馬薩諸塞州英文介紹
馬薩諸塞州是美國的一州，正式名稱為“馬薩諸塞聯邦”，位於美國東北，是新英格蘭地區的一部分。在中文中，通常簡稱“麻州”或“麻省”。馬薩諸塞州東瀕大西洋。大部地區丘崗起伏，海蝕地貌與冰磧地貌廣佈 ，西北部是新英格蘭高地的一部分，西北角的格雷洛克山海拔1064米，為全州最高點。海岸線曲折，多優良港灣。屬溫帶大陸性氣候，年平均降水量1000㎜。1788年加入聯邦，為美國獨立時最初13州之一。世界學府哈佛大學和麻省理工學院都位於該州。
馬薩諸塞 又名「老殖民地」***Old Colony State***是新英格蘭***New England***六州之一，也是美國獨立時，最初的13州之一***它於1788年加入聯邦***。早期移民於1620年搭乘五月花號***Mayflower***抵達普里茅斯***Plymouth***並在此建立他們的殖民地。不久，後來抵達的清教徒則建立了馬薩諸塞 灣殖民地***Massachusetts Bay Colony***，這些清教徒以一個當地印地安部落的名稱為自己的殖民地命名，意即「大型山坡地」***a large hill place***。馬薩諸塞 吸引相信自治政府體制的人們前來，是美國革命的許多理想的誕生地，。因而別名匍匐漿果鵑的五月花是再相稱不過的州花。
One of the six New England states, and one of the first 13 states in the Union ***it entered in 1788***, Massachusetts is known as the "Old Colony State." The Pilgrims established their settlement at Plymouth in 1620, arriving on the Mayflower. They were followed shortly by the Puritans, who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Puritans named their colony after a local Indian tribe whose name means "a large hill place." The birthplace of many of the ideals of the American Revolution, Massachusetts attracted people who believed in self-government. It's appropriate that the state flower is the mayflower, also known as the trailing arbutus.
聖事***Blessed Sacrament***盛宴
地方性遺產
您曾聽過馬德拉***Madeira***這個地方嗎?
馬德拉是一個位於大西洋上的亞熱帶島嶼，座落在葡萄牙西南方約600哩處。回溯至1700年代晚期，來自麻州新貝德福德***New Bedford***的捕鯨船會在馬德拉稍做停留，補充補給品並僱用熟練的船員，為長途的捕鯨之旅做準備。捕鯨船回到新貝德福德時，船上已經帶有來自於馬德拉的船員，因而有許多船員定居在新貝德福德。到了現在，新貝德福德擁有美國境內最多的馬德拉後裔。
因為與馬德拉的特殊關係，新貝德福德舉行的葡萄牙盛會是世上最大的。每年的聖事盛宴是一個連續四天的大事，它由一種名為聖事祝福***Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament***的中世紀祈禱儀式開始，後面接著一個為時兩小時半的遊行。慶典中會提供傳統的葡萄牙食物，也有音樂表演。最初的盛宴始於1915年，僅僅是一個由四個馬德拉移民所舉行的宗教慶祝活動，主要是為了重現他們家鄉村落的盛宴慶典。
英語原文：Have you ever heard of a place named Madeira?
Madeira is a semi-tropical island in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 600 miles southwest of Portugal. As far back as the late 1700s, whaling ships from New Bedford, Massachusetts, visited Madeira for supplies and to hire skilled crews for long whaling voyages. Whale ships returning to New Bedford brought the Madeiran sailors with them, and many settled in the area. Today, New Bedford has the largest population of people with Madeiran ancestry in the United States.
Because of this connection to Madeira, New Bedford is home to the largest Portuguese feast in the world. The Feast of the Blessed Sacrament is an annual four-day event that begins with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, a medieval rite of devotion, followed by a parade that lasts two and a half hours. Traditional Portuguese food is served and music is performed. The original feast was a strictly religious celebration begun in 1915 by four immigrants from Madeira as a re-creation of the feast celebrated in their home villages.