热浪袭人:德州热气球大赛

它们是平静地飘浮在蓝天中的手工艺杰作，吸引着大人小孩的目光；它们将天空变成了一个万花筒。

它们是什么？――巨大的热气球！欢迎来到美国一年一度的德克萨斯州热气球大赛。这项比赛标志着为期一年的美国热气球赛季正式开始。这些热气球团队接着会参加全美、北美以至世界级的热气球锦标赛。

成百上千五颜六色的热气球在空中飘浮，这项比赛可以称得上是世界上最漂亮、最浪漫的体育比赛吧。

For one weekend a year East Texans are full of hot air注1, in a different way than you might imagine. It’s the 1)annual Great Texas Balloon Race.

The weekend-long event is more than just the 2)majestic sight of around 100 colorful balloons

3)drifting through the sky. The entire event is

something like a festival.

Thousands of 4)spectators turn out for the

morning launch where the balloons fill up with hot air and take to the skies over Longview.

The event is for the pilots and crews to compete for the Texas State Championship and hopefully move on to the national, North America or world hot air balloon racing championships.

On both Friday and Saturday evening there is the balloon glow. This is a truly spectacular sight as the balloons light up from within and fills the night sky with what appears to be hundreds of colorful lanterns. It

5)conjures up images of peace, romance and comfort.

There are more than just balloons that take to the sky at the annual event. 6)Vintage plane lovers are

7)thrilled to watch the pilots perform tight formation tricks. B-52 8)bombers are another common show

during the event. It’s just 9)awe-inspiring to watch what these amazing pilots can do with these machines as they fly high over Longview, Texas.

For the young ones, there is a kid playland

complete with climbing walls, 10)ponies to ride and

other fun 11)contraptions to bounce on and explore.

Several live music events complete the festive feel. The music generally begins in the late afternoon and carries on past the balloon glow into the late evening hours.

Of course, there will be food and drinks. Make sure you dress 12)appropriately for the East Texas weather. The days are hot, so wear cool clothes, 13)slap on some sun block and be prepared to enjoy a day of gazing into the sky at visions of majesty.

The dates of the event注2 change every year as does the location of the balloon launch because of weather conditions. Make sure you do a little research to ensure you’re in the right place at the right time.

一年当中有一个周末，（美国）德克萨斯州东部的人都要经历一小段“肚大如锣”的日子，不过不是因为吹牛皮，而是以一种意想不到的方式出现。那就是一年一度的德克萨斯州热气球大赛。

这项为期一个周末的赛事呈献的不只是一百多个五颜六色的气球飘浮在空中的壮丽景象，整个比赛俨如一场节日庆典。

成千上万的观众来看早上的升空仪式。这时，气球注满热空气，飘向朗维尤市的

苍穹。

这项比赛让热气球驾驶员和队员在德克萨斯州锦标赛上展开角逐，随后他们或许还能继续向全美国、北美乃至世界级热气球锦标赛挺进。

周五和周六连续两个晚上，这里都会上演发光热气球秀。热气球里燃起火光，宛如数百盏五颜六色的彩灯布满夜空，这景象着实令人叹为观止。这是一个让人联想到和平、浪漫和慰藉的画面。

在这场年度盛事里，升上天空的不只有气球。老式飞机爱好者可以在此兴奋地观看飞行员表演炉火纯青的编队飞行绝活。B-52轰炸机是比赛期间的另一项常规表演。看着这些了不起的飞行员在飞越德州朗维尤高空时驾驶这些机器进行各色表演，实在令人敬佩不已。

这儿为孩子们专门准备了一个儿童乐园。孩子们可以在里面攀墙、骑马，或者在其他游乐设施上蹦蹦跳跳，探索寻宝。

再加上几场现场音乐会，节日的氛围更是锦上添花。音乐会一般在下午稍晚时开始，贯穿发光热气球秀，一直持续到午夜时分。

当然，这里也备有食物和饮料。记得一定要穿上适宜德克萨斯州东部天气的服装。这里白天很热，所以要穿上凉爽的衣服，再抹上一些防晒霜，准备好享受仰望苍穹，观赏美景的一天吧。

由于天气条件的影响，比赛日期及气球升空地点每年都不一样。一定要先做做调查，确保你在正确的时间去到正确的地点哦。