鲁山山行 梅尧臣朗诵:A Festival of Sheep 澳洲奔羊节

本期文章
·A Festival of Sheep 澳洲奔羊节
·中文翻译
·Building your vocabulary
·Phrases for Learning
·Extra Words
A Festival of Sheep 澳洲奔羊节
Here they come! Run! Look out! It's...sheep? Yes, sheep! When it is compared to the Running of the Bulls in Spain, the Running of the Sheep at the Irish Woolfest in Boorowa, Australia is not so scary. It is actually fun and entertaining. Crowds gather to watch as four sheepdogs1 work together to herd2 a group of sheep down the main street. This is just the beginning of a fun-filled festival that includes everything from art shows to dog competitions.
Another event that celebrates the start of the Irish Woolfest is the Blessing of the Fleece3. One sheep is shorn4 and its fleece is blessed by the three ministers5 who represent the major religions of the area. Then, there is live music and dancing. Of course, no one should miss the festival's parade. A family favorite at the event is the Icarus Street Performers. They perform acrobatics6 and dance in special costumes all while wearing stilts7. There is so much to see and do at the Irish Woolfest that it would be impossible to be bored. If this is just what you are looking for, make sure to visit the festival this year.
它们来了！快跑！小心！那是……羊吗？没错，就是羊！跟西班牙的奔牛节相比，澳洲布洛瓦Irish Woolfest这场庆典上的奔羊活动就没有那麽吓人了。事实上，它反倒是趣味十足。群众会沿路聚集，观赏四苹牧羊犬合力在镇中的主要大街上赶羊。这只不过是一个充满乐趣的节庆的开场活动，这项庆典还有各种包罗万象的节目，从艺术表演到狗狗竞赛都有。
另一项为欢庆Irish Woolfest而揭开序幕的活动则为Blessing of the Fleece。主办者会剪下一头羊的羊毛，并由三位分别代表该地区各主要宗教的牧师来为羊毛进行祝祷。接著还会现场演奏音乐和表演舞蹈。当然，万万不能错过的就是本节庆的盛大游行。在游行中深受阖家欢迎的一项表演就是Icarus Street Performers。这群街头表演者会穿上特殊的服装来表演杂技和跳舞，而这全都是他们在脚踩高跷的同时进行的。Irish Woolfest上可供观赏和从事的活动多不胜数，因此您绝对不会感到无聊。如果这正是您想找的精采节庆，那您今年一定要参加这项盛会。
entertaininga. 有趣的；有娱乐性的
Molly's son enjoys reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series because he finds it very entertaining.
茉莉的儿子喜欢阅读《逊咖日记》，因为他觉得这套书很有趣。
competitionn. 竞赛，比赛
Jill entered a beauty competition and finished third.
吉儿参加一场选美比赛并获得了第三名。
blessvt. 保，祝福
The two-day event was held to bless the harvest.
这场为期两天的活动是为了祝福作物丰收而举行。
representvt. 象徵，代表
The white dove represents peace and hope.
白鸽象徵著和平与希望。
performvt. 表演，演出
Many of Nina's family and friends came to see her perform on stage for the very first time.
妮娜的许多亲朋好友都前来欣赏她的首次登台表演。
costumen.（特殊装扮用的）戏服，服装
The woman made a Halloween costume for her son instead of buying one.
那位女士帮她儿子制作了一套万圣节服装，而不是用买的。

look out注意，当心
Look out! There is broken glass on the ground.
小心！地上有碎玻璃。
kick off.../kick...off展开……，使……开始
Joey and his buddies kicked off their summer vacation with a trip to the beach.
乔伊和他的死党以一场海滩之旅来为璁假揭开序幕。

sheepdogn. 牧羊犬
herdvt. 牧（羊，牛等动物）
fleecen. 羊毛
shearvt.（给羊）剪羊毛（三态为∶shear, sheared, shorn，本文中亦以过去分词作形容词用）
ministern. 牧师；神职人员
acrobaticsn. 杂技表演，特技表演
stiltn. 高跷（常用复数）