Out With The Old, In With The New

　　Get ready to say goodbye to the old , hello to the new! What’s the occasion ? The coming of the New Year.

　　Many western cultures measure their days with the solar calendar. Therefore, they observe 1 the coming of the New Year on January 1. Cultures in Asia and the Middle East use other calendars, such as the more ancient lunar calendar. They celebrate the New Year at other times. Events and rituals vary from country to country. But in each place, New Year celebrations are a big deal.

　　Most world cultures have been celebrating the New Year for centuries. The earliest New Year celebrations took place during spring or harvest time. With better weather ahead, or plenty of food to eat in winter, people naturally felt like having a party! As the days became longer and as nature renewed itself, people also felt like they could have a new start. Past disappointments could be forgotten. The New Year could bring better fortune , more opportunities and new challenges. Such universal themes remain the same today.

　　New Year celebrations also involve having fun. The Hogmanay festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, features2 theater events, fireworks and dancing. During Hogmanay, Scots burn torches and barrels of tar, an old practice for keeping evil spirits away. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the beach becomes the stage for a huge New Year party. During the day, thousands of people throw flowers into the sea for good luck. In the evening, they enjoy music concerts and fireworks. Everyone is supposed to wear white — the auspicious New Year color.

　　Some cultures have unusual New Year traditions. Italians throw old things out of their windows at midnight, symbolizing the departure of the old. Mexicans fire guns into the air to ward off misfortune. Danes jump off chairs exactly as the clock strikes midnight, so they can“jump”into the New Year. Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplace on New Year’s Day. They hope Saint Basil3, a popular Greek saint known for his kindness, will come and fill the shoes with gifts. In Vancouver, Canada, some people celebrate the New Year by jumping into the ocean . The water there is freezing cold! Therefore the event has been aptly named the Polar Bear Swim4. As you might expect, most people come to watch the swimmers rather than swim themselves

　　London, England, hosts an annual New Year’s Day parade that draws nearly a million spectators. The largest parade in Europe , it features bands, floats and enormous balloons. These balloons are so huge that they tower over5 nearby buildings!

　　閱讀自測(cè)

　�、�. Fill in the blanks with proper words :

　　1. Therefore, they_______ ( 慶祝) the coming of the New Year on January 1.

　　2. As the days became longer and as nature_______ ( 更新) itself, people also_______ ( 想要) they could have a new start.

　　3. Everyone is supposed to wear white — the _______( 吉祥的) New Year color.

　　4. London, England, hosts an annual New Year’s Day parade that draws nearly a million_______ ( 觀眾) .

　　5. The largest parade in Europe, it_______ ( 以⋯⋯為特色) bands, floats and enormous balloons. These balloons are so huge that they_______ ( 高于) nearby buildings!

　�、�. Answer the following questio n in you own words:

　　Why did the earliest New Year celebrations take place during spring or harvest time?

　　參考答案

　�、�. 1. observe 2. renewed / felt like 3. auspicious 4. spectators 5. features / tower over

　　Ⅱ. Because with better weather ahead, or plenty of food to eat in winter, people naturally felt like having a party.

　　參考譯文

　　辭舊迎新

　　準(zhǔn)備好辭舊迎新! 是什么大事呢? 是新年的來(lái)臨!

　　許多西方國(guó)家以公歷來(lái)計(jì)日。因此, 他們?cè)? 月1 日慶祝新年的到來(lái)。亞洲和中東的 國(guó)家則使用其他的歷法, 如比公歷還要古老的陰歷, 因而在其他時(shí)間慶祝新年。每個(gè)國(guó)家 的節(jié)日和習(xí)俗都不同。但是不論在何處, 新年的慶祝活動(dòng)都非常隆重。

　　在世界絕大多數(shù)的文化里, 慶祝新年的傳統(tǒng)已沿襲了好幾百年。歷史上最早的新年慶 典是在春天或收獲的季節(jié)舉行。由于天氣漸漸轉(zhuǎn)暖, 或是因?yàn)槎�季食物充�? 人們自然要 慶賀一番。隨著白天變長(zhǎng), 萬(wàn)象更新, 人們也覺(jué)得自己應(yīng)該有個(gè)新的開(kāi)始。往日的不快可 以?huà)佒�腦后, 新的一年會(huì)帶來(lái)更好的運(yùn)氣、更多的機(jī)遇和新的挑戰(zhàn)。這些共同的主題沿襲 至今。

　　新年慶典也包括開(kāi)心享樂(lè)。蘇格蘭愛(ài)丁堡的除夕節(jié)慶以戲劇演出、焰火和舞蹈為主 題。在除夕夜, 蘇格蘭人會(huì)點(diǎn)燃火炬和一桶一桶的瀝青, 這種傳統(tǒng)做法是用來(lái)驅(qū)趕惡魔的。 在巴西的里約熱內(nèi)盧, 人們?cè)诤�灘上舉行大型新年晚會(huì)。白天, 數(shù)以萬(wàn)計(jì)的人們將鮮花拋 入海中祈求好運(yùn)。傍晚時(shí)分, 他們觀賞音樂(lè)會(huì)和焰火。每個(gè)人都身著白色的衣飾, 因?yàn)榘?色是新年的吉祥色。

　　有些民族以他們獨(dú)特的方式慶賀新年。在除夕午夜時(shí)分, 意大利人將舊的東西丟出窗 043 外 , 以此來(lái)象征除舊布新。墨西哥人則朝空中鳴槍, 以驅(qū)走厄運(yùn)。當(dāng)午夜的鐘聲敲響時(shí), 丹 麥人會(huì)從椅子上跳起來(lái), 意在“ 躍入”新年。在元旦時(shí), 希臘的孩子們將鞋子留在壁爐旁。 他們期待圣· 巴西勒——— 一個(gè)和藹仁慈、頗受歡迎的圣人——— 會(huì)現(xiàn)身, 在他們的鞋子里塞 滿(mǎn)禮物。在加拿大的溫哥華, 有人跳入冰冷徹骨的海水中, 以此來(lái)慶賀新年。因此, 這項(xiàng)活 動(dòng)也有個(gè)很貼切的名字———“ 北極熊冬泳”。當(dāng)然, 大部分人是來(lái)觀看游泳的, 不會(huì)親自下 水。

　　英國(guó)倫敦則舉辦一年一度的元旦游行, 這吸引將近一百萬(wàn)的觀眾參加。歐洲最 大的游 行都有樂(lè)隊(duì)、花車(chē)和巨型氣球。這些大氣球比附近的建筑物還要高呢!

　　閱讀導(dǎo)評(píng)

　　詩(shī)句“爆竹聲中一歲除, 春風(fēng)送暖入屠蘇”讓人想起了歡快的新年。世界各地的人們 慶祝新年的方式各有不同, 但新年的意味是相同的, 那就是辭舊迎新、開(kāi)心享樂(lè)。即使你這 一年過(guò)得平淡無(wú)趣, 也不要灰心喪氣, 畢竟還有快樂(lè)的新年嘛!

　　閱讀導(dǎo)釋

　　1. observe = celebrate 慶祝, 紀(jì)念, 如: Do they observe Christmas Day in that country? ( 那個(gè)國(guó) 家的人過(guò)圣誕節(jié)嗎?)

　　2. feature 在此處為動(dòng)詞, 意為“ 以⋯⋯為特色”, 如: The dictionary features many examples and extra grammatical information. ( 本詞典別具特色, 諸如例證多及新增語(yǔ)法要點(diǎn)等。)

　　3. 圣·巴西勒( 329—379, 基督教希臘教父) , 是希臘孩子們心中的“圣誕老人”。

　　4.“ 北極熊冬泳”, 于1920 年在溫哥華開(kāi)始舉行, 當(dāng)時(shí)只有數(shù)十名熱愛(ài)冬泳人士參加, 但時(shí) 至今日, 這項(xiàng)活動(dòng)已經(jīng)成為加拿大多個(gè)地區(qū)的一項(xiàng)傳統(tǒng)活動(dòng), 其中以溫哥華每年一度的 “ 北極熊冬泳”最為有名。

　　5. 高于周?chē)�的人或物。tower 原為名詞, 意為“ 高塔”。此處用作動(dòng)詞, 取得了生動(dòng)形象的 效果。

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