How we celebrate

領(lǐng) 銜 人：鄭云（江蘇省特級(jí)教師）

組稿團(tuán)隊(duì)：江蘇省鄭云網(wǎng)絡(luò)名師工作室

本期撰稿：劉鎏（江蘇省泰州市第二中學(xué)附屬初中）

In China， the National Day is celebrated on October 1 every year， with a week-long period known as Golden Week following it. People will travel all over the country during this time. Tian’anmen Square and other public places are decorated with huge flowerbeds. People wake up early to watch the raising of the national flag in Tian’anmen as well.

The US， of course， has its own national day. It is called Independence Day， marking the day in 1776 when the original 13 American colonies freed themselves from Britain. It falls on July 4 each year.

The most well-known celebration for Independence Day is the fireworks. They are much like the fireworks that are set off during Spring Festival， with huge explosions of fire in the sky.

Families will travel to visit each other on this day as well， so the first week of July is an especially busy time for traffic. When people get together during this time， they often have picnics or barbecues. They eat hot dogs and burgers. Sandwiches and salads are popular choices for picnics.

And of course， many cities will have parades for the holiday. There are often marching bands and people wearing fun clothes. The parades show Americans’ pride in their country and are also great fun for children.

Independence Day 獨(dú)立日 colony n. 殖民地 barbecue n. 燒烤

parade n. 游行 marching bands 游行樂隊(duì)

The Dragon Boat Festival is one of the most important traditional festivals in China. What are some customs of the day？ How do people celebrate it today？ Let’s have a look.

There are many stories behind the Dragon Boat Festival. One famous story remembers Chinese poet Qu Yuan. He lived in the state of Chu during the Warring States period. He jumped in the river because he couldn’t save his country. This was on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the year 278 BC.

From then on， people began to celebrate the day by eating zongzi（rice dumplings） and racing dragon boats. In Sichuan and Hunan， people eat zongzi with sugar. In Beijing and Guangzhou， it has sweet and salty fillings.

Dragon boat races are also important. Several teams race dragon-shaped boats. The first team to reach the finish line wins.

People also have other customs to celebrate the day， such as hanging wormwood on doors and drinking realgar liquor.

Today some customs are not as popular as they once were， but people still love eating zongzi and racing dragon boats. In 2007， the government made the Dragon Boat Festival a public holiday， now people can really enjoy the day.

custom n. 習(xí)俗 the Warring States period 戰(zhàn)國時(shí)期 lunar month 陰歷

race v. 競賽 hang v. 懸掛 government n. 政府

In 2007， the government made the Dragon Boat Festival a public holiday， now people can really enjoy the day. 2007年，政府將端午節(jié)定為法定節(jié)假日，現(xiàn)在人們可以真正地享受這一天了。本句中，“a public holiday”為“the Dragon Boat Festival”的賓語補(bǔ)足語，“make”意為“使……成為……”。

為弘揚(yáng)中華傳統(tǒng)文化，增強(qiáng)文化自信，你的學(xué)校準(zhǔn)備開展用英語講中國故事活動(dòng)。假如你是一名傳統(tǒng)文化推薦官，請(qǐng)用英語寫一篇短文介紹元宵節(jié)，推廣中國文化。

The Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is one of my favourite traditional Chinese festivals. It is celebrated on the 15th day of lunar January.

On that day， there are lantern shows. Lanterns are pretty and every one is different. I always go to enjoy the lanterns with my parents. Usually， we can see riddles on lanterns. Children are crazy about guessing riddle games and hope to win gifts. Dragon dances are traditional folk art. We are excited when the dragon dances begin. We eat tangyuan too. We believe that it will bring us good luck.

We always have a good time on that day. It can not only gather our family members together， but also let us understand the Chinese culture.

第一段建議增加對(duì)元宵節(jié)的總體介紹，如元宵節(jié)對(duì)中國人的意義。

第二段可在段首增加主題句，表明本段重點(diǎn)介紹元宵節(jié)慶祝活動(dòng)。建議在介紹各活動(dòng)時(shí)增加關(guān)聯(lián)詞，使文章邏輯性更強(qiáng)，結(jié)構(gòu)更緊湊。另外，建議增加細(xì)節(jié)描寫和情感描寫，凸顯小作者對(duì)節(jié)日和中國傳統(tǒng)文化的喜愛之情。

最后一段建議增加對(duì)弘揚(yáng)元宵節(jié)傳統(tǒng)文化的呼吁。

The Lantern Festival

The Lantern Festival is one of my favourite traditional Chinese festivals. It is celebrated on lunar January 15th， marking the end of the Spring Festival. Family members usually get together on that day.

People celebrate the festival in many ways. On the night of that day， there are lantern shows in the streets or parks. I always go to enjoy the shapes and sizes of lanterns with my parents. People also play the lantern riddle games. Children are crazy about guessing riddle games and hope to win gifts. Besides， Dragon dances are traditional folk art. We are excited when the dragon dances begin. At the same time， eating tangyuan is a traditional custom. While in northern China， we call it yuanxiao. We believe it will bring us good luck.

In a word， as a student who wants to spread our traditional culture， I hope we should not only enjoy the festival， but also spread the culture all over the world.

（江蘇省泰州市第二中學(xué)附屬初中 馬玉旒）

本篇書面表達(dá)詞匯豐富，句式多樣，關(guān)聯(lián)詞使用得當(dāng)。文章結(jié)構(gòu)清晰，表達(dá)通順，行文連貫。在介紹元宵節(jié)民俗活動(dòng)時(shí)，小作者補(bǔ)充了細(xì)節(jié)描寫，生動(dòng)形象的文字既增加了文章的趣味性，又體現(xiàn)了中國傳統(tǒng)文化的魅力。

最后，小作者以傳統(tǒng)文化推薦官的身份，用簡潔的語言表達(dá)了對(duì)元宵節(jié)的喜愛之情，呼吁大家傳播中國傳統(tǒng)文化，實(shí)現(xiàn)了寫作目的。