氣質姐與可愛可

Is an antique American flag with 34 stars valuable enough to be shown in an exhibition?
一面繡有 34 顆星星的骨董美國國旗有珍貴到需要被展出嗎？

 全民英檢102年(2013)施測日程表

　　At the same time the citizens of the United States elected President Barack Obama to a second four-year term, they also voted to make Puerto Rico the 51st state. This was a bit of a surprise because the number of states in America has stayed the same for 53 years. To be finalized, though, this order has to go through Congress, so it might not happen. If it does, many things will have to be changed, including the instantly recognizable American flag. The 13 alternating red and white stripes symbolize the 13 original colonies that declared independence from England. In the top left corner, a blue rectan gle is filled with 50 white, five-pointed stars that represent all the states. There have been many incarnations of the flag over the years as the number of states grew from 13 to 50. Now, there may be a new one if Puerto Rico is added.
　　On National Geographic Channel's America's Lost Treasures, hosts Kinga Philipps and Curt Doussett travel to museums across the country to meet with people with extremely rare items from the country's past to see if any are worth adding to a special exhibition. A flag with 34 stars, dating from before West Virginia was added to the union in 1863, shows up, as well as a host of other objects. There is a big problem, though. A lot of the material from the flag is missing or worn away. Philipps and Doussett must decide if the flag, a C-melody saxophone, antique firearms, or some pre-historic dinosaur fossils should be placed in the exhibition. Watch America 's Lost Treasures to see what happens to the flag and more.

1. valuable a. 有價值的，珍貴的
   be valuable to...　　對……很有價值∕很珍貴
   Cindy gained some valuable experience by volunteering at a hospital.
   辛蒂藉由在醫院當志工而得到寶貴的經驗。
   The watch Ted got from his grandfather was valuable to him.
   泰德從祖父那裡得到的手錶對他而言很珍貴。
   
2. exhibition n. 展覽；展示品
   on exhibition　　展出
   = on display
   The green energy exhibition will run until March 18, 2013.
   這場綠色能源展會展出到 2013 年的 3 月 18 號。
   A large number of ancient Egyptian artifacts are on exhibition at the museum.
   這間博物館正在展出許多古埃及的手工藝品。
   
3. finalize vt. 定案
   The position of all shareholders will be announced when all the proposals are finalized.
   股東們將會在所有提案定案後宣布立場。
   
4. recognizable a. 可辨認的
   recognize vt. 認出；辨識
   Taipei 101 is an easily recognizable landmark in Taipei.
   台北 101 大樓是台北市一項很容易辨認的地標。
   I couldn't recognize Miranda at first because it's been 10 years since I last saw her.
   起初我認不出米蘭達來，因為上次我見到她已經是 10 年前的事了。
   
5. alternate vi. 交替；輪流
   The parents alternated in caring for their children after the divorce.
   那對父母在離異後輪流照顧小孩。
   
6. symbolize vt. 象徵
   People say that dreaming of death symbolizes a coming change.
   據說夢到死亡象徵即將到來的轉變。
   
7. colony n. 殖民地
   There are a lot of European buildings in Macau because it was once a Portuguese colony.
   澳門有很多歐式建築，因為它曾經是葡萄牙的殖民地。
   
8. represent vt. 代表
   The song Mark wrote for his wife represents his undying love for her.
   馬克為他妻子寫的歌代表了他對她不朽的愛。
   
9. be worth V-ing　　值得……
   In the long run, it is worth buying LED light bulbs even if they are more expensive.
   雖然 LED 燈泡比較貴，但長久看來買這種燈泡是值得的。
   
10. date from...　　追溯到……（時間）
    = date back to...
    The artifacts that were recently discovered here date from the early 18th century.
    最近在此處發現的手工藝品可追溯至 18 世紀初。
    
11. show up　　出現，露面
    David didn't show up at my birthday party as promised, which upset me.
    大衛沒有如他承諾地出席我的生日派對，讓我很難過。
    
12. a host of...　　許多……
    There was a host of recruiters in attendance at the job fair.
    為數眾多的招募人員都出席了那場就業博覽會。
    
13. wear...away / wear away...　　磨損……
    All the cars passing through have worn away the grass in this area.
    所有經過的車輛將這個地區的草地給磨平了。