时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:2007年VOA标准英语(八月)


英语课
By Tony Budny
Washington
31 August 2007
 


The Labor 1 Day holiday in the United States falls annually 2 on the first Monday of September. It is meant to commemorate 3 the hard work and dedication 4 of individuals in the American workforce 5.  Since it became a national holiday in 1894, it has become a large part of the American culture.  VOA's Tony Budny has the story.






150_Labor_Day




Labor Day means many things to many people. In the holiday's earliest days, Labor Day meant fighting on behalf of the worker. In the United States, President Grover Cleveland declared a Labor Day holiday in 1894 after pressure from organized labor unions.


Most countries celebrate Labor Day on May 1st to commemorate the day in 1886 when labor unions in the U.S. and Canada established the first eight-hour work day. Today, Labor Day involves less protests and more celebration. 


For many, like Washington, D.C. resident Marla Vrendley, Labor Day is the end of a relaxing summer.  "I usually have big projects that I was supposed to do over the summer and I never do them over the summer, so I usually end up doing them all on Labor Day."


For retired 6 school teacher Bud Feasel, the meaning of Labor Day has changed. "For me, Labor Day always meant I had to work.  I taught high school for 35 years and school always started the day after Labor Day., which was usually the time when the crops were all picked and everyone would start school. Now today, school starts a lot earlier and so Labor Day becomes the first holiday that we have in the school year."


Traditionally, many Americans travel on Labor Day.  The American Automobile 7 Association (AAA) estimates that more than 34 million people will travel for their final summer holiday.  That will lead to crowded highways and airports.  But do not expect the crowded conditions to spoil things.  Americans will celebrate with parades and picnics all across the country in appreciation 8 of their labor. 




1 labor
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
2 annually
adv.一年一次,每年
  • Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
  • They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
3 commemorate
vt.纪念,庆祝
  • This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
  • We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。
4 dedication
n.奉献,献身,致力,题献,献辞
  • We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
  • Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。
5 workforce
n.劳动大军,劳动力
  • A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
  • A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。
6 retired
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的
  • The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
  • Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。
7 automobile
n.汽车,机动车
  • He is repairing the brake lever of an automobile.他正在修理汽车的刹车杆。
  • The automobile slowed down to go around the curves in the road.汽车在路上转弯时放慢了速度。
8 appreciation
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨
  • I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
  • I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。
学英语单词
actual-forms parameter correspondence
adjust oneself to
al huwayz
alien property
angioleukitis
autoclave sterilizer
Babo flask holder
back joint
better business bureaus
biowoman
blue goose
bonard
bottle-holder
cadaver skin
Calliper-stick
Chalcidian League
cloud water sampler
coarse fishing
commensurate orbits
crack-stoppers
cracs
Curva Grande
defeaticans
diode circuit
disharmonism
Doratophyllum
double skip
dressing mixture
empty tank
extra-intestinal
eye droppers
face-sat
fashioners
ferret distemper virus
fuzzy system theory
grow a pair
gruffly ad
hardened plate
hardpoint demonstration array radar (hapdar)
high stretch yarn
hypercharges
information carrying capacity
invertebrate
iosene
isothermal ordering process
Kameshkovo
Katiola
kshanti
laffites
Langlade County
legal pad
legers
Leribe Dist.
limeys
linked flux
listlessly
macropexophagy
make one's hair stand on end
manganic hydroxide
Margonin
Mecanhelas
met-(m)
microbial taxonomy
millidarwins
nanga
Nepressol
non-adaptiveness
noradrenergic receptor
pendulum type coder
policy conditions
Populus platyphylla
powder-horn
prevent leaf scorch
process cell
pump life
quill pens
radience
relative recall
repairing procedure
rested
resurrected peneplane shoreline
Sayylyk
short circuit ring
sinoauricular node
smoothing image
sports publicity
st. nicks
steam-heat
steam-heating coil
street-lighting transformer
syncelom
tandem type pump
test order
third generation
topsysurvydom
tubectomies
two-level roundabout
urban legends
utilization of heat
whole-kernel
your message