馬薩諸塞州英文介紹

　　馬薩諸塞州是美國的一州，正式名稱為“馬薩諸塞聯(lián)邦”，位于美國東北，是新英格蘭地區(qū)的一部分。在中文中，通常簡稱“麻州”或“麻省”。馬薩諸塞州東瀕大西洋。大部地區(qū)丘崗起伏，海蝕地貌與冰磧地貌廣布 ，西北部是新英格蘭高地的一部分，西北角的格雷洛克山海拔1064米，為全州最高點(diǎn)。海岸線曲折，多優(yōu)良港灣。屬溫帶大陸性氣候，年平均降水量1000㎜。1788年加入聯(lián)邦，為美國獨(dú)立時(shí)最初13州之一。世界學(xué)府哈佛大學(xué)和麻省理工學(xué)院都位于該州。

　　馬薩諸塞 又名「老殖民地」(Old Colony State)是新英格蘭(New England)六州之一，也是美國獨(dú)立時(shí)，最初的13州之一(它于1788年加入聯(lián)邦)。早期移民于1620年搭乘五月花號(hào)(Mayflower)抵達(dá)普里茅斯(Plymouth)并在此建立他們的殖民地。不久，后來抵達(dá)的清教徒則建立了馬薩諸塞 灣殖民地(Massachusetts Bay Colony)，這些清教徒以一個(gè)當(dāng)?shù)赜〉匕膊柯涞拿Q為自己的殖民地命名，意即「大型山坡地」(a large hill place)。馬薩諸塞 吸引相信自治政府體制的人們前來，是美國革命的許多理想的誕生地，。因而別名匍匐漿果鵑的五月花是再相稱不過的州花。

　　One of the six New England states, and one of the first 13 states in the Union (it entered in 1788), Massachusetts is known as the "Old Colony State." The Pilgrims established their settlement at Plymouth in 1620, arriving on the Mayflower. They were followed shortly by the Puritans, who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans named their colony after a local Indian tribe whose name means "a large hill place." The birthplace of many of the ideals of the American Revolution, Massachusetts attracted people who believed in self-government. It's appropriate that the state flower is the mayflower, also known as the trailing arbutus. www.ryedu.net

　　圣事(Blessed Sacrament)盛宴

　　地方性遺產(chǎn)

　　您曾聽過馬德拉(Madeira)這個(gè)地方嗎?

　　馬德拉是一個(gè)位于大西洋上的亞熱帶島嶼，座落在葡萄牙西南方約600哩處。回溯至1700年代晚期，來自麻州新貝德福德(New Bedford)的捕鯨船會(huì)在馬德拉稍做停留，補(bǔ)充補(bǔ)給品并僱用熟練的船員，為長途的捕鯨之旅做準(zhǔn)備。捕鯨船回到新貝德福德時(shí)，船上已經(jīng)帶有來自于馬德拉的船員，因而有許多船員定居在新貝德福德。到了現(xiàn)在，新貝德福德?lián)碛忻绹硟?nèi)最多的馬德拉后裔。

　　因?yàn)榕c馬德拉的特殊關(guān)係，新貝德福德舉行的葡萄牙盛會(huì)是世上最大的。每年的圣事盛宴是一個(gè)連續(xù)四天的大事，它由一種名為圣事祝福(Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament)的中世紀(jì)祈禱儀式開始，后面接著一個(gè)為時(shí)兩小時(shí)半的游行。慶典中會(huì)提供傳統(tǒng)的葡萄牙食物，也有音樂表演。最初的盛宴始于1915年，僅僅是一個(gè)由四個(gè)馬德拉移民所舉行的宗教慶?；顒?dòng)，主要是為了重現(xiàn)他們家鄉(xiāng)村落的盛宴慶典。

　　英語原文：Have you ever heard of a place named Madeira?

　　Madeira is a semi-tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 600 miles southwest of Portugal. As far back as the late 1700s, whaling ships from New Bedford, Massachusetts, visited Madeira for supplies and to hire skilled crews for long whaling voyages. Whale ships returning to New Bedford brought the Madeiran sailors with them, and many settled in the area. Today, New Bedford has the largest population of people with Madeiran ancestry in the United States.

　　Because of this connection to Madeira, New Bedford is home to the largest Portuguese feast in the world. The Feast of the Blessed Sacrament is an annual four-day event that begins with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, a medieval rite of devotion, followed by a parade that lasts two and a half hours. Traditional Portuguese food is served and music is performed. The original feast was a strictly religious celebration begun in 1915 by four immigrants from Madeira as a re-creation of the feast celebrated in their home villages.