VOA标准英语2012--'War of 1812' Flag Still Inspires After 200 Years
时间：2019-01-13 作者：英语课 分类：VOA标准英语2012年(九月)
'War of 1812' Flag Still Inspires After 200 Years
This is a really big year at Fort McHenry, a star-shaped fortification overlooking the harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.
Baltimore and a few other places are commemorating 1 the 200th anniversary of the start of what Americans call the War of 1812 - even though it wasn’t finished until 1815. Fort McHenry, and an oversized flag that flew above it, played a memorable 2 part in that war.
What is sometimes called our nation’s “Second War of Independence” against Britain was not going well for the young United States when Fort McHenry came into play in September of 1814. The British had torched the White House and Capitol in Washington, and they headed north to Baltimore.
Their gunships pounded Fort McHenry mercilessly for 25 straight hours. If it fell, the harbor would be under British control, and so would Baltimore.
But at dawn, as Francis Scott Key, a Washington lawyer who observed the shelling, wrote in a poem, a miraculous 3 visage of “broad stripes and bright stars” of the U.S. flag appeared, still “gallantly streaming” over Fort McHenry.
Thwarted 4 and out of ammunition 5, the British sailed away and Key’s verses became the words to the U.S. national anthem 6, “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
As for the largest battle flag ever flown at the time, which Fort McHenry’s commandant, Lt. Col. George Armistead, had ordered raised as a defiant 7 symbol of resistance: It survived, shot full of holes.
Col. Armistead kept it and allowed several pieces, including one of its 15 stars, to be snipped 8 off and given away as souvenirs.
In 1912, what was left of the flag was presented to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. After many restorations, it is front and center at the National Museum of American History.
And on Flag Day, June 14, this year, three red threads from the historic Fort McHenry flag were sewn into the “National 9/11” flag, a tattered 9 remnant of an even more terrible attack on the United States by terrorists, who brought down the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York on Sept. 11, 2001.
That 9/11 flag is currently on tour and will end up on display in the Sept. 11 Memorial that is being built at Ground Zero where the towers once stood.
The threads came from seven small patches of the original Fort McHenry flag that are held by the Star-Spangled Banner House Museum in Baltimore.
- He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网
- This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
- The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。
- The wounded man made a miraculous recovery.伤员奇迹般地痊愈了。
- They won a miraculous victory over much stronger enemy.他们战胜了远比自己强大的敌人，赢得了非凡的胜利。
- The guards thwarted his attempt to escape from prison. 警卫阻扰了他越狱的企图。
- Our plans for a picnic were thwarted by the rain. 我们的野餐计划因雨受挫。
- A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
- They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。
- All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
- As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。
- With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
- He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。
- He snipped off the corner of the packet. 他将包的一角剪了下来。 来自辞典例句
- The police officer snipped the tape and untied the hostage. 警方把胶带剪断，松绑了人质。 来自互联网