Canada Day 加拿大國慶節

王思明敏

On July 1， 1867， Canada became an independent1 dominion2 of Great Britain and a federation3 of four provinces4： Nova Scotia， New Brunswick， Ontario， and Quebec. The anniversary5 of this date was called Dominion Day until 1982. Since6 1983， July 1 has been known as Canada Day.

1867年7月1日，加拿大成為英國的一個獨立自治領和由四個省組成的聯邦：新斯科舍省，新布倫瑞克省，安大略省和魁北克省。在1982年之前，這一天的周年紀念日被稱為“加拿大自治日”。自1983年起，7月1日被稱為“加拿大國慶節”。

What do people do on this day？

人們在這一天都做些什么呢？

In many towns and cities， local governments7 hold8 a lot of activities9. These include10 cake breakfast， concerts， carnivals11， festivals and so on. The activities are often patriotic12. Canadian flag is showed and a lot of people paint their faces red and white. They are Canadian colors. The activities in capital Ottawa are very busy.

在許多城鎮，當地政府會組織一系列的活動。這些活動包括蛋糕早餐、音樂會、狂歡節、節日活動等。慶祝活動通常帶有愛國主義色彩。加拿大國旗隨處可見，很多人把自己的臉涂成紅色和白色，這是加拿大的國色。在加拿大首都渥太華舉行的活動非常熱鬧。

In the province of Quebec， many home leases13 start on July 1 for one year. So， many people in Quebec spend this day moving from one house to another. In this province， Canada Day is also known as Moving Day.

在魁北克省，許多房屋租賃從7月1日開始，為期一年。因此，魁北克的許多人在這一天從一個房子搬到另一個房子。在這個省，加拿大國慶節也被稱為“搬家日”。

In the province of Newfoundland and Labrador， July 1 is also Memorial14 Day. In Newfoundland and Labrador， the morning of July 1 is usually unhappy. There are memorial activities in museum.

在紐芬蘭和拉布拉多省，7月1日也是陣亡將士紀念日。在紐芬蘭和拉布拉多，7月1日的早晨通常令人感到難受，在博物館有追悼活動。

Canadian flag is seen everywhere on Canada Day. Canadian colors are red and white and they are used in many ways on Canada Day. Some people wear red and white clothing and others paint their faces in these colors.

加拿大的國旗在加拿大國慶節隨處可見。加拿大的國色是紅色和白色，在加拿大國慶節有多種用途。有些人穿紅色和白色的衣服，其他人在臉上涂這些顏色。

From 2006 there were Canada Day activities at London in the United Kingdom. These activities will be held every year. Because of the use of Trafalgar Square， these activities are held just before， on or just after July 1.

自2006年起，加拿大國慶節也在英國倫敦舉行。這些慶祝活動每年會舉行一次，因為要使用特拉法加廣場，會選在7月1日之前、當天或之后舉行。

（英語原文選自：timeanddate.com）

【Notes】

1. independent [? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?] adj. 獨立的;自主的

2. dominion [? ? ? ? ? ? ] n. 領土;統治

3. federation [? ? ? ? ? ? ?] n. 聯邦

4. province [] n. 省;外省

5. anniversary [? ? ? ? ? ? ? ] n. 周年紀念日

6. since [? ? ?] prep. 自從;何曾 conj. 自從;因為

7. local government [? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ] n. 地方政府

8. hold [? ? ? ?] v. 持有;舉行

9. activity [? ? ? ? ? ?] n. 活動

10. include [? ? ? ? ? ] v. 包括

11. carnival [? ? ? ? ?] n. 狂歡節

12. patriotic [? ? ? ? ? ? ?] adj. 愛國的

13. lease [? ? ] n. 租約

14. memorial [? ? ? ? ? ? ?] n. 紀念碑;紀念物 adj. 紀念的，悼念的