Part 1 The History of Memorial Day 阵亡将士纪念日的历史

Memorial Day, perhaps more than any other holiday, was born of human necessity. Deep inside all of us lies a fundamental desire to make sense of life and our place in it and the world. What we have been given, what we will do with it and what we will pass to the next generation is all part of an unfolding history, a continuum that links one soul to another.

Abraham Lincoln pondered these thoughts in the late fall of 1863. His darkest fear was that he might well be the last president of the United States, a nation embroiled in the self-destruction of what he described as "a great civil war..testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure." He began his remarks with those words as he stood on the battlefield near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19th of that year.

The minute's speech that became known as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address turned into what might be called the first observance of Memorial Day. Lincoln's purpose that day was to dedicate a portion of the battlefield as a cemetery for the thousands of men, both living and dead, who consecrated that soil in the sacrifice of battle. Said Abraham Lincoln: "That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause which they gave the last full measure of devotion...that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom..."

About that same time in 1865, a druggist in Waterloo, New York, Henry C. Welles, began promoting the idea of decorating the graves of Civil War veterans. He gained the support of the Seneca County Clerk, General John B. Murray, and they formed a committee to make wreaths, crosses and bouquets for each veteran's grave. On May 5, 1866, war veterans marching to martial music led processions to each of three cemeteries, where the graves were decorated and speeches were made by General Murray and local clergymen. The village itself was also decorated with flags at half-mast, evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.

Also, as the Civil War was coming to a close in the spring of 1865, Women's Auxiliaries of the North and South moved from providing relief to the families and soldiers on their own sides to joining in efforts to preserve and decorate the graves of both sides. A woman of French extraction and leader of the Virginia women's movement, Cassandra Oliver Moncure, took responsibility of coordinating the activities of several groups into a combined ceremony on May 30. It is said that she picked that day because it corresponded to the Day of Ashes in France, a solemn day that commemorates the return of the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte to France from St. Helena.

In 1868, General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic issued a General Order establishing May 30 as an official memorial day to pay respect to all those who had died, in war or peace. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that: The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery. As already mentioned this 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Mississippi; Macon, Georgia; Richmond, Virginia; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; and Carbondale, Illinois.

In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo --- which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866 --- because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars.

In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)

Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Cemetery with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Perhaps General Logan's proclamation was simply the making official of what the nation yearned for and spontaneously began to form after the near total destruction of the Civil War. It is that sharing of loss, honoring the sacrifices of those who made possible the lives we enjoy today, and family connections across the generations that keep Memorial Day in our hearts...and always will.

其实，很多国家都有自己的“阵亡将士纪念日”或类似的纪念日。大多数这样的纪念日，是以国家遭到袭击，或是历史上军队为保卫和平而战的日子来安排的。例如美国将每年5月份的最后一个星期一定为“阵亡将士纪念日”，每到这一天，美国现役军人和老战士便前往墓地，鸣枪向阵亡将士致意，吹响军中熄灯号让死难将士安息。

那么这个“阵亡将士纪念日”是怎么来的呢？在十九世纪的美国南北战争中，很多将士战死沙场。战后，很多南方妇女会在春天到阵亡战士的墓前献花，由于她们献花的对象不分南方人和北方人，这种举动感动了全国上下，到了1868年的时候，就正式确定了5月30日为美国的“阵亡将士纪念日”，纪念所有内战中阵亡的将士。

第一次世界大战以后，许多阵亡战士的家庭和曾经参与过战争的人，也会利用这一天，到战友或者阵亡的亲友墓前献花致敬。这个日子后来成为纪念所有为国捐躯的美国将士的日子。1971年，阵亡将士纪念日改为5月最后一周的星期一，并被定为国家法定假日。

其实现在美国很多年轻人都搞不清楚阵亡将士纪念日的由来，一般来说，会去墓园缅怀阵亡将士的，都是上了年纪的老兵。而大部分人，则会利用这连续三天的假期，邀请亲朋好友烤肉野餐。

Part 2 A Grill Party 烤肉派对

Dialogue Script 1 对话原文 1

Mark: The weekend's finally here!
Ann: And it's a long one. I have Monday off. It's Memorial Day or something like that.
Mark: Yep. It's the kickoff of the barbecue season. We're invited to a grill party in the park tomorrow.
Ann: Sounds good. What do we need to bring?
Mark: We need to buy some buns for the hotdogs and hamburgers, and I'm making potato salad.
Ann: I'll dig out the Frisbee and my kite from China.

讲解：

1. 对话中，Mark和Ann的朋友们邀请他们俩参加一个烤肉的派对。工作了一周之后，Mark说，The weekend's finally here! 总算到周末了！Ann接着说，And it's a long one. I have Monday off. It's Memorial Day or something like that. 还是一个很长的周末呢。而且星期一还连着放假，因为周一是美国的“阵亡将士纪念日”，是法定假日，放假一天。

2. have...off，表示“ 休...天的假”。休假一天，可以说have a day off。如果你要告诉人家你某天休假，不用上班或者不用上课的时候，就把休假的天数套入这个have...off的句型当中就可以了。比如说，---I'll have a day off tomorrow. Wanna go shopping with me? ---Sure. When shall we meet? ---我明天休假。想和我去逛街吗？---当然了。我们明天几点见？

3. 那么人们在这一天会做些什么呢？这一天通常代表着烤肉季节的开始，It's the kickoff of the barbecue season. kickoff在口语中表示“开始，序幕”，也可以表示“足球比赛的开球”。如果把kickoff 拆开，还有kick something off这个词组，表示“开始会议等活动”，I'll ask Tina to kick off . 我让Tina开始。那么开始什么就随情况而定了，比如我们可以说 I'll ask Tina to kick off the discussion. 我让Tina开始讨论。

4. 有人邀请Mark 和Ann去公园参加一个烤肉派对，也就是grill party，grill这个词的意思是“烤肉用的架子或炉子”，所以grill这个词就用来表示“烤肉”，而barbecue这个词侧重于表示“在篝火上烤肉的金属烤架”，当然也可以表示“吃烤肉等的野餐”。grill还可以做动词，表示“烧烤食物”，比如说，I'll grill you some fish. 我来给你烤些鱼。

5. Ann觉得这个grill party听起来挺好玩的。那么需要带什么东西过去吗？去参加人家的派对，什么东西都不带是不礼貌的。Mark说要买一些做热狗和汉堡用的圆面包，就是bun，一种小而圆的甜面包或点心。Mark还要做一个potato salad，土豆沙拉。那么Ann准备带什么去参加party呢？她要带Frisbee，也就是在一种在美国非常流行的玩具，飞盘，一种飞碟状的塑料圆盘，两个人可以互相抛扔。Ann还准备在那天放她从中国带过来的风筝。

Dialogue Script 2 对话原文 2

Ann: Hey, the pool's open now!
Mark: As of today it is. Memorial Day marks the end of the school year and the beginning of summer.
Ann: So it's time for the kids to get outdoors...
Mark: ...and for us to get tans.
Ann: Not this Chinese girl. We don't like to get suntans.
Mark: That's smart these days with all the news on skin cancer. hey, there's everybody! (yells out) We made it!

讲解：

1. Mark和Ann来到了公园，公园里的游泳池这天也开放了。Mark说公园的游泳池是从今天起开放的。As of today it is. 这句话就表示“从今天开始。”要表达某样事物从今天开始生效或者启用，As of today it is. 就是一个好用的句型，而这个句型当中的it还可以换成其他的代词。比如说，---Tom is your new boss? ---Yes, as of today he is. ---Tom是你的新上司？---对，从今天起就是了。

2. 因为“阵亡战士纪念日”就标志着学年的终点，同时也是夏天的起点，所以公园才开始开放游泳池。school year，学年，那么美国的一学年，通常是指九月到第二年的五月左右。对于小孩子而言，户外活动的时间到了。对大人而言，也该是把皮肤晒成古铜色健康肤色的时候了。tans表示“晒成的古铜肤色”。Ann可不愿意晒黑，suntan表示“晒黑”，但是如果是get sunburn可就不妙了，因为sunburn的意思是“晒伤的皮肤；晒斑”。

3. Mark也附和Ann说，现在有很多人得皮肤癌，少晒太阳也是明智之举。这时他看见了大家，他大喊，We made it! 我们到了。We made it. We're here. 和We've arrived.都可以用来表示“我们到了。”但是We made it! 还隐含着克服困难，抵达目的地的意思。比如，---We made it! ---Well, we're so glad you could make it! ---我们到了！---真高兴你们能赶来！

Dialogue Script 3 对话原文 3

Ben: Hello, you guys. I'm firing up the grill. We can eat in an hour or so.
Ann: Chips, finger foods, desserts, baked beans. Where're the pork and beef strips?
Ben: Ann, we're in the States. Here it's all burgers, steaks, and dogs.
Ann: Ah...hence the buns and condiments we bought. And this is Mark's potato salad.
Ben: You can put stuff on the picnic table. (sighs) Back to work. The grill is calling me...
Ann: Let me know if I can help.

讲解：

1. Ben正在烤肉炉旁边忙着生火，fire up the grill。fire up 这个词组表示“给锅炉等生火”。Ben说过一个小时左右大家就可以吃了。Ann在清点野餐的食物，有炸薯片，chips；还有finger food，这是什么东西呢？就是指能用手拿着吃的零食和小点心；baked beans就是美国人烤肉做菜的时候常用的拌料，叫做“烘豆”。而这里Ann说的dogs可不是指真的狗肉，而是指“热狗”，也就是hot dogs的简称。

2. 不过Ann还在纳闷，既然是烤肉，怎么没有猪肉和牛肉片呢？因为我们一般在国内吃烧烤的时候，都会有腌制好的猪肉或者牛肉片。Ben提醒她说，别忘了这是在美国，这里烤肉都是汉堡肉，牛排和热狗。美国人常用the States来代替the United States指自己的国家，因为这么说有一种亲切的感觉。

3. Ann明白了，怪不得Mark要带圆面包和辛辣的调料来。Ben让Ann把带来的东西放在野餐的桌子上，然后就回去干活了，不过好像挺不情愿的，在这么热的天气里烤肉确实是一件苦差事。所以Ben叹了一口气，Back to work. The grill is calling me…回去干活了，烤肉炉在呼唤我了。

4. Ann看他这个样子，就说Let me know if I can help. 要我帮忙就别客气哦。大家可以把这句话拿过来直接用。

Dialogue Script 4 对话原文 4

Ann: Hello, Mr. Smith. Are you enjoying the cookout? You don't look too happy.
Smith: I spent the morning at the cemetery. I put flowers on the graves of my old war buddies.
Ann: Is that what people usually do on Memorial Day?
Smith: They should. This holiday is about remembering our war dead. But people these days think it's just a holiday for summer sales and cookouts!
Ann: I'm sorry to hear that. Thank you for telling me a little more about it.

讲解：

1. Ann看见了Ben的父亲，Smith先生，问他，野餐怎么样？怎么看起来不怎么高兴啊。cookout也是一个合成词，表示“野餐，野炊”，跟picnic差不多。

2. Smith先生一早上的时间都在墓地，给老战友的墓上献花，cemetery指“公墓，墓地”。war buddy，战友，一起上战场的伙伴。buddy在口语中表示“哥们儿，兄弟”。

3. Ann很好奇，问是不是人们在“阵亡将士纪念日”这天通常都会这么做。Smith先生很伤感的说，人们应该这样做，但是现在大家好像都已经忘了这个节日的真正含义，只把它当成夏季大采购和野餐的假日。

4. Ann对这个现实表示遗憾，并且感谢Smith先生能跟她说这些话。

Dialogue Script 5 对话原文 5

Ben: Now the coals are just right. I can start grilling.
Ann: Ben, you're sweating up a storm! Here you go! I made up the burger patties for you.
Ben: Thanks. Smell the hickory chips? They give the meat a nice, smoky flavor.
Ann: I'll take over for a while to give you a break.
Ben: Sorry. This is a one-man job. I've got the grill just how I like it, and I've made up my own special sauce.
Ann: Then I'll tell folks the food's ready. (yells) Come and get it! (to Ben) I've always wanted to say that!
(later)
Ann: Does anyone need a drink?
Ben: I'll take one. How's the cooler situation?
Ann: It's still stocked, and there's plenty of ice. Here you are --- cheers!
Ben: Cheers. You guys didn't drive, did you?
Ann: No, we walked. Why, do you need us to carry some stuff home later?
Ben: No, it's just that it's a holiday. With everyone out partying, there's a lot of drunk driving.
Ann: That's good to know. We'll watch for crazy drivers.

讲解：

1. 对话中，烤炉的火已经生好了，可以开始烤肉了。Now the coals are just right. 这句话表示“现在木炭差不多好了。”Ann看见Ben 汗流浃背，她说，Ben, you're sweating up a storm! ...up a storm，表示“花费了很多精力（做某事）”，这是一个非常口语话的用法。...up a storm常常放在某种动作的后面，表示某人在这个动作上花费了很多精力。所以对话中的sweat up a storm，就是指“流了很多汗”。另外，我们还可以说talk up a storm就表示“说了很多话，费了很多口舌”，smile up a storm，表示“笑得很厉害”等等。

2. Ann也在帮Ben的忙，给他准备好了汉堡肉饼，burger patty。Ben问Ann闻没闻到胡桃木屑的味道没有，这会给烤肉一种芳香的烟熏味道。Ann看Ben 已经很累了，说要替他一会，take over，表示“接替某人做某事”，在上一课当中我们已经讲过了。

3. Ben却不愿意，因为他认为烤肉是一个人的活，而且他已经把火候都调好了，而且他也调制了特制的酱汁，他可不想Ann把肉烤砸了。Ann只能跟大家说肉已经烤好了，快来吃啊！Come and get it! 在很多美国西部电影中，厨师把食物准备好的时候，会摇铃大喊Come and get it! 呼唤大家去拿东西吃。到了今天，要跟大家说食物都准备好了，想吃的人可以来拿的时候，Come and get it!就成了一个惯用语了。比如说，---I'm so hungry I could eat a bear. ---Food's ready, everyone! Come and get it!---我饿得可以吃下一头熊了。---各位，吃的做好了，快来吧！怪不得Ann一直想说这句话，因为她想过过当大厨的瘾嘛。

4. 现在肉烤好了，大家都席地而坐，开始野餐了。Ben问Ann装饮料的冰桶目前的状况怎么样，Ann说里面还装的满满的，还有很多冰块。stocked这里是一个形容词，表示“库存充足的，供应充足的”。stock 作为动词，表示“储备，保持…的供应”，比如说，They stock all sizes. 他们各种尺码都很齐全。还有一个短语，是stock up on/with something for something，为了某种需要或目的而储备某物，比如说，They began to stock up on food for the winter. 他们开始为了过冬而储备食物。

5. Ben问Ann他们没有开车来吧，因为今天过节，喝酒的人一定很多，Ben提醒他们要小心那些酒后驾车的司机。party在这里做动词，表示“开派对”。it's just that...表示“只是因为…”，在电影中，经常会听到有人试着解释理由的时候，会把it just that...放在句子的最前面，而这个开头语所带出的从句，就是这个人真正要解释的事情。我们用一个对话来做例子，---Why are you so mad at me? ---It's just that you forgot my birthday. ---你为什么这么生我的气？---就是因为你忘记了我的生日。

6. Ann很感谢Ben的提醒，That's good to know. 这句话的意思是“谢谢提醒”，当别人给你不错的资讯或者建议的时候，你就可以说That's good to know.来表示你的感激。但是这句话只是一种说谢谢的方式，并不意味着你一定要按照对方的话去做。比如说，---Tech stocks are a good buy again. ---That's good to know. ---科技股又到了买进的好时候了。---多亏你提醒。