The last American military personnel（人员，职员）leave Vietnam with the evacuation（撤退，走开）of the United States embassy（大使及其随员）in Saigon［西贡（前南越首都）］，completely ending American involvement in Vietnam and the Vietnam War．1，053Minnesotans gave their lives over the course of the war．
In 1991when Operation Desert Storm occurs with there were approximately 11，000Minnesotans in uniform helping to defeat Iraq and liberate（解放，释放）Kuwait［科威特（中东国家）］．The Minnesota Twins win the World Series．A record－breaking snowstorm（暴风雪）hits Minnesota on November 1depositing（沉积）twenty－four inches of snow in twenty－four hours．
Recently，Minnesota’s state government has also made changes．Laws were passed favoring industry and protecting the environment from pollution．Districts were changed to provide the city equal representation in state legislature．Education received an increase in financial aid and beginning in 1987families could choose which schools they wanted their children to attend．
Governor州长
Tim Pawlenty 在2002年当选为明尼苏达州州长，那时此州正面临着史无前例的45亿财政赤字。仅仅几个月之后，立法机关采取Pawlenty的计划没有升高关税或降低学校贷款就消除了财政赤字。上任后，Pawlenty就大力提高本州教育水平，进行福利改革和诉讼改革，增强政府办事效率等等。同时Pawlenty也有着丰富的职业生涯。
Tim Pawlenty was elected Governor of Minnesota in 2002，with the state facing an historic 4．5billion budget deficit．Just months later，the Legislature adopted Pawlenty’s plan to eliminate（消除）the deficit without raising taxes or cutting funding for K－12classrooms．In addition to balancing the budget，Governor Pawlenty fought for and passed a dramatic overhaul of the state’s education standards，significant welfare reform，lawsuit［诉讼（尤指非刑事案件）］reform，a range of new government efficiency initiatives，and passed the largest transportation package in modern history．Pawlenty has also outlined an aggressive agenda，including a nation－leading effort to make affordable prescription medicine available to citizens．His prior public service career includes being a prosecutor and Eagan City Council member．Pawlenty served 10years in the Minnesota House of Representatives，including four as House Majority Leader．
State Bird州鸟
阿比鸟是本州州鸟。此鸟是地球上现存的最古老的鸟类之一。它的名字来源于挪威语，意思是：野性而悲伤的叫声。在明尼苏达州大约有12，000只阿比鸟。这种鸟羽毛黑白相间，有着长长的黑色的嘴。尽管在陆地上，它们显得有些笨拙，但它们可是优秀的潜水者、水底泳者和高速的飞行者。
The common loon is one of the earth’s oldest living bird species．Its name comes from a Norwegian（挪威的）word that means“wild，sad cry．”Approximately（大约）12，000make their homes in Minnesota．Loons are large black－and－white birds with long black bills．Clumsy on land，they are excellent divers（潜水者），underwater swimmers，and high－speed flyers．
Identification
1．24inches Wingspan：58inches length
2．Sexes similar
3．Large diving bird with long body that rides low in the water
4．Large bill is straight，tapers to a point，and is held horizontally
5．Feet set far back on body，and trail behind body in flight
6．Upperwings wholly dark in flight
Adult alternate
1．Black bill
2．Black head
3．Black neck with white markings
4．White chest and belly
5．Black back with white checkering and spotting
Adult basic
1．Pale gray bill
2．Gray－brown cap，forehead，nape，hindneck and back
3．White face，eye ring，chin，throat，foreneck and belly
4．Jagged border between white foreneck and dark hindneck
State Flower州花
凤仙花是明尼苏达州州花。凤仙花是明尼苏达州最珍贵的野花之一。此花是一年生草本，茎肥厚多汁而光滑，节部膨大，呈绿色或深褐色，茎色与花色相关。叶互生，披针表，叶柄两侧有腺体。花单朵或数朵簇生叶腋，花冠蝶形。有单瓣、重瓣之分，有白、粉、红、紫等花色。花期6月—10月，种子成熟时易自行爆裂。
The pink and white lady slipper is one of Minnesota’s rarest wildflowers．Thriving in swamps（湿地），bogs（沼泽），and damp woods，they grow slowly，taking 4to 16years to produce their first flower．Sometimes they live for 50years and grow four feet tall．They bloom［（使）开花］in late June or early July．It is illegal to pick the lady slipper（拖鞋）．
In 1990，Governor Rudy Perpich declared 81miles of Highway 11a Minnesota Wildflower Route，in honor of the hundreds of thousands of Showy Lady’s－Slippers growing within sight of the road．The town of Williams held a celebration of the event，which became an annual Wildflower Day．The state put up signs depicting（描述，描写）the Showy Lady’s－Slipper to mark the route，and pledged（保证）to expand the highway only to the south，protecting the masses of Showies Lady’s－Slippers on the north side of the road．
Common Names：Lady’s－slipper and queen lady’s－slipper
Plant：Fairly large plant，grows to 18″tall，has large leaves，arising from a rhizome with a fascicle（［植］（花，叶等的）束，簇，丛）of numerous fibrous roots several to many stems may arise from the same rootstock（根茎，初生主根）．
Leaves：Leaves are a light green colour and 3－5，ovate，plicate（有褶的，有皱襞的），10－25cm long and 4－16cm wide；densely pubescent（有软毛的）．
Flowers：1－2（3），each subtended（包在叶腋内）by a lanceolate（矛尖形的，披针状的）green foliaceous（分成薄层的）bract（［植］苞叶，苞）6－14cm long by 3－7cm wide．
Sepals：Apparently two（the result of the fusion of the two lateral（横（向）的，侧面的）sepals behind the labellum），white；dorsal（背的，脊的）sepal ovate to obovate（［植］倒卵形的），3－5cm long and 2－35cm wide；lateral sepals united，white，ovate，3－5cm long and1．5－3．5cm wide．
Petals：Blooms are white with a reddish－purple pouch．2．5－4cm long and 1－1．5cm wide．
Labellum：Pouch－shaped，inflated，spherical（球形的）（or nearly so），2．5－5．5cm long，opening above with inrolled edges；white suffused（充满）with deep rose to magenta（红紫色，洋红），the veins often being white；rarely the whole being white or rose．
Hardiness．Zones：3to 8
This is a genuinely“queenly”plant，as the species name“reginae”suggests．It is among the more easily grown of our native lady’s slippers，provided you understand its needs．
State Flag州旗
明尼苏达州的州旗，品蓝色且有着金色边缘。在旗子的中央是州徽，州徽的周遍是州花的花冠。在花冠上编织有三个时期：“1819年”，这一年Fort Snelling建立；“1858年”，这一年明尼苏达州成立；“1893年”，这一年正式使用州旗。在花冠周遍共有19颗星，而最大的那颗星则代表明尼苏达州。
The Minnesota state flag is royal blue，with a gold fringe（边缘）．In the center of the flag is the state seal．Around the state seal is a wreath（花冠）of the state flower，the lady slipper．Three dates are woven into the wreath：1858，the year Minnesota became a state；1819，the year Fort Snelling was established；and 1893，the year the official flag was adopted．Nineteen stars ring the wreath．The largest star represents Minnesota．
State Song州歌
Hail Minnesota
Minnesota，hail to thee！
Hail to thee，our state so dear，
