每日英語 #092: Flags Flown at Half-Staff 降半旗

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Flags Flown at Half-Staff

In the U.S., most government buildings have “flagpoles” (tall outdoor metal poles on which a flag is attached and shown) outside of the building. Each morning, a worker in the building will place the American “flag” (piece of cloth with a design that represents a country) on the flagpole and raise it up. Each evening, before “dusk” (time of day when the sun is nearly gone and little light remains), it is “taken down” (removed).

在美國，大多數政府建築物外都有「旗杆」（高大的戶外金屬杆，上面懸掛著旗幟）。每天早上，建築物內的工作人員會將美國「國旗」（一塊代表國家的設計布料）掛在旗杆上並升起。每天晚上，在「黃昏」（太陽快要落下，光線所剩無幾的時間）之前，旗幟會被「降下」（移除）。

In the U.S., when an important person in government dies, flags are “flown” (displayed) at “half-mast” or “half-staff.” Both of these terms are commonly used and mean for a flag to be flown lower on the flagpole. The President of the United States can issue an “executive order” (command of the President) for a flag to be flown at half-staff to show respect for the person who has died. When the President issues an executive order, all government buildings, including public schools, government offices, and “military bases” (where soldiers live and train) fly their flags at half-mast. A “governor” (highest level leader of a state) can also order that flags be flown at half-mast, but the order only affects his or her state.

美國總統可以發布「行政命令」（總統的指令），要求旗幟降半旗以表示對逝者的尊重。在美國，當政府中的重要人物去世時，旗幟會被「降半旗」或「降半桿」（展示）。這兩個術語都很常用，表示旗幟在旗杆上飛得更低。當總統發布行政命令時，所有政府建築物，包括公立學校、政府辦公室和「軍事基地」（士兵生活和訓練的地方）都會降半旗。「州長」（州的最高領導人）也可以命令降半旗，但該命令只影響他或她的州。

The number of days a flag is flown at half-staff depends on the position the person held. For example, for a current or former president, that period is 30 days. For a vice president or a “chief justice” (leader of the highest court in the country), the period is 10 days. For “members of Congress” (officials representing the states), the flag is flown at half-staff on the day of the death and the “following” (next) day.

旗幟降半旗的天數取決於逝者的職位。例如，對於現任或前任總統，降半旗的時間為30天。 對於副總統或「首席大法官」（國家最高法院的領導人），降半旗的時間為10天。對於「國會議員」（代表各州的官員），旗幟在逝世當天和「次日」（第二天）降半旗。

重點單字

• Flagpole /ˈflæɡˌpoʊl/ - 旗杆
• Flag /flæɡ/ - 旗幟
• Dusk /dʌsk/ - 黃昏
• Half-mast /ˌhæf ˈmæst/ - 降半旗
• Half-staff /ˌhæf ˈstæf/ - 降半桿
• Executive order /ɪɡˈzɛkjətɪv ˈɔrdər/ - 行政命令
• Governor /ˈɡʌvərnər/ - 州長
• Military base /ˈmɪlɪˌtɛri beɪs/ - 軍事基地
• Chief justice /tʃiːf ˈdʒʌstɪs/ - 首席大法官
• Members of Congress /ˈmɛmbərz əv ˈkɒŋɡrəs/ - 國會議員