2022年高校英语六级阅读寒假练习题(24)Out With The Old, In With The New Get ready to say goodbye to the old , hello to thenew! What’s the occasion ? The coming of the NewYear. Many western cultures measure their days with thesolar calendar. Therefore, they observe 1 thecoming of the New Year on January 1. Cultures inAsia and the Middle East use other calendars, suchas the more ancient lunar calendar. They celebrate the New Year at other times. Events andrituals 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 Yearcelebrations took place during spring or harvest time. With better weather ahead, or plenty offood to eat in winter, people naturally felt like having a party! As the days became longer and asnature renewed itself, people also felt like they could have a new start. Past disappointmentscould be forgotten. The New Year could bring better fortune , more opportunities and newchallenges. 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 andbarrels of tar, an old practice for keeping evil spirits away. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the beachbecomes the stage for a huge New Year party. During the day, thousands of people throwflowers 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 windowsat midnight, symbolizing the departure of the old. Mexicans fire guns into the air to ward offmisfortune. Danes jump off chairs exactly as the clock strikes midnight, so they can“jump”intothe New Year. Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplace on New Year’s Day. They hopeSaint Basil3, a popular Greek saint known for his kindness, will come and fill the shoes withgifts. 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 BearSwim4. As you might expect, most people come to watch the swimmers rather than swimthemselves London, England, hosts an annual New Year’s Day parade that draws nearly a millionspectators. The largest parade in Europe , it features bands, floats and enormous balloons.These balloons are so huge that they tower over5 nearby buildings! 阅读自测 Ⅰ. Fill in the blanks with proper words : 1. Therefore, they_______ ( 庆祝) 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 _______( 祥瑞的) New Year color. 4. London, England, hosts an annual New Year’s Day parade that draws nearly a million_______ ( 观众) . 5. The largest parade in Europe, it_______ ( 以……为特色) bands, floats and enormousballoons. These balloons are so huge that they_______ ( 高于) nearby buildings! Ⅱ. Answer the following question in you own words: Why did the earliest New Year celebrations take place during spring or harvest time? 参考答案 Ⅰ. 1. observe 2. renewed / felt like 3. auspicious 4.spectators 5. features / tower over Ⅱ. Because with better weather ahead, or plenty offood to eat in winter, people naturally felt like havinga party. 参考译文 辞旧迎新 打算好辞旧迎新! 是什么大事呢? 是新年的来临! 很多西方国家以公历来计日。
因此, 他们在1 月1 日庆祝新年的到来亚洲和中东的 国家则运用其他的历法, 如比公历还要古老的阴历, 因而在其他时间庆祝新年每个国家 的节日和习俗都不同但是不论在何处, 新年的庆祝活动都特别隆重 在世界绝大多数的文化里, 庆祝新年的传统已沿袭了好几百年历最早的新年庆 典是在春天或收获的季节实行由于天气慢慢转暖, 或是因为冬季食物足够, 人们自然要 庆贺一番随着白天变长, 万象更新, 人们也觉得自己应当有个新的起先往日的不快可 以抛之脑后, 新的一年会带来更好的运气、更多的机遇和新的挑战这些共同的主题沿袭 至今 新年庆典也包括快乐享乐苏格兰爱丁堡的除夕节庆以戏剧演出、焰火和舞蹈为主 题在除夕夜, 苏格兰人会点燃火炬和一桶一桶的沥青, 这种传统做法是用来驱逐恶魔的 在巴西的里约热内卢, 人们在海滩上实行大型新年晚会白天, 数以万计的人们将鲜花抛 入海中祈求好运傍晚时分, 他们欣赏音乐会和焰火每个人都身着白色的衣饰, 因为白 色是新年的祥瑞色 有些民族以他们独特的方式庆贺新年在除夕午夜时分, 意大利人将旧的东西丢出窗 043 外 , 以此来象征除旧布新墨西哥人则朝空中鸣枪, 以驱走厄运。
当午夜的钟声敲响时, 丹 麦人会从椅子上跳起来, 意在“ 跃入”新年在元旦时, 希腊的孩子们将鞋子留在壁炉旁 他们期盼圣· 巴西勒——— 一个亲善慈爱、颇受欢迎的圣人——— 会现身, 在他们的鞋子里塞 满礼物在加拿大的温哥华, 有人跳入冰冷彻骨的海水中, 以此来庆贺新年因此, 这项活 动也有个很贴切的名字———“ 北极熊冬泳”当然, 大部分人是来观看游泳的, 不会亲自下 水 英国伦敦则举办一年一度的元旦*, 这吸引将近一百零一零一万的观众参与欧洲的游 行都有乐队、花车和巨型气球这些大气球比旁边的建筑物还要高呢!本文来源：网络收集与整理，如有侵权，请联系作者删除，谢谢！第4页 共4页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页第 4 页 共 4 页。