Every year in early October， Albuquerque International Balloon Festival is held in Albuquerque， the biggest city in New Mexico. Because of the great number of balloons， it is the worlds largest ballooning event8.

For more than three decades9， guests from all over the world come to Albuquerque in October to celebrate ballooning. This is the most photographed10 event on earth. It is also the largest annual11 international event held in the United States.

In 1972， there were only 13 balloons for the first balloon festival in Albuquerque. In 2018， over 500 balloons joined the event with over 1000 pilots. Among them， there were over 100 special shape balloons. Over 900，000 people attended this event. Compare this to the whole population of New Mexico， which is only about 2 million.

Wind directions and air temperature are the keys to successful hot air balloon flights. Albuquerque has the perfect combination of these elements. The winds go south near the valley and go north when up in the sky， so pilots can start easy and change directions easy. Because of its desert climate， its cold in the mornings so balloons rise faster more easily.

When hundreds of colorful balloons fly up high， the sky of Albuquerque becomes a moving cartoon. Its full of colors and special characters. You can find an American astronaut， the Holland artist Van Gogh， the bee couple， the lonely clown， a baby holding a bottle， cute penguins， a pig that can fly， and tasty looking fruit basket… It is a time when dreams come true and romance fills the sky. Grown-ups and children are amazed and joyful during the balloon festival.

The only thing to notice is that balloons rise into the sky in the early morning or are lit up after dusk. If you go to the balloon festival， be sure to keep warm and pack lots of clothes！

每年10月初，新墨西哥州最大的城市阿爾伯克基會(huì)舉辦一年一度的阿爾伯克基熱氣球節(jié)。由于參加的熱氣球數(shù)量之多，它也是全世界最大的熱氣球節(jié)。

30多年來，世界各地的游客都會(huì)在金秋十月來到阿爾伯克基，慶祝熱氣球節(jié)。這是全世界被拍得最多的盛會(huì)，也是美國一年一度最大的盛事。

1972年，阿爾伯克基第一次舉辦熱氣球節(jié)時(shí)，只有13個(gè)熱氣球現(xiàn)身。2018年，有超過500個(gè)熱氣球在1000余名熱氣球飛行員的護(hù)駕之下出現(xiàn)。其中，超過100個(gè)是特殊形狀的氣球。參加熱氣球節(jié)的觀眾人數(shù)也達(dá)到了史無前例的90余萬。要知道，整個(gè)新墨西哥州的人口總量只有兩百萬左右。

風(fēng)向和空氣溫度決定了熱氣球是否能夠成功飛行。阿爾伯克基擁有完美的風(fēng)向和氣溫。溪谷中風(fēng)向朝南，到了高空中風(fēng)向則常常轉(zhuǎn)向北，因此，飛行員可以輕易讓熱氣球起飛和轉(zhuǎn)向。再加上阿爾伯克基的沙漠氣候，清晨總是比較涼爽，熱氣球在冷空氣中更容易迅速飛高。

當(dāng)上百個(gè)不同顏色的熱氣球同時(shí)起飛升空，阿爾伯克基的天空就像一幅流動(dòng)的卡通畫，滿是色彩和特別設(shè)計(jì)的形象。美國宇航員、荷蘭藝術(shù)家梵高、成雙成對(duì)的蜜蜂、孤獨(dú)的小丑、抱著奶瓶的嬰兒、可愛的企鵝、會(huì)飛的豬、美味的水果籃……既是夢想成真，又是浪漫滿天。無論是成年人，還是孩童，在熱氣球節(jié)，大家都會(huì)歡呼雀躍、無比快樂。

唯一要注意的是，由于溫差大，加上熱氣球要么是在清晨升上天空，要么是在傍晚之后點(diǎn)亮燈火，如果你去參加熱氣球節(jié)，一定記得保暖，多帶衣物！

Tip

the keys to：短語the key to（keys為復(fù)數(shù)形式）的意思是“關(guān)鍵是”“關(guān)鍵在于”。當(dāng)key表示“鑰匙；答案；關(guān)鍵”之意時(shí)，后面的to為介詞，表示“對(duì)象”關(guān)系。例如：the key to the door （門的鑰匙）；the key to the question（問題的答案）；the key to success（成功的關(guān)鍵）；the key to happiness（幸福的秘訣）；The key to our success was the team and the culture.成功的關(guān)鍵在于團(tuán)隊(duì)和文化。