The Big Easy(b)|浴火重生的爵士之城：纽奥良

In August 2005, the party in New Orleans ended abruptly. The city, once one of the most popular tourist towns in America, was under siege from Hurricane Katrina. This huge hurricane swept in over the Gulf Coast, bringing with it huge amounts of rain. Although 90 percent of New Orleanian residents quickly evacuated, the hurricane overwhelmed most of the city's flood defenses, making Katrina the worst civil engineering disaster in US history. Nearly 80 percent of the city was flooded, including the historical city center. Many buildings were damaged beyond repair, and much of the city's infrastructure—water, electricity, and transportation systems—was also hurt.

While the hurricane moved on, the damage stayed. Help from the government was slow in coming, and much of the city could not be repaired. Even now, many areas of the city still look war-torn, and former residents have been slow to return. Overall, Katrina caused 1,500 deaths, and there are still many people that are unaccounted-for.

Nearly five years later, there are signs that New Orleans is recovering. Its two great festivals, Mardi Gras and the Jazz and Heritage Festival, never left. Its bars were also among the quickest to recover. Most areas are being rebuilt, and even though much of the city is still damaged, there are signs that these places are being restored as well. Despite the losses Katrina caused, tourists and their dollars are coming back. Many say that New Orleans is not the same anymore, while others say that they see a bright future from this new beginning.

1.  Which is NOT mentioned as an example of the diversity in New Orleans?

(A) Its music.  (B) The people.

(C) Its art.    (D) Its food.

2.  According to the article, when does Mardi Gras take place?

(A) In 1718.

(B) All year round.

(C) In the first quarter of the year.

(D) Right after the Jazz and Heritage Festival.

3.  According to the article, a consequence of Hurricane Katrina has been that _____.

(A) new music was created based on Katrina

(B) parts of New Orleans were leveled

(C) more tourists than ever are coming back

(D) no one wants to visit New Orleans anymore

4.  What happened to Mardi Gras after Katrina?

(A) The festival was abandoned.

(B) The festival was held elsewhere for the first few years.

(C) It was put on hold for three years.

(D) The festival continued.

　　在 2005 年 8 月，纽奥良的盛宴嘎然而止。这个曾经名列美国热门观光胜地的城市，遭受卡翠娜飓风的侵袭，这个飓风挟带着强大雨势，肆虐整个墨西哥湾沿岸地区，虽然当地百分之九十的居民迅速撤离，但是来势汹汹的飓风还是破坏了市区内大部分的防洪系统，造成美国史上最严重的土木工程灾害。大水淹没了近乎百分之八十的市区，其中还包括古城区。许多遭破坏的建筑再也无法修复，而当地大多数的供水、电力和交通系统等基础建设，也同样损失惨重。

　　飓风虽然走了，破坏却遗留下来。政府的协助来得缓慢，纽奥良多数区域都无法修复。即使到现在，当地许多地方依然满目疮痍，从前的居民也迟迟无法回归家园。整体而言，卡翠娜造成 1 千 5 百人死亡，另外还有许多人下落不明。

　　将近 5 年后，纽奥良终于开始出现复苏的迹象。当地两个重要节庆：狂欢节和爵士与传承音乐节从未间断，酒吧也很快就重新开张，多数地区正在进行重建，而虽然市区内许多部分仍是毁坏的情况，但也开始进行修复。虽然卡翠娜造成损失，但观光客及其带来的收入已逐渐回笼。许多人说，纽奥良再也不一样了，但也有人说，这个崭新气象将带来光明的前景。

标准答案：1. (C)2. (C)3. (B)4. (D)

For Your Information

纽奥良的嘉年华（Mardi Gras）是北美洲仅次于巴西的最大型盛会，Mardi的字义为星期二，Gras 则是油腻、油脂，嘉年华的最高潮也正是最后一天的『油腻星期二（Fat Tuesday）』。

嘉年华代表的是『解放』，因为在天主教的传统中，复活节的前 40天是『四旬斋』，这段期间教徒不能吃肉，为了熬过漫长的四旬斋期间，于是在那之前可以稍稍放纵、大吃大喝一番，教廷也是睁一只闭一只眼地默许，想不到为了斋戒而进行的解放，之后在纽奥良竟然发展成令人目瞪口呆、咋舌的狂欢，也因为过于放纵淫秽，在 1806 年曾被禁止举行。

今年已有 150 多年历史的嘉年华其实是由法国贵族引进的。纽奥良在 1718 年由法国建城，亦经西班牙统治达 45 年之久，1803 年，拿破仑再以 1 千 5 百万美金的低价转手卖给美国。法国贵族着盛装、戴面具进行的社交舞会，之后逐渐演变成游行者的创意变装秀，以及从游行花车上丢下彩色珠串、填充玩具、塑料球等小礼物的习俗。