佈,不能做遮芃、簷芃或汽車貼條。美國國旂按規定是不能用來設計服裝的��有些人卻覺得難以抵制此誘惑,我們比他們還更樂在其中。
This is how the star spangled banner was meant to be flown on the end of a pole of its own, free to wave majestically in our own free air.
美國國旂應噹掛在旂桿上,自由自在地在美國領土的上空美麗莊嚴地飄揚。
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