The United States did not have a standardized flag until 1912. Called the ″Stars and Stripes″ or ″Old Glory″ the flag is one of the most complicated in the world. No other flag needs 64 pieces of fabric to make. The current flag has 13 red and white alternating stripes representing the original 13 states and 50 stars each star represents one of the states of the Union on a blue background.

　　美国的国旗直到1912年才被标准化并确定下来。它被称作“星条旗”或“古老的荣誉”，是世界上设计最为复杂的国旗之一，需用64块布制成———这在其他国家的国旗里是绝无仅有的。目前美国的国旗上有13条红白相间的横条，代表美国成立之初时的13个州；一块蓝色的底色上有着50颗星，每一颗星代表联盟的一个州。

　　The American flag has also changed designs more than any other flag in the world. The first flag called the Grand Union was first flown at the headquarters of the Continent Army on January 1 1776. Betsy Ross a seamstress is said to have contributed to this design. She had an upholstery business which made flags for navy ships in Pennsylvania. A legend still persists that she showed George Washington how to make a five-pointed star and suggested thirteen stars in a circle for the first flag. Actually she and George Washington never met George Washington did design the Grand Union.

　　美国国旗在图案设计上也改变过多次，比世界上其他任何一个国家都多。第一面国旗被称作“伟大联盟”，1776年1月1日首次飘扬在美国陆军司令部的大楼上。一名叫Betsy Ross的女裁缝据说是这面国旗的设计者。她有一个室内装潢公司，专门为宾夕法尼亚州海军的军舰制作旗帜。还有传说说，在制作第一面国旗时，她曾专门为乔治·华盛顿总统展示怎样制作五角星，还建议四面环绕13颗星。而实际上，乔治·华盛顿总统根本就没接见过她！“伟大联盟”的设计者实际上是华盛顿总统。

　　On June 14 1777 the Continental Congress proposed that the United States have a new national flag instead of the old one. The 13 stars of the flag represented the 13 new states. There were few public ceremonies honoring the Stars and Stripes until 1877 when on June 14 it was flown from every government building in honor of the centennial of the adoption of a national flag. In 1890North Dakota and New Jersey made a law that required their schools to fly the flag daily. The first official Flag Day was observed in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in 1893. New York also proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day 1897. Other states were slow to follow. Some people thought that the day was too close to Memorial Day and Independence Day.

　　1777年6月14日，国民代表大会提议美国应该有一面新的国旗，以取代旧的。旗帜上的13颗星代表美国的13个州。但1877年以前，为纪念新国旗而举行的纪念活动还很少，直到1877年6月14日，为纪念新国旗采用100年，星条旗才开始飘扬在美国每一座政府大楼上。1890年，北达科他州和新泽西州还特别制定了法律，要求本州内学校每天都要悬挂国旗。1893年，宾夕法尼亚州的费城第一个把国旗日制定为官方节日。纽约也在1897年宣布6月14日为国旗日。但其他州迟迟未见动静，很多人觉得这一天与美国阵亡战士纪念日和独立日挨得太近。

　　In August 1949 President Harry S. Truman proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. Since then the President proclaims the commemoration yearly and encourages all Americans in the country to display the Stars and Stripes outside their homes and businesses. Individual states determine how they will observe the day. In Pennsylvania and American Samoa it is a public holiday. Usually the flag is flown from all public buildings speeches are made in public places and ceremonies take place in towns or cities.

　　1949年8月，哈利·Ｓ·杜鲁门总统宣布把6月14日作为国旗制定纪念日，此后每年杜鲁门总统都会在这一天举行纪念活动，并鼓励所有美国人在家或单位门口悬挂国旗。美国各个州的庆祝活动有所不同。在宾夕法尼亚州和萨摩亚群岛，这一天是个公众性的节日，国旗高高飘扬在公共场所的建筑物上，有人在公共场所发表演讲，乡村和城镇也会举行各种集会纪念活动。

　　李荩 编译