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

　�、�. 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!

　　Ⅱ. 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

　　準備好辭舊迎新! 是什么大事呢? 是新年的來臨!

　　許多西方國家以公歷來計日。因此, 他們在1 月1 日慶祝新年的到來。亞洲和中東的 國家則使用其他的歷法, 如比公歷還要古老的陰歷, 因而在其他時間慶祝新年。每個國家 的節(jié)日和習俗都不同。但是不論在何處, 新年的慶�；顒佣挤浅Ｂ≈亍�

　　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, 或是因為冬季食物充足, 人們自然要 慶賀一番。隨著白天變長, 萬象更新, 人們也覺得自己應(yīng)該有個新的開始。往日的不快可 以拋之腦后, 新的一年會帶來更好的運氣、更多的機遇和新的挑戰(zhàn)。這些共同的主題沿襲 至今。

　　新年慶典也包括開心享樂。蘇格蘭愛丁堡的除夕節(jié)慶以戲劇演出、焰火和舞蹈為主 題。在除夕夜, 蘇格蘭人會點燃火炬和一桶一桶的瀝青, 這種傳統(tǒng)做法是用來驅(qū)趕惡魔的。 在巴西的里約熱內(nèi)盧, 人們在海灘上舉行大型新年晚會。白天, 數(shù)以萬計的人們將鮮花拋 入海中祈求好運。傍晚時分, 他們觀賞音樂會和焰火。每個人都身著白色的衣飾, 因為白 色是新年的吉祥色。

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

　　英國倫敦則舉辦一年一度的元旦游行, 這吸引將近一百萬的觀眾參加。歐洲最 大的游 行都有樂隊、花車和巨型氣球。這些大氣球比附近的建筑物還要高呢!

　　閱讀導評

　　詩句“爆竹聲中一歲除, 春風送暖入屠蘇”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、開心享樂。即使你這 一年過得平淡無趣, 也不要灰心喪氣, 畢竟還有快樂的新年嘛!

　　閱讀導釋

　　1. observe = celebrate 慶祝, 紀念, 如: Do they observe Christmas Day in that country? ( 那個國 家的人過圣誕節(jié)嗎?)

　　2. feature 在此處為動詞, 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法要點等。)

　　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 年在溫哥華開始舉行, 當時只有數(shù)十名熱愛冬泳人士參加, 但時 至今日, 這項活動已經(jīng)成為加拿大多個地區(qū)的一項傳統(tǒng)活動, 其中以溫哥華每年一度的 “ 北極熊冬泳”最為有名。

　　5. 高于周圍的人或物。tower 原為名詞, 意為“ 高塔”。此處用作動詞, 取得了生動形象的 效果。

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