美國的象征之一——國旗

 

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旗，長方形布上13道紅白相間的條紋表示美國原來的州數(shù)，藍(lán)色一角上印著的50顆白星代表50個(gè)州。

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.

美國國旗的顏色、星星的數(shù)目、橫條都是規(guī)定好了的，但尺寸大小就沒有限制。也有中國制造的小簽國旗。紐約一棟大樓外的國旗巨大得要轉(zhuǎn)彎接著掛起。

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.

人人都想跟國旗扯上關(guān)系：美國和耶魯、美國和圣公會教徒、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 commerce. 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, Italian, even Afghan.

難免也有人擺出愛國姿態(tài)而非真正愛國。他們在愛國主義和商業(yè)間徘徊。隨處可見對國旗感興趣的商家：賣鞋和修鞋的，女士的裙子。美國國旗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.

政府有國旗用法的規(guī)定,但常給人們忽視了：國旗不能拿來當(dāng)餐布、不能做遮篷、檐篷或汽車貼條。美國國旗按規(guī)定是不能用來設(shè)計(jì)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。