传统节日英语阅读理解

① 英语小短文十则

1The winter vacation passed quickly. In those days, I have done some things. Playing, doing homework and so on. Sometimes I helped my mother doing some housework. She thanked to me. Though, I was proud of myself. I also went over my English learning. I think I have known more than before. In the new term, I will study hard.

2I like to eat meat that comes from any poultry, chicken, ck, geese as well as dairy meat. beef tastes really good. Not only are they delicious and fattening, they are full of nutrition. Also, meat can come in an almost infinite array of varieties, because they come from a whole range of animals and each can be prepared in many ways. There are many exotic types of meats around the world, hopefully, i will have the chance to sample my favourite food in many different ways.

3Today is natinal day.I went to the park with my family to celebrate this holiday.There are many people in the park.Some of them were taking photos ,and others were going sightseeing.How happily they looked.

2
This afternoon I went to the park which was built recently near my home.In the park,I saw many beautiful flowers and trees.The air was quite fresh and brids sang happyly.All the people there were singing,dancing and playing games.What a lovely place!

4Dear Mary,

I have been living in Beijing for some time now and I find it very interesting here.

There are so many similarities between Beijing and London. They are both the capital of the country and are both very important cities. Both places have huge populations. They are both the economical, political and cultural center. They both have many historical and cultrual

I also found many differences in the two cities. In London we drive on the left side of the road, while in Beijing they drive on the right side. Most people in London go to work via public transportation, here in Beijing most people rides bycicles. In London the weather is always cloudy, here in Beijing most the the time it's sunny. And in London most student don't spend their time efficiently, but here in Beijing many people speak English cause they study hard.

Regards,
Peter

5If we are in a fire, first of all, we should keep silent. We can't be so nervous that we will do something terrible. We may take a deep breathe and then find the way to save ourselves carefully. We can't jump out of the windows unless there is not another way to get out because it's too dangerous. We need a piece of wet paper to cover our nose and mouth to help keep off the smoke.

6Time flies when we are having fun is an old expression. We know, as we reminisce of our past, time flies regardless.

As we grow beyond our teenage. We remember the times of fun we had when we were young, when we were in primary school. We had little concern, little responsibilities. We all remember chasing our friends in catch, sneaking around in hide-and-seek and the fun in the playground.

As we grow with time, our lives become filled with stress and worries. It is in these times we remember what we had, what we took for granted. As we do so, we look forward to what we can achieve and what we will see of ourselves years down the tracks.

7If this is last day-long, I think the majority of people can wait for death, but I cannot, I have to convene possess my friend meeting, early in the morning is looks the sunrise, most loves the music ,I can bring above my MP3, together heartily plays with everybody, is happy. Does matter which I wants to do, works as this life is one traveling, finally can listen the song, looks west setting sun under, stays behind extremely beautiful smiling face to world! Inside the Russian Embassy in London a KGB colonel puffed a cigarette as he read the handwritten note for the third time. There was no need for the writer to express regret, he though. Correcting this problem would be easy. He would do that in a moment. The thought of it caused a grim smile to appear and joy to his heart. But he pushed away those thoughts and turned his attention to a framed photograph on his desk. His wife was beautiful, he told himself as he remembered the day they were married. That was forty-three years ago, and it had been the proudest and happiest day of his life.

在伦敦的俄国使馆，一位克格勃上校一边吞云吐雾，一边读着一张手写的字条，这已是他第三次在读这张字条了。便条的作者不必表示遗憾了，上校这样想着。纠正这个错误其实很容易。他只要一会儿工夫便会做到。想到这里，他的脸上不禁浮现出一种可怕的笑容，他内心深处既伤感而又快活。上校从沉思中游离出来，将注意力集中到桌子上的一个像框上，他的妻子是位美丽的女人，当想起他们成婚的那一天时他不禁自语道。那已是43年前的事情了，可却是他一生中最自豪最幸福的日子。

What had happened to all that time? Why had it passed so quickly, and why hadn't he spent more of it with her? Why hadn't he held her close and told her more often that he loved her? He cursed himself as a tear came from the corner of his eye, ran down his cheek, then dropped onto the note. He stiffened and wiped his face with the back of his hand. There was no need for remorse or regret, he told himself. In a few moments he would join her and at that time would express his undying love and devotion.

那些时候都发生了什么？为什么时光流逝得如此之快？为什么他没能将更多的时光用来陪伴她？为什么他没能将她搂紧，更多次地告诉她他爱她？他于是开始诅咒起自己，泪水也忍不住夺眶而出，流过面颊，最后滴落在字条上。这时，他板起了面孔，用手背揩去了眼泪。已经没有必要来自责与悔恨了，他对自己说道。很快他不就会与她团聚了吗？到那时，他将再向她表达他永恒的爱与忠心。

After setting the note ablaze he dropped it into an ashtray and watched it burn. For a time the names cast moving shadows on the walls of the darkened room, then they nickered and died out. The colonel dropped the cigarette to the floor and ground it out with his heel, then clutched the photograph to his breast, removed a pistol from his pocket, placed the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger. In the ashtray a small portion of the note remained. Where it had been wetted by his tear it had failed to bum, and on that scrap of paper were the words "died yesterday."

他点燃了字条，将它扔进了烟灰缸中，看着它慢慢地燃烧起来。在火苗的映衬下，这间漆黑的屋子里的四壁一时变得影影绰绰。不一会儿，火苗成了星星点点，渐渐地熄灭了。上校把香烟扔在了地板上，用后脚跟碾灭，随后抓起照片放在自己的胸前。他从衣兜中掏出了一把手枪，将枪筒放进自己的嘴中，接着扣动扳机。在烟灰缸中还残留着一小片字条，由于被上校的泪水浸湿而未能燃尽。在这块残片上有这样几个字“昨天去世”。

Let's say you're lucky enough to get to take two weeks of vacation away from home each year. Maybe your job sends you to a training session or trade conference for a few days. Then there's your niece's wedding, Thanksgiving with the family, a weekend getaway or two with your spouse to the hills -- or Las Vegas. For many alts, a typical year may have us sleeping in a hotel room 10-20 nights per year. That's nothing to sneeze at.

Or more accurately, that's a lot to sneeze at. Not all hotels can offer plush bathrobes, superb security, and immaculate cleanliness. The reality is that even five-star hotels have been found to harbor plenty of hidden mildew and germs.

However, there are ways to make your home away from home not only more pleasant, but healthier and safer too.
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② 关于春节的英语小短文

1.
I like the Chinese new year better than any other festival. This is a time especially for rest and joy. I need not study. I wear good clothes and eat good food. I have a good time from morning till night. I am as happy as a king.
我喜欢中国新年比喜欢其它任何节日更甚。这是一个专为休息和欢乐的时间。我不需要读书。我穿好衣服，吃好东西。我每天从早到晚日子过得轻松愉快。我和上帝一样快乐。

2.
春节是中国民间最隆重的传统节日。在夏历正月初一，又叫阴历年，俗称“过年”、“新年”。春节的历史很悠久，它起源于殷商时期年头岁尾的祭神祭祖活动。按照我国农历，正月 初一古称元日、元辰、元正、元朔、元旦等，俗称年初一，到了民国时期，改用公历，公历的一月一日称为元旦，把农历的一月一日叫春节。
Lunar New Year , the most solemn of traditional Chinese folk festivals. First day of the first lunar month in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, known as the Moon, commonly known as "New Year" and "New Year." The long history of the Spring Festival, which originated in the Shang period the year draws to a close servicemen and the memorial activities. According to China's Lunar, the first day of the first lunar month yen ancient name, Yuan-chen, a , is Emperor, the New Year Day, which is commonly known as Day of the Republic. switch to the Gregorian calendar, the calendar on January 1 as New Year's Day, January 1st called the Lunar Spring Festival.

3.
Spring festival is coming.Spring Festival is on the traditional Chinese festivals.People used to call it "the Lunar New Year".It always starts between january the first and february the twentieth.
Shortly before the festival ,Chinese people are busy shopping . They buy vegetables,fish,meat and new clothes and many other things.They clean the houses and decorate them.
春节到了,春节是中国的传统节日,人们习惯上成作农历年.这个节日总是在每年的一月初到二月中旬之间.
春节前的一段日子,中国人早早地开始买年货.他们买蔬菜.鱼和肉.新衣服和种种其他的东西.他们打扫房屋,把自己的家布置一新.

4.
The Chinese New Year is a festival whose Chinese are most important.The history of the Chinese New Year is very long.Stanza front stick in an on the face the New Year's Day of the implied meaning of the yellow word in red paper in top send message by word and the god of wealth resembles with hang deep red lantern etc.. The Chinese New Year is a close relatives the festival of the family reunion.The not far a long distance in child that leave the house returns to the home.The family rounds to sit together a mpling, use the mpling symbol family reunion.The beginning of January is on thering is fiesta cooking stove etc. rites before;In the stanza make New Year's visit the child New Year's Money, friend etc.
春节是汉族最重要的节日。春节的历史很悠久。节前就在门脸上贴上红纸黄字的寓意的新年寄语及财神像和挂大红灯笼等. 春节是个亲人团聚的节日。离家的孩子不远千里回到家里。家人围坐在一起包饺子,用饺子象征团聚。正月初一前有祭灶等仪式；节中有给儿童压岁钱、亲朋好友拜年等.

一共有四篇你好好看吧

③ 成人高考关于"新年"的英语阅读

The Origin of Chinese New Year
The Chinese New Year is now popularly known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the Beginning of Spring (the first of the twenty-four terms in coordination with the changes of Nature)。 Its origin is too old to be traced. Several explanations are hanging around. All agree， however， that the word Nian， which in modern Chinese solely means "year"， was originally the name of a monster beast that started to prey on people the night before the beginning of a new year.
春节始于中国农历，其起源因太古老，而无法考究。其中有一种说法是"年"原来是一种怪兽的名字。
One legend goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would swallow a great many people with one bite. People were very scared. One day， an old man came to their rescue， offering to sube Nian. To Nian he said， "I hear say that you are very capable， but can you swallow the other beasts of prey on earth instead of people who are by no means of your worthy opponents?" So， it did swallow many of the beasts of prey on earth that also harassed people and their domestic animals from time to time.
传说年有一张大嘴，一口能吞下很多人。人们很害怕。一天，一个老人来了，答应制伏年兽。老头跟年兽说：我听说你很有两下子，可是你能吃了其他那些凶残的野兽吗?于是年兽就把很多其他野兽吃了，但也吃了不少家畜。
After that， the old man disappeared riding the beast Nian. He turned out to be an immortal god. Now that Nian is gone and other beasts of prey are also scared into forests， people begin to enjoy their peaceful life. Before the old man left， he had told people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at each year's end to scare away Nian in case it sneaked back again， because red is the color the beast feared the most.
后来，老头骑着年兽消失了，临走告诉人们，用红色的纸把门和窗装饰起来，以防年兽回来，因为年兽很害怕红色。
From then on， the tradition of observing the conquest of Nian is carried on from generation to generation. The term "Guo Nian"， which may mean "Survive the Nian" becomes today "Celebrate the (New) Year" as the word "guo" in Chinese having both the meaning of "pass-over" and "observe". The custom of putting up red paper and firing fire-crackers to scare away Nian should it have a chance to run loose is still around. However， people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this， except that they feel the color and the sound add to the excitement of the celebration.
至此，趋赶年兽的方法流传了一代又一代。过年这个词，也由原来的躲避年售，变成现在的庆祝新年。过年帖红纸，放鞭炮的习俗延续了下来。现在的人们，只有这种颜色，这种声音能让他们过年的兴奋。
China's traditional festivals have evolved through the centuries from past major events. For instance， long ago when people had a bountiful harvest， they gathered and celebrated their good fortune with gala (祭日)performances. When natural disasters struck， they offered sacrifices to the gods and their ancestors， hoping for a blessing. The change of the seasons， flowers in spring， and the bright moon in autumn could all arouse their longing for a more beautiful life. Thus， creative activities were held to signify these events， Graally these activities developed into festivals.
中国的传统节日大多是由一些重大事件发展而来的，例如：很久以前，如果人们有一个大丰收的话他们就会聚在一起庆祝。逐渐的这些活动就发展成了节日。
The most important festival in China is the Spring Festival. It is said that the Spring Festival evolved from an activity known as the Winter Sacrifice. It was a custom practiced by the people of primitive society.
据说春节源于原始社会中的人们在冬天举行的献祭。
As the cold winter began to recede (退却)and the warm spring was about to begin， the people of an entire clan gathered together. They brought out their bounty(恩惠) from hunting， fishing and the field. They thanked the gods for the blessings of nature， including the mountains， rivers， the sun ，moon and stars， They thanked their ancestors， then they shared and enjoyed the sumptuous (华丽的)bounty of the land， sea， air and fields as they ate， danced and sang heartily.
随着冬季的过去和暖春的来临，整个氏族的人聚在一起，拿出他们在狩猎，打鱼，种地中得到的。他们感谢各种神，感谢祖先。人们吃着，唱着，跳着来进行这种纪念活动。
In the beginning， their activity had no fixed date. But usually it was held at the end of each winter. Graally， through the years， it was celebrated at the end of the old year or the beginning of the new. With the changes and disintegration of primitive society， the form and content of the Winter Sacrifice also changed. Ultimately， it became a festival to bid farewell to the old year and welcome in the new year. So it came to be called the Spring Festival.
开始，他们的活动没有固定日期。但通常在冬天结束的时候进行。渐渐的变成了在一年的结尾开头之际举行。伴随着原始社会的瓦解，冬天献祭的形式与内容也发生了变化。最终变成了一个辞旧迎新的节日。

④ 帮忙翻译一下这篇英语阅读理解

在日本，于每年一月的第二个星期一是法定节日，都会举辨「成人节」，目的是为确认所有年届20的年青人成为社会中的独立成员。
日本的「成人节」源于古代。从前 ，大约15岁的日本男孩就被标记为成年，而女孩则大约在13岁左右。直到1876年，才将法定成年的年龄定在20岁。
在当日，很多女性选择穿传统服装——一款特别设计的和服。对于未婚女性来说，这款和服是最正式的服饰。然而，这样的一套正装非常昂贵，所以一般人都不会专为出席这个场合花钱去买，而是穿著由长辈传下来的或去租来穿。男士们也可以穿传统服装。
当地市政府会为年满20的年青人举辨特别庆祝活动。年满20的人士都可获得投票权，但也有新的责任。所以，在日本，20岁是一大转折点。所有在前一年4月1日和当年的3月31日之间刚满20岁，并在当地区居住的的年青人将被邀请参加庆典。政府官员会发表演讲，并在仪式上向刚届成年的年青人发放小礼物。
仪式结束后，年青人们多会欢聚一堂开派对。

~~~~~~纯人手翻译，欢迎采纳~~~~~~

原文如下：
Coming of Age Day is a Japanese holiday held on the second Monday of January. It is held in order to help all those who are 20 or over realize that they have become independent member of society.
Coming of Age ceremonies have been held since the ancient times in Japan. In the past, boys marked their change to althood when they were around 15, and girls celebrated their coming of age when they turned 13 or so. It wasn't until 1876 that 20 became the legal age of althood.
These days, many women choose to wear traditional clothing-- a kind of kimono with special designs. For unmarried women, this type of kimono is the most formal thing they can wear. However, such a full set of formal clothing is expensive, so it is usually either passed down or rented rather than being bought specially for the occasion. Men may also wear traditional clothing.
Local city governments host special coming of age ceremonies for 20-year-olds. They gain the right to vote on their twentieth birthday and have new responsibilities as well. So the age of 20 is a big turning point for the Japanese. All young alts who turned or will turn 20 between April 1 of the previous year and March 31 of the current one and who maintain residency in the area are invited to attend. Government officials give speeches, and small presents are handed out to the new alts ring the ceremonies.
After the ceremonies, the young alts often gather in groups and go to parties.

⑤ 求翻译英语阅读

每年庆祝中秋节都是在农历的八月十五日，大约在秋分时节。
这一天也被视为是秋收节，因为这时候的水果、蔬菜和谷物都到了收成的时候。苹果、梨、桃子、葡萄和橘子随处可见。节日的特色食品包括月饼、芋头和许多其他蔬菜。有些人坚持要有煮熟的芋头，因为在中秋节起源时，芋头是在月光下第一种被发现的食物。
传统上，是把十三个月饼堆成金字塔状，以代表“完整的一年”的十三个月，即十二个月加上一个闰月。
中秋节是汉族和其他民族的传统节日。拜月的习俗可以追溯到古代夏商时期（公元前2000年 - 1066年）。在南宋时期（公元1127年至1279年），人们将月饼送给亲友作为礼物。夜幕低垂时，人们抬头欣赏银色的满月，或者去湖边赏月来庆祝中秋。自明朝（公元前1368-1644）和清朝（1644-1911年）以来，庆祝中秋节的习俗变得很受欢迎。在庆祝活动的同时，全国各地出现了一些特殊的习俗，例如在中秋节植树、在高楼上的挂起灯笼和跳火龙舞。每当庆祝活动开始时，人们都会抬望着银色的满月，思念想远在他乡的亲人和朋友，并向他们送上最美好祝福。
~~~~~纯人手翻译，原文如下~~~~~~
The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth moon, around the time of the autumn equinox（秋分）.
This day was also considered as a harvest festival since fruits, vegetables and grain had been harvested by this time. Apples, pears, peaches, grapes and oranges may be seen. Special foods for the festival included moon cakes, cooked taro（芋头）and many other vegetables. Some people insisted that cooked taro be included because at the time of creation, taro was the first food discovered at night in the moonlight.
Traditionally, thirteen moon cakes were piled in a pyramid to stand for the thirteen moons of a "complete year," that is, twelve moons plus one extra moon.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a traditional festivity for both the Han and other nationalities. The custom of worshipping the moon can be traced back as far as the ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties (2000 B.C.-1066 B.C.). In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.), people sent round moon cakes to their relatives as gifts. When it became dark, they looked up at the full silver moon or went sightseeing on lakes to celebrate the festival. Since the Ming (1368-1644 A.D. ) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911A.D.), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration became so popular. Together with the celebration there appear some special customs in different parts of the country, such as planting Mid-Autumn trees, lighting lanterns on towers and fire dragon dances. Whenever the festival sets in, people will look up at the full silver moon, think of their relatives and friends far from home, and send their best wishes to them.

⑥ 一篇英语阅读理解求翻译，并回答问题（最好有分析或证据）

11 D 文章第一段中说到Susan got up early to make the tradional holiday meal.
12 B 第二段第一句说到She cut the ends off the ham.
13 A 第二段中Susan的妈妈在电话里面回答说“I don't know the answer either. My mother always did that."
14 B 第三段中说到Susan的外婆听了Susan的提问后稍微停顿了一下，然后开始大笑起来。
15 B 从最后一段作者所提的那些问题中可以总结出作者的观点。
当时正好是感恩节早上6:30。苏珊早早地起了床，因为她准备去做传统的节日餐，就像妈妈和外婆以往做的那样。
她把火腿肠的两端切掉，在顶上放了一块菠萝片，然后把烤盘放进了烤箱。当她去洗手的时候，想起了火腿上被切掉的两端。为什么？为什么要把那两端切掉呢？想了好久之后，她意识到自己没有答案。她的妈妈一直是那样做的。她拨通了妈妈的电话，说道：“妈妈，你以前为什么会把感恩火腿的两端切掉？”妈妈想了好长一段时间之后回答道：“我也不知道答案。我的妈妈一直是那样做的。你为什么不打电话给她呢？”
苏珊又打了电话给外婆，外婆接了电话，苏珊对外婆说：“外婆，我们为什么要把火腿的两端切掉呢？”有了很长一段时间的停顿后，外婆开始大笑起来，她说：“事情是这样子的，你外公和我年轻的时候，我们没有什么钱。一个邻居送了一个大火腿给我们作为礼物。我们当时只有一个烤盘，我想把火腿放进烤盘里，可是烤盘太小，放不下，所以我把火腿两端切掉，这样就可以放进去了。从那以后我就一直都是那样做的。你为什么会问这样的问题？”
让我们想一想在工作中或生活中经常做的那些事情，你为什么会用那样的方式去做那件事呢？是谁决定的呢？现在还可行吗？

⑦ 初中英语阅读短文翻译 全部

春节是中国人的传抄统节日。袭团圆饭饭是百万国内外中华儿女最重要的一顿饭。你可能知道并且品尝过各种不同的菜肴，但是你知道在团圆饭的时候，应该怎样使自己的行为合乎规范吗？如果你不确定也不要担心，这里有几条建议。 中西方餐饮习惯主要的不同之处在于，西方人吃饭的时候都用自己的盘子，而在中国，所有的菜都是放在桌子上，大家一起吃的。首先让老人们品尝所有的菜往往被认为是礼貌的。 虽然对于如何放置筷子和汤勺没有严格的规定，但是在中国人的餐桌上有些事情是绝对不能做的。

⑧ 我最喜欢的中国节日 英语作文 80词以内

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学员“我最喜欢的中国节日”英语作文分享：

There are many festivals in a year, I love Children’s day, because on that day, I can have many candies from school. In the school, i will play many games, there will be no class on Children’s day, everybody will have fun. Children’s day is my favorite day, the day belongs to me. I enjoy that day so much. My parents will also celebrate it for me.

一年中有很多的节日，我喜欢儿童节，因为在那天，我可以从学校里得到很多的糖果。在学校里，我可以玩很多的游戏，儿童节那天没有课，大家都玩得很开心。儿童节是我最喜欢的节日，那天是一个属于我的节日。我很享受那一天。我的父母也会为我庆祝。

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⑨ 《端午节的由来》的英语阅读完形填空初中

怎么填空？？端午节，为每年农历五月初五，又称端阳节、午日节、五月节、龙舟节、浴兰节等。是流行于中国以及汉字文化圈诸国的传统文化节日，
端午节起源于中国，最初为祛病防疫的节日，吴越之地春秋之前有在农历五月初五以龙舟竞渡形式举行部落图腾祭祀的习俗；后因诗人屈原抱石自投汨罗江身死，又成为华人纪念屈原的传统节日；部分地区也有纪念伍子胥、曹娥等说法。
端午节自古便有食粽、饮雄黄久不息。受中华文化的影响，中秋节也是汉字文化圈国家以及世界各地华人华侨的传统节日。
自2008年起端午节被列为国家法定节假日。2006年5月，国务院将其列入首批国家级非物质文化遗产名录。2009年9月，联合国教科文组织正式审议并批准中国端午节列入世界非物质文化遗产，成为中国首个入选世界非遗的节日。
中文名
端午节
英文名
Dragon Boat Festival
别称
端阳节、午日节、五月节
节日时间
五月初五（农历）
节日类型
传统节日

节日名称
点击查看图片
据统计端午节的名称叫法达二十多个，如有端五节、端阳节、重五节、重午节、当五汛、天中节、夏节、五月节、菖节、蒲节、龙舟节、浴兰节、屈原日、午日节、女儿节、地腊节、诗人节、龙日、午日、灯节、五蛋节等等。
端午节
“端”字有“初始”的意思，因此“端五”就是“初五”。而按照历法五月正是“午”月，因此“端五”也就渐渐演变成了“端午”。《燕京岁时记》记载：“初五为五月单五，盖端字之转音也。”
端阳节
据《荆楚岁时记》记载，因仲夏登高，顺阳在上，五月正是仲夏，它的第一个午日正是登高顺阳天气好的日子，故称五月初五为“端阳节”。

⑩ 用英语叙述一个中国传统节日的来历

情人节的由来英文版-The Origin of St Valentine's Day
添加日期：2006-2-17 10:28:26｜阅读：373
St. Valentine's Day has roots in several different legends that have found their way to us through the ages. One of the earliest popular symbols of the day is Cupid（爱神丘比特）, the Roman god of love, who is represented by the image of a young boy with bow and arrow.

Three hundred years after the death of Jesus Christ, the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, had been thrown in prison for his teachings. On February 14, Valentine was beheaded（斩首）, not only because he was a Christian, but also because he had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailer's daughter of her blindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer's daughter a farewell letter, signing it "From Your Valentine." Another legend tells us that this same Valentine, well-loved by all, received notes to his jail cell from children and friends who missed him.

Another Valentine was an Italian bishop who lived at about the same time, AD 200. He was imprisoned because he secretly married couples, contrary to the laws of the Roman emperor. Some legends say he was burned at the stake.

February 14 was also a Roman holiday, held in honor of a goddess. Young men randomly chose the name of a young girl to escort to the festivities. The custom of choosing a sweetheart on this date spread through Europe in the Middle Ages, and then to the early American colonies. Throughout the ages, people also believed that birds picked their mates on February 14!

In AD 496 Sain Pope Gelasius I named February 14 as "Valentine's Day". Although it's not an official holiday, most Americans observe this day.

Whatever the odd mixture of origins, St. Valentine's Day is now a day for sweethearts. It is the day that you show your friend or loved one that you care. You can send candy to someone you think is special. Or you can send roses, the flower of love. Most people send "valentines," a greeting card named after the notes that St. Valentine received in jail. Valentines can be sentimental, romantic and heartfelt（真心真意的）. They can be funny and friendly. If the sender is shy, valentines can be anonymous.

Americans of all ages love to send and receive valentines. Handmade valentines created by cutting hearts out of colored paper, show that a lot of thought was put into making them personal. Valentines can be heart-shaped, or have hearts, the symbol of love, on them. In elementary schools children make valentines for their classmates and put them in a large decorated box, similar to a mailbox. On February 14, the teacher opens the box and distributes the valentines to each student. After the students read their valentines they have a small party with refreshments.

For teenagers and alts, major newspapers throughout the country have a Valentine's Day offer. Anyone can send in a message, for a small fee of course, destined for a would-be sweetheart, a good friend, an acquaintance or even a spouse of fifty years. The message is printed in a special section of the newspaper on February 14.
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http://jinzhou.guanyaenglish.com/news/print.jsp?news_id=100469

万圣节（中，英文版）

关于万圣节有这样一个故事。是说有一个叫杰克的爱尔半兰人，因为他对钱特别的吝啬，就不允许他进入天堂，而被打入地狱。但是在那里他老是捉弄魔鬼撒旦，所以被踢出地狱，罚他提着灯笼永远在人世里行走。 在十月三十一日爱尔兰的孩子们用土豆和罗卜制作“杰克的灯笼”，他们把中间挖掉、表面上打洞并在里边点上蜡烛。为村里庆祝督伊德神的万圣节，孩子们提着这种灯笼挨家挨户乞计食物。?这种灯笼的爱尔兰名字是“拿灯笼的杰克”或者“杰克的灯笼”，缩写为Jack-o'-lantern ?在拼写为jack-o-lantern。 现在你在大多数书里读到的万圣节只是孩子们开心的夜晚。在小学校里，万圣节是每年十月份开始庆祝的。 孩子们会制作万圣节的装饰品：各种各样桔红色的南瓜灯。你可以用黑色的纸做一个可怕的造形??一个骑在扫帚把上戴著尖尖帽子的女巫飞过天空，或者是黑蝙蝠飞过月亮。这些都代表恶运。当然黑猫代表运气更差。有时候会出现黑猫骑在女巫扫帚后面飞向天空的造形。 在万圣节的晚上，我们都穿着爸爸妈妈的旧衣服和旧鞋子，戴上面具，打算外出。比我们小的孩子必须和他们的母亲一块出去，我们大一点的就一起哄到领居家，按他们的门铃并大声喊道：“恶作剧还是招待！”意思是给我们吃的，要不我们就捉弄你。里边的人们应该出?评价我们的化装。 “噢！这是鬼，那是女巫，这是个老太婆。” 有时候他们会跟我们一起玩，假装被鬼或者女巫吓着了。但是他们通常会带一些糖果或者苹果放进我们的“恶作剧还是招待”的口袋里。可是要是没人回答门铃或者是有人把我们赶开该怎么办呢？我们就捉弄他们，通常是拿一块肥皂把他们的玻璃涂得乱七八糟。然后我们回家，数数谁的糖果最多。 还有一个典型的万圣节花招是把一卷手纸拉开，不停地往树上扔，直到树全被白纸裹起?。除非下大雪或大雨把纸冲掉，纸会一直呆在树上。这并不造成真正的伤害，只是把树和院子搞乱，一种万圣节的恶作剧。 HALLOWEEN One story about Jack, an Irishman, who was not allowed into Heaven because he was stingy with his money. So he was sent to hell. But down there he played tricks on the Devil (Satan), so he was kicked out of Hell and made to walk the earth forever carrying a lantern. Well, Irish children made Jack's lanterns on October 31st from a large potato or turnip, hollowed out with the sides having holes and lit by little candles inside. And Irish children would carry them as they went from house to house begging for food for the village Halloween festival that honored the Druid god Muck Olla. The Irish name for these lanterns was "Jack with the lantern" or "Jack of the lantern," abbreviated as " Jack-o'-lantern" and now spelled "jack-o-lantern." The traditional Halloween you can read about in most books was just children's fun night. Halloween celebrations would start in October in every elementary school. Children would make Halloween decorations, all kinds of orange-paper jack-o-lanterns. And from black paper you'd cut "scary" designs ---an evil witch with a pointed hat riding through the sky on a broomstick, maybe with black bats flying across the moon, and that meant bad luck. And of course black cats for more bad luck. Sometimes a black cat would ride away into the sky on the back of the witch's broom. And on Halloween night we'd dress up in Mom or Dad's old shoes and clothes, put on a mask, and be ready to go outside. The little kids (children younger than we were) had to go with their mothers, but we older ones went together to neighbors' houses, ringing their doorbell and yelling, "Trick or treat!" meaning, "Give us a treat (something to eat) or we'll play a trick on you!" The people inside were supposed to come to the door and comment on our costumes. Oh! here's a ghost. Oh, there's a witch. Oh, here's an old lady. Sometimes they would play along with us and pretend to be scared by some ghost or witch. But they would always have some candy and maybe an apple to put in our "trick or treat bags." But what if no one come to the door, or if someone chased us away? Then we'd play a trick on them, usually taking a piece of soap and make marks on their windows. .And afterwards we would go home and count who got the most candy. One popular teen-agers' Halloween trick was to unroll a roll of toilet paper and throw it high into a tree again and again until the tree was all wrapped in the white paper. The paper would often stay in the tree for weeks until a heavy snow or rain washed it off. No real harm done, but it made a big mess of both the tree and the yard under it. One kind of Halloween mischief.
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这个网址有病毒!千万别去打开!

http://www.p2p365.com/2nd/read/wanhuatong/english_003.asp?id=6661

复活节中英文介绍

A Sunday between March 22 and April 25
The meaning of many different customs observed ring Easter Sunday have been buried with time. Their origins lie in pre-Christian religions and Christianity. All in some way or another are a "salute to spring," marking re-birth. The white Easter lily has come to capture the glory of the holiday. The word "Easter" is named after Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. A festival was held in her honor every year at the vernal equinox （春分）.

People celebrate the holiday according to their beliefs and their religious denominations （命名）. Christians commemorate Good Friday as the day that Jesus Christ died and Easter Sunday as the day that He was resurrected （复活）. Protestant settlers brought the custom of a sunrise service, a religious gathering at dawn, to the United States.

This year Easter will be celebrated on Sunday April 11, 2004. On Easter Sunday children wake up to find that the Easter Bunny has left them baskets of candy. He has also hidden the eggs that they decorated earlier that week. Children hunt for the eggs all around the house. Neighborhoods and organizations hold Easter egg hunts, and the child who finds the most eggs wins a prize.

The Easter Bunny is a rabbit-spirit. Long ago, he was called the" Easter Hare." Hares and rabbits have frequent multiple births so they became a symbol of fertility. The custom of an Easter egg hunt began because children believed that hares laid eggs in the grass. The Romans believed that "All life comes from an egg." Christians consider eggs to be "the seed of life" and so they are symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Why we dye, or color, and decorate eggs is not certain. In ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia eggs were dyed for spring festivals. In medieval Europe, beautifully decorated eggs were given as gifts.

Egg Rolling

In England, Germany and some other countries, children rolled eggs down hills on Easter morning, a game which has been connected to the rolling away of the rock from Jesus Christ's tomb when he was resurrected. British settlers brought this custom to the New World.

In the United States in the early nineteenth century, Dolly Madison, the wife of the fourth American President, organized an egg roll in Washington, D.C. She had been told that Egyptian children used to roll eggs against the pyramids so she invited the children of Washington to roll hard-boiled eggs down the hilly lawn of the new Capitol building! The custom continued, except for the years ring the Civil War. In 1880, the First Lady invited children to the White House for the Egg Roll because officials had complained that they were ruining the Capitol lawn. It has been held there ever since then, only canceled ring times of war. The event has grown, and today Easter Monday is the only day of the year when tourists are allowed to wander over the White House lawn. The wife of the President sponsors it for the children of the entire country. The egg rolling event is open to children twelve years old and under. Alts are allowed only when accompanied by children!

Traditionally, many celebrants （司仪神父） bought new clothes for Easter which they wore to church. After church services, everyone went for a walk around the town. This led to the American custom of Easter parades all over the country. Perhaps the most famous is along Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Good Friday is a federal holiday in 16 states and many schools and businesses throughout the U.S. are closed on this Friday.
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http://www.e99.com.cn/dispbbs.asp?boardID=15&ID=950

感恩节的由来Thanksgiving Day

Now I would like to give you some details about Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Thanksgiving Day is the most truly American of the national Holidays in the United States and is most closely connected with the earliest history of the country.

In 1620, the settlers, or Pilgrims, they sailed to America on the May flower, seeking a place where they could have freedom of worship. After a tempestuous two-month voyage they landed at in icy November, what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts.

During their first winter, over half of the settlers died of[1] starvation or epidemics. Those who survived began sowing in the first spring.

All summer long they waited for the harvests with great anxiety, knowing that their lives and the future existence of the colony depended on the coming harvest.Finally the fields proced a yield rich beyond expectations. And therefore it was decided that a day of thanksgiving to the Lord be fixed[2]. Years later, President of the United States proclaimed the fourth Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day every year. The celebration of Thanksgiving Day has been observed on that date until today.

The pattern of the Thanksgiving celebration has never changed through the years. The big family dinner is planned months ahead. On the dinner table, people will find apples, oranges, chestnuts, walnuts and grapes.There will be plum pudding, mince pie, other varieties of food and cranberry juice and squash. The best and most attractive among them are roast turkey and pumpkin pie. They have been the most traditional and favorite food on Thanksgiving Day throughout the years.

Everyone agrees the dinner must be built around roast turkey stuffed with a bread dressing[3] to absorb the tasty juices as it roasts. But as cooking varies with families and with the regions where one lives, it is not easy to get a consensus on[4] the precise kind of stuffing for the royal bird.Thanksgiving today is, in every sense, a national annual holiday on which Americans of all faiths and backgrounds join in to express their thanks for the year' s bounty and reverently ask for continued[5] blessings.