【正文】 be prepared to keep m ovi ng. As i t i s too col d to stand and watch for l ong. Earl y in the m orni ng, you can watch the snowboardi ng peti ti ons on the hil overl ooki ng the river. Com peti tors sped down the track and through the ai r as though they coul d fl y. The m ore brave of heart m ay try the canoe races. Fi ve or si x m en paddl e each canoe across the partl yfrozen St Lawrence Ri ver. The river i s ful of bi g pi eces of i ce, and i f you were to fal i n, you woul d freeze i n l ess than two mi nutes. O n of the favourite events i s the dogsl ed race, i n whi ch team s of about si x husky dogs pl l ong sl eds at great speeds along a snowy track. One person runs behind the sl ed, shouti ng to the dogs to encoutage them. The sound of the dogs barking, the cal s of the dri vers and the shouts of crowd m ake an exci ti ng N othern experi ence. The dogs are beauti ful strong anim al s, with l ong, thi ck fur and m any wi th bl ue eyes. Whi l e adm iri ng the i ce scul ptures ecerywhere in the ci ty, m uch li ke those i n H arbi n i n Chi na, you can stop wi th other tourists i n an i gl oo for hot tea or cofee. It i s am azing how warm these i ce howses can be! Late i n the eveni ng, you can go to the snow pal ace, where Bonhomm e the snowm an i s ki ng, and joi n the crowd. You can dance outsi de to the m usi c of a band, who are al dressed i n heavy clothes – even som e thei r i nstrum ents are dressed up for wi nter. Fi nal y, you wil l probabl y want to si t down i n a cafe wo warm up an to pl an tom orrow. You m ight joi n the snowm obil e races – or m aybe you shoul d just sl eep i n! Uni t 2 COME AND EAT H ERE (1) Wang Peng sat i n hi s em pty restaurant feeli ng very frustrated. It had been a very strange m orni ng. Usual l y he got up earl y and prepared hi s m enu of barbecued m utton kebabs, roast pork, stirfri ed vegetabl es and fri ed ri ce. Then by l unchtim e they woul d al l be sol d. By now his restaurant ought to be ful l of peopl e. But not today! Why was that? What coul d have hapened? H e thought of hi s m uton, beef and bacon cooked i n the hottest, fi nest oil. H is col a was sugary and col d, and hi s i ce cream was m ade of mil k, cream and delicious fruit. “Nothing coul d be better, ” he thought. Suddenl y he saw his friend Li Chang hurying by. “H el o, Lao Li, ” he cal ed, “Your usual ?” But Li Chang seem ed not to hear. What was the m atter? Som ething terribl e m ust have happened i f Li Chang was not i ng to eat i n hi s restaurant as he al ways di d. Wang Peng fol l owed Li Chang i nto a new sm al restaurant. He saw a si gn in the window. Ti red of al that fat? Want to lose wei ght? Com e i nsi de Yong H ui ’s sl imm i ng restaurant. O nl y slim mi ng foods served here. Make yourself thi n again. Curi osity drove Wang Peng i nsi de. It was ful l of peopl e. The hostess, a very thi n l ady cam e forward. “Wel e, ” she said. “My nam e is Yong H ui. I’l l hel p you l ose weight and be fit in two weeks if you eat here every day. ” Then she gave a m enu to Wang Peng. There were few choices of food and drink on it: just rice, raw vegetabl es served i n vi negar, frui t and water. Wang Peng was am azed at thi s and especi al l y at the pri ces. It cost m ore than a good m eal i n hi s restaurant! H e coul d not bel i eve hi s eyes. H e threw down the m enu and hurri ed outsi de. O n hi s way hom e he thought about hi s own m enu. Di d i t m ake peopl e fat? Perhaps he shoul d go O n thi s im portant feast day, peopl e eat food i n the shape of skul l s and cakes wi th “bones” on them . They offer food, fl owers and gi fts to the dead. The Western holi day H al loween al so had i ts ori gi n i n ol d beli efs about the return of the spiri ts of dead peopl e. It i s now a chi l dren’s festival, when they can dress up an go to thei r neighbours’ hom es to ask for sweets. If the nei ghbours do not gi ve any sweers, the chil dren m i ght pl ay a tri ck on them . Feti vals to H onour Peopl e Festi val s can al so be hel d to honour fam ous peopl e. The Dragon Boat Festi val i n Chi na honours the fam ous anci ent poet, Qu Yuan. In the USA, Col um bus Day is i n m em ory of the arrival of Chri stopher Colum bus i n the N ew Worl d. Indi a has a national festi val on O ctober 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi, the l eader who hel ped gai n Indi a’s i ndependece from Bri tai n. H arvest Festi val s H arvest and Thanksgivi ng festi val can be very hapy events. Peopl e are grateful because thei r food i s gathered for the wi nter and the agri cul tural work i s over. In European countri es, peopl e wil l usual y decorate churches and town hal ls wi th fl owers and frui t, and wil get together to have m eal s. Som e peopl e mi ght wi n awards for thei r farm produce, l i ke the bi gest waterm elon or the m ost handsom e rooster. Chi na and Japan have mi dautum n festi val s, when peopl e admi re the m on and i n Chi na, enjoy m oncakes. Spri ng Festi val s The most energeti c and im portant festi vals are te ones that l ook forward to the end of wi nter and to the i ng of spri ng. At the Spri ng Festi val i n Chi na, peopl e eat dum pi ngs i fsh and m eat and may gi ve chil dren l ucky m oney i n red paper. There are dragon dances and carni vals , and fami li es cel ebrate the Lunar New Year together. Som e Western countri es have very exciti ng carni cal s, whi ch take pl ace forty days before Easter, usual l y i n February. These carni val s mi ght i ncl ude parades, danci ng i n the streets day and night, loud m usi c and col ourful cl othing of al l ki nds. Easter i s an i m portant rel igi ous and soci al festi val for Chi ri sti ans around the worl d. It cel ebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the ing of spri ng and new l i fe. Japan’s Cherry Bl osom Festi cal happens a l ittl e later. The country, covered wi th cherry tree flowers, l ooks as though i t is covere