Many world flags feature animals or religious symbols. On the Mexican flag, for example, there is an eagle devouring a snake. This image represents Mexico's mythological origins. Bhutan's flag illustrates the country's magical past with a fierce-looking dragon. Among flags which use religious symbols, Saudi Arabia's is one of the best-known. It includes a written declaration1 of spiritual2 faith from the Koran.

　　Because a flag is representative3 of a country's culture, it should always be treated with respect. For example, flags should never be allowed to touch the ground. There are also prescribed4 rules about how a flag should be displayed.5 A national flag is always flown higher than other flags. When two or more national flags are flown together, they should be flown at equal heights.

　　The features of a national flag can shed a lot of light on the nature of the country. Like great works of art, flags have profound meaning. They're like paintings that are saluted6 by entire nations!

　　许多国旗都以动物或宗教符号为特色。举例来说，在墨西哥的国旗上，一只老鹰正在吞食一条蛇，这个图象代表着墨西哥在神话中的起源。不丹的国旗用状似凶猛的龙来阐述该国神秘的过去。使用宗教符号的国旗中，沙特阿拉伯的国旗是其中最著名的一个。它包含了一份摘自《可兰经》的书面宣言，载明该国的信仰。

　　因为一国国旗代表了该国的文化，故应该永远受到尊敬。例如，国旗绝不能触碰到地面，而在展示方式上也有一定规定。国旗永远都要升在别的旗帜之上。当同时升起两国或两国以上的国旗时，应该悬挂在相同的高度。

　　一国国旗的特色能够阐述该国的文化本质。如同伟大的艺术作品，国旗富含深刻的意义。它们就像一幅接受全体国民致敬的画作

　　Vocabulary

　　1. declaration n. a formal statement that sb. writes or says 宣言

　　

　　America's Declaration of Independence stated that Americans no longer wanted England to rule them.

　 美国的《独立宣言》中声明美国人民再也不愿让英国统治。

　　2. spiritual adj. related to the soul, or to one's belief in God or gods 精神上的；宗教的

　　
　　The Pope is the spiritual leader of those who believe in the Catholic religion.

　　教皇是天主教徒的精神领袖。

　　 3. representative adj. showing the qualities or characteristics of sth. else 具代表性的

　　

　　Most of the students are polite, so Will's rudeness isn't representative of the entire class.

　　大部分的学生都很有礼貌，因此威尔粗鲁的行为并不能代表整个班级。

　　4. prescribe v. to state a formal rule 规定的

　　

　　As prescribed by law, Americans must be at least eighteen years old to vote.

　　法律规定，美国公民至少要满18岁才能投票。

　　5. display v. to show publicly 展示

　　Michelle was very excited when the museum agreed to display her art.

　　蜜雪儿很兴奋博物馆答应展出她的艺术作品。

　　6. salute v. to make a gesture that shows you respect sb./sth 敬礼；向 … 表示敬意

　　

　　When the general passed by, all of the soldiers saluted him.

　　将军经过时，所有的士兵都向他敬礼。