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Memorial Day is a national holiday observed in the United States on the last Monday in May. This year, Memorial Day falls on May 27.
阵亡将士纪念日是美国的一个全国性节日，在五月的最后一个星期一举行。今年，阵亡将士纪念日是在5月27日。
It is a day when Americans honor the men and women who have died fighting in America’s wars.
这是美国人向在美国战争中阵亡的男女军人表示敬意的日子。
For most Americans, it also marks the unofficial start of summer. It is a popular weekend for vacationing.
对大多数美国人来说，它也标志着夏天的非正式开始，是一个度假的热门周末。
Memorial Day traditions include the observance at Arlington National Cemetery. It is the most famous burial place in America.
阵亡将士纪念日的传统包括在美国最著名的墓地阿灵顿国家公墓举行纪念活动。
The tradition began on May 30th, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers in the cemetery. It was called Decoration Day back then.
这一传统始于 1868 年 5 月 30 日，当时人们将鲜花摆放在墓地中的联邦和邦联士兵的墓前。这一天在当时被称为 "装饰日"。
Since 1948, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, soldiers from the 3rd US Infantry, The Old Guard, have placed small American flags in front of every headstone in the cemetery.
自1948年以来，在阵亡将士纪念日的前一个星期四，来自美国第三步兵师的士兵，即老卫队，会在公墓的每一块墓碑前放置一面小美国国旗。
Lines of simple white headstones mark the soldiers' graves.
一排排简单的白色墓碑标志着士兵们的坟墓。
But the 80-hectare cemetery also serves as a burial place for people of national and historical importance.
但是，这个80公顷的公墓也是具有国家和历史重要性的人物的安息之地。
Two presidents are buried there: William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.
那里埋葬着两位总统：威廉·霍华德·塔夫脱和约翰·F·肯尼迪。
Other well-known people buried at the cemetery include world champion boxer Joe Louis, North Pole explorer Robert E.Peary and the seven astronauts who died in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.
埋葬在墓地的其他知名人士还包括世界拳击冠军乔-路易斯、北极探险家罗伯特-皮尔里以及在挑战者号航天飞机爆炸中丧生的七名宇航员。
Nearly 4,000 former slaves are also buried at Arlington National Cemetery. One of them is James Parks. He dug the first graves in the cemetery.
近4000名前奴隶也被埋葬在阿灵顿国家公墓。其中一人是詹姆斯·帕克斯。他挖掘了公墓里的第一批坟墓。
The best-known memorial in the nation’s capital, however, is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, which opened in 1982.
然而，在这个国家的首都，最著名的纪念碑是于1982年开放的越南退伍军人纪念碑。
In 1980, a group of former soldiers announced a competition to design a memorial.
1980年，一群退伍军人宣布举办一场设计纪念碑的竞赛。
The winner was Maya Lin, a 21-year-old student at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.
获奖者是玛雅·林，她是一位21岁的学生，就读于康涅狄格州纽黑文市的耶鲁大学。
Lin designed a memorial formed by two walls of black stone about 76 meters long. The walls meet to form a V.
林璎设计了一座由两面黑色石墙组成的纪念碑，长约76米。两面墙相交形成一个V字形。
The names of more than 58,000 Americans killed or declared missing-in-action are cut into the stone.
超过58,000名美国人的名字被刻在石头上，他们或阵亡或被宣布失踪。
Almost any time of day, you can see people looking for the name of a family member or friend who died in the war.
几乎在一天中的任何时候，你都可以看到人们在寻找在战争中死去的家庭成员或朋友的名字。
Once they find the name, many rub a pencil on paper over the letters to copy it.
一旦他们找到了名字，许多人就会用铅笔在纸上擦过字母来复制它。
Many people leave remembrances at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
许多人在越南退伍军人纪念碑前留下纪念。
After the success of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Congress approved a memorial to the Korean War veterans, which opened in July of 1995. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953. The memorial honors those who died.
越南退伍军人纪念碑取得成功后，国会批准了一座纪念朝鲜战争退伍军人的纪念碑，该纪念碑于1995年7月开放。朝鲜战争从1950年持续到1953年。该纪念碑是为了纪念那些死去的人。
It also honors those who survived. One of the lesser-known memorials on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is often called "the temple."
它也向幸存者表示敬意。在华盛顿特区国家广场上鲜为人知的纪念碑之一，通常被称为“神庙”。
The round stone structure honors people from the District of Columbia who died in World War I. The war was fought from 1914 to 1918.
这座圆形石制建筑是为了纪念在第一次世界大战中牺牲的哥伦比亚特区的人们。这场战争从1914年持续到1918年。
Between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument on the National Mall is the World War II Memorial.
在国家广场上，林肯纪念堂和华盛顿纪念碑之间是二战纪念碑。
The U.S. entered the war after Japan bombed the Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7th, 1941.
1941年12月7日，日本轰炸了夏威夷珍珠港的海军基地后，美国参战。
Sixteen million men and women served in the American military between 1941 and 1945. More than 400,000 died.
1941年至1945年间，有1600万男女在美国军队服役。其中40多万人死亡。
The World War II Memorial is built of bronze and granite.
二战纪念碑由青铜和花岗岩建造。
In the center, at ground level, is a round pool of water.
在中心位置，地面上有一个圆形的水池。
When the sun is just right, rainbows of color dance in the air. Fifty-six stone pillars rise around the pool.
当阳光恰到好处时，空气中舞动着色彩斑斓的彩虹。五十六根石柱环绕着水池矗立着。
They represent each of the American states and territories, plus the District of Columbia, at the time of the war.
他们代表了战争时期的美国各州和地区，以及哥伦比亚特区。
There are not yet memorials for soldiers who died in America’s most recent wars – in Iraq and Afghanistan.
目前还没有为在伊拉克和阿富汗战争中阵亡的士兵设立纪念碑。
The soldiers are buried in Section 60 of Arlington Cemetery.
士兵们被埋葬在阿灵顿公墓的第60区。
The section is often called “the saddest place in America.”
这个区域常常被称为“美国最悲伤的地方”。
On Memorial Day, Americans are called to stop for one minute at three o'clock local time for the National Moment of Remembrance to honor the soldiers who have died in service to the country, no matter what wars they served in.
在阵亡将士纪念日，美国人被要求在当地时间三点钟停下来一分钟，进行全国追思时刻，以纪念那些为国家服务而牺牲的士兵，无论他们参加过什么战争。
I’m Caty Weaver.
我是卡蒂·韦弗。
