The significance of festivals

主題語境：節日感想 篇幅：311詞 建議用時：6分鐘

1This week, my social media feed was flooded with pictures of a festival that is typically celebrated in March in Nepal.For me,the festival, which is a Nepalese tradition, had less regional significance and was largely cultural,providing me with a day to play with color and water with my beloved family and friends.

2As an international student, being away from home means being disconnected from cultural traditions. While a cultural disconnection is unavoidable, when I see the news headlines or posts that friends share on social media, being ignorant about what's happening at home fills me withpenitence. It had been a while since I read articles about what was happening in Nepal. Even catching up with family members and old friends takes weeks to achieve.

3To be honest, I don't know how to do a better job of keeping up to date with everything when focused on classes and work, and adjusting to college life. The news cycles in the US and at home are changing constantly, and can sometimes feel astonishing. But at least here in Rochester,the everyday chat keeps you knowing what's happening outside the campus. Keeping up with news from home, however, requires the extra individual effort I just can't spare time for while dealing with everything else I have to do here.

4Talking to other international students, I find the feeling seems to be common for many of us.Maybe that's just the reality of living abroad,and all we can do is our best.But with the opportunity to celebrate the festival away from home with friends at university and learn to forgive myself for not staying up to date with what's happening in my country, I know what I have at present is exactly what I need to be grateful for.

Reading Check

1.What did the author see the festival as?

A.A connection with her study.

B.An opportunity to have fun with loved ones.

C.A tradition featuring color and water.

D.A holiday reflecting cultural uniqueness.

2.Which word can replace the underlined word“penitence”in paragraph 2?

A.Guilt.

B.Hope.

C.Pride.

D.Curiosity.

3.What made the author disconnected from home?

A.Constant changes in her hometown.

B.Her lack of channels of getting news.

C.Her tight schedule at school.

D.Different lifestyles at home and abroad.

4.What does the author think of her current life?

A.It encourages her to try her best.

B.It should be appreciated.

C.It needs a great change immediately.

D.It's similar to other foreign students'life.

Language Study

Ⅰ.高頻詞匯

1.significance n.意義；重要性

significant adj.有重大意義的

be of(great/no/little)significance to 對……(很/不)重要

attach(great)significance to 認為……(很)重要

2.typically adv.典型地

typical adj.典型的；有代表性的

be typical of 是……的特點

It is typical of sb to do sth 做某事是某人的一貫做法

3.grateful adj.感激的

be grateful to do sth 因做某事而感激

be grateful to sb for sth 因某事感激某人

be grateful that 感激……

Ⅱ.單句填空

1.As time goes by,I attach more great significance ________making plans in advance.

2.It's typical ______her to be late for class.

3.I am extremely grateful ______all the volunteers for their help.

主題應用·語庫構建

Ⅰ.主題詞匯

lantern 燈籠；提燈

carnival 狂歡節；嘉年華

costume (某地或某歷史時期的)服裝；戲裝

march 行進；前進；示威游行

congratulation 祝賀；恭喜

congratulate 向(某人)道賀；為（自己）感到自豪

riddle 謎語；神秘事件

ceremony 典禮；儀式

samba 桑巴舞；桑巴舞曲

makeup 化妝品；性格；構成方式

origin 起源；起因；出身

religion 宗教；宗教信仰

charm 魅力；迷人的特征；咒語

joy 高興；喜悅

gratitude 感激之情；感謝

harvest 收獲季節；收獲；收成

agriculture 農業；農藝

gather 聚集；集合

grateful 感激的；表示感謝的

feature 以……為特色；特色；特征；特點

decorate 裝飾；裝潢

firecracker 鞭炮；爆竹

significant 有重大意義的；顯著的

atmosphere 氣氛；氛圍；(圍繞地球的)大氣(層)

lunar 陰歷的；月球的；月亮的

eve 前夕；前一天

Ⅱ.主題短語

dress(sb)up 喬裝打扮；裝扮

after all 畢竟；別忘了

range from...to 范圍從……到……

fade away 逐漸消失；(身體)變得虛弱

in spite of 不管；盡管

take advantage of 利用；欺騙；占……的便宜

have sth in common 在某方面有共同之處

mashed potatoes 土豆泥

roast turkey 烤火雞

to be frank 坦白說；坦率地說

go off 爆炸；開火；離開

set off 出發；動身；啟程

traditional costume 傳統服飾

attend the ceremony 參加典禮

visit a lantern fair 參觀燈會

guess riddles 猜謎語

give performances 進行演出

Ⅲ.主題美句

1. Festivals make us reunite, making all in high spirits. 節日讓我們團聚在一起，讓所有人都情緒高漲。

2. Walking into the classroom, Ms Li was surprised to find we were standing in line, clapping hands and saying loudly,“Happy Teachers' Day！”李老師走進教室，驚訝地發現我們站成了一排，鼓著掌并大聲地說：“教師節快樂！”

3. The MidAutumn Festival is a traditional festival of China, which is actually a day for family reunion.中秋節是中國的傳統節日，實際上是家人團聚的日子。

4. It is several thousand years ago that the custom of worshipping and admiring the moon dates back to.祭月賞月的風俗可以追溯到幾千年前。

5. In America, Mother's Day is often celebrated by giving mothers a day off. 在美國，母親節通常是通過給母親們放一天假來慶祝的。

6. Some festivals are so fun that they are very popular with the people of all ages.一些節日是如此有趣，以至于它們受到各年齡段的人的歡迎。

7. We all gathered around and had a big dinner.我們聚集在一起，吃了一頓豐盛的晚餐。

8. It was reported that the Spring Festival Gala was wonderful. 據報道，春晚非常精彩。

9. Many stars turned up on the stage and they brought us much pleasure. 許多明星都在舞臺上露面，他們給我們帶來了很多快樂。

10. We were all drowned in admiring their performances.我們都沉浸在欣賞他們的表演中。

11. At dawn, we all dressed up and paid a visit door to door. 黎明時，我們盛裝打扮，挨家挨戶拜年。

12. There is no denying that there are a variety of festivals during a year in China.毫無疑問中國一年中有各種節日。

13. The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, marking the end of the Spring Festival.農歷正月十五是元宵節，它標志著中國春節的結束。

14. Then came the grandest dinner time when we shared the homemade sweet dumplings. We chatted happily, enjoying the family reunion. 然后到了最美好的晚餐時間，我們分享家里做的湯圓，高興地暢談，享受著家庭團聚。

15. On the MidAutumn Festival, one of the most important festivals in China,family members will gather together to enjoy mooncakes as well as admire the round moon, both of which represent the unity and happiness of a family. 中秋節是中國最重要的節日之一。全家聚在一起吃月餅賞月，這象征闔家幸福。

16. On the Double Ninth Festival, it is a traditional custom to climb mountains,eat Double Ninth cakes and drink chrysanthemum wine.在九九重陽節這天，爬山、吃重陽糕和喝菊花酒是傳統習俗。

17. The highlight of the Dragon Boat Festival lies in eating different flavours of zongzi and watching dragon boat races. 端午節最精彩的部分在于品嘗各種口味的粽子和觀看龍舟比賽。

18. With the development of our society, people come to realize that the Spring Festival is not only a festival but also a valuable treasure.隨著我們社會的發展，人們逐漸意識到春節不僅是個節日，也是一份寶貴的財富。

19. The Dragon Boat Festival dates back to more than 2,000 years ago, and it has been observed ever since.端午節可以追溯到2,000 多年以前，從那時起（人們）就一直在慶祝端午節。

20. The May Day holiday gives us a break from our daily routine temporarily and shortens/narrows the distance between people.五一假期給我們帶來了短暫的休息，讓我們從日常工作中脫離出來，縮短了人與人之間的距離。

21.On Teachers'Day,many graduates pay a visit to their teachers and send/express/convey their best wishes to them. 教師節當天，許多畢業生會拜訪他們的老師，送去最美好的祝愿。

Ⅳ.主題寫作

假定你是李華，你想邀請外教Peter參加端午節活動。請你給他寫一封郵件，內容包括：

1.活動的時間、地點和內容；

2.節日的來歷。注意：

1.詞數80左右；

2.可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

參考詞匯：端午節the Dragon Boat Festival 農歷五月the fifth lunar month

Dear Peter,

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you are interested, please let me know.

Yours,

Li Hua

V.主題測評

見P63～P74 自測園地“節日與慶祝”內容。