(单词翻译:单击)
听力文本
Now, the VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
Today, we tell about more interesting nicknames of American states.
The mid-Atlantic state of Maryland is called the Free State. A Baltimore newspaper first called it that during the nineteen twenties when the manufacture and sale of alcohol were banned for a time. Maryland said it wanted to be free from this prohibition.
Mississippi is The Magnolia State. It is named for a tree with big, beautiful white flowers that grows in that hot, southern state.
The midwestern state of Missouri is called The Show Me State. The people of that frontier state were once famous for not believing everything people told them.
If you visit the western mountain and plains state of Montana you will know why it is known as Big Sky Country.
Nebraska is the only state to have a nickname that honors sports teams! The state university's athletic teams are nicknamed Cornhuskers in recognition of one of the area's chief crops. The state borrowed the Cornhusker nickname from the university.
The western desert state of Nevada is called The Silver State. It was once home to many silver mines and towns that grew up around them. Today, most of them are empty “ghost towns.”
New Hampshire, in the northeast area called New England, is The Granite State because of that colorful rock.
New Jersey is between the big cities of New York, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It got its nickname, The Garden State, because New Jersey truck farms once provided vegetables to those big cities.
New York, which always thinks big, was called The Empire State because of its natural wealth.
The most famous Manhattan skyscraper got its name from the state. It is, of course, the Empire State Building.
If you get a chance to see a red sunset over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico, you will know why that southwestern state is called The Land of Enchantment.
North and South Carolina were one colony until seventeen twenty-nine. South Carolina's nickname is the easier of the two: It is The Palmetto State because of a fan-leafed palm tree that grows there. North Carolina is the Tar Heel State.
That is because many of the men who worked to gather substances from trees wore no shoes. They would make turpentine from tar and get the black, sticky tar on the heels of their feet.
Next week, we will finish telling about the colorful nicknames of American states.
This VOA Special English program was written by Ted Landphair. I'm Barbara Klein. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at voaspecialenglish.com.
文本来自51voa，译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载
词汇解释
1.frontier n. 前沿；边界；国境 adj. 边界的；开拓的
The frontier town boomed when gold was discovered nearby.
当那个边疆城镇附近发现金矿时它迅速而蓬勃发展起来。
2.skyscraper n. 摩天楼，超高层大楼；特别高的东西
The skyscraper towers into the clouds.
那幢摩天大楼高耸入云。
3.turpentine n. 松节油；松脂 vt. 涂松节油 vi. 提取松节油
Paint is the solute and turpentine is the solvent when paint is dissolved in turpentine.
油漆溶于松节油时，油漆是溶质，松节油就是溶剂。
内容解析
1.The state university's athletic teams are nicknamed Cornhuskers in recognition of one of the area's chief crops.
in recognition of 承认…而；为酬谢
He had just received a doctorate in recognition of his contributions to seismology.
他刚被授予了博士头衔以表彰他对地震学作出的贡献。
He is rewarded in recognition of his services.
他因功受奖。
参考译文
现在是VOA慢速英语词语典故节目。
今天我们将讲述更多美国各州有趣的别名。
位于大西洋中部的马里兰州叫做“自由之州”。20世纪20年代，酒类的生产和销售曾被禁止，巴尔的摩一家报纸首先这样叫。马里兰州称它想免受该禁令的限制。
密西西比州叫做“木兰之州”。它以木兰花命名，木兰生长在处于南方的炎热的密西西比州，盛开大而漂亮的花朵。
位于中西部的密苏里州叫做“索证之州”。位于这个边境州的人们曾经因不相信别人告诉他们的任何事情而著名。
如果你游览一下西部的高山和平原之州蒙大拿，你就会明白它为什么被叫做“长空之乡”。
内布拉斯加州是唯一一个以运动队命名的州。这个州立大学的运动队别名叫做“剥玉米壳人”，是为了认可该地区的一个主要作物玉米。内布拉斯州从这个大学借来了这个别名。
位于西部沙漠的内华达州叫做“产银之州”。这里曾经有很多银矿，而且在银矿周围衍生出了许多小镇。今天，这些小镇大部分都是空空的“城市的废墟”。
位于东北部新英格兰地区的新罕布什尔州叫做“花冈岩州”，因为这里含有五颜六色的花岗岩。
新泽西州位于纽约，费城和宾夕法尼亚之间。新泽西州别名叫做“花园之州”，因为这里的农场曾经向大城市运送蔬菜。
在人们的印象中，纽约很大，它的别名叫做“帝国之州”，因为这里含有丰富的自然财富。最著名的曼哈顿摩天大楼以该州的别名命名，叫做“帝国大厦”。
如果你有机会看到新墨西哥州基督圣血山脉红红的落日，你就会明白这个位于西南部的州为什么被叫做“迷人之地”。
南北卡罗莱纳州在1729年之前一直是殖民地。南卡罗莱纳的别名相对来说比较简单，叫做“棕榈州”，因为这里生长着许多叶子像扇子一样的棕榈树。北卡罗莱纳叫做“焦油鞋根之州”。因为许多从树上采集物品的人从来都不穿鞋。他们用焦油制造松节油，这样他们的脚上就会沾上黑色黏稠的焦油。
下周，我们将结束对美国各州别名的讲述。
这次美国之音慢速英语节目作者Ted Landphair，我是芭芭拉·克莱恩，你可登陆voaspecialenglish.com获得更多词汇典故节目。
