【導(dǎo)讀】Onthisimportantfeastday,peopleeatfodintheshapeofskulsandcakeswith“bones”onthem.Theyofferfood,flowersandgiftstothedead.TheWesternholidayHalloweenalsohaditsorigininoldbeliefsaboutthereturnofthespiritsofdeadpeople.Itisnowachildren’sfestival,whentheycandresupangototheirneighbours’homestoaskforsweets.Iftheneighboursdonotgiveanysweers,thechildrenmightplayatrickonthem.FetivalstoHonourPeopleFestivalscanal

　　

【正文】 enti ne fi ges! She would never five him. Thi s woul d not be a happy Balenti ne’s Day! Wi nter Carnival i n Quebec A group of very col d touri sts are si ting i n a cafe in ol d Quevec, dri nki ng hor coffee to try to warm up. The tem perature i s 32 degres bel ow freezi ng. The windows are cobered wi th steam from the heat i nsi de. Outsi de, snow covers the streets and is pil ed up al ong the si dewalks. The musi c and l ights of the Carni val continue, but after a whole day of watchi ng parades, ridi ng i n horse carri ages and l istening to the music, thei r feet are freezi ng and thei r noses are red. Every year, hundreds of thousands of peopl e e to Quebec to take part i n the wellong wi nter festival , the bi gest i n the worl d. Everyone who es m ust be prepared to kep m ovi ng. As it i s to col d to stand and watch for long. Earl y i n the m orning, you can watch the snowboardi ng peti ti ons on the hil l overl ooking the ri ver. Com petitors speed down the track and through the ai r as though they coul d fly. The m ore brave of heart m ay try the canoe races. Fi ve or si x men padl e each canoe acros the partl yfrozen St Lawrence Ri ver. The ri ver is ful of bi g pieces of i ce, and i f you were to fal in, you woul d freze in l ess than two m inutes. O n of the favourite events i s the dogsl ed race, in which teams of about six husky dogs pl l ong sleds at great speeds along a snowy track. O ne person runs behind the sl ed, shouti ng to the dogs to encoutage them. The sound of the dogs barki ng, the cal ls of the dri vers and the shouts of crowd make an exci ti ng N othern experi ence. The dogs are beauti ful strong anim al s, wi th l ong, thi ck fur and many wi th bl ue eyes. Whi le adm iring the i ce sculptures ecerywhere i n the city, m uch li ke those i n H arbi n i n Chi na, you can stop wi th other tourists i n an igloo for hot tea or cofee. It is amazi ng how warm these i ce howses can be! Late in the evening, you can go to the snow pal ace, where Bonhomm e the snowm an is king, and j oi n the crowd. You can dance outsi de to the musi c of a band, who are al l dressed i n heavy cl othes – even som e thei r i nstrum ents are dressed up for wi nter. Fi nal y, you wi l probabl y want to si t down i n a cafe wo warm up an to plan tomorrow. You mi ght joi n the snowm obil e races – or m aybe you shoul d just sl ep i n! Uni t 2 COME AND EAT HERE (1) Wang Peng sat i n hi s em pty restaurant feeli ng very frustrated. It had been a very strange morni ng. Usual y he got up earl y and prepared hi s m enu of barbecued mutton kebabs, roast pork, stirfri ed vegetables and fri ed rice. Then by lunchtime they would al 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 happened? He thought of hi s m uton, beef and bacon coked i n the hottest, finest oil . His col a was sugary and col d, and his ice cream was m ade of milk, cream and delicious fruit. “Nothing coul d be better, ” he thought. Suddenl y he saw his friend Li Chang hurrying by. “H el lo, Lao Li, ” he cal ed, “Your usual?” But Li Chang seemed not to hear. What was the m ater? Somethi ng terri bl e m ust have happened if Li Chang was not i ng to eat in hi s restaurant as he al ways di d. Wang Peng fol owed Li Chang into a new smal restaurant. He saw a si gn in the window. Tired of al l that fat? Want to l ose wei ght? Com e i nsi de Yong H ui ’s slimm ing restaurant. O nl y sl immi ng foods served here. Make yoursel f thi n again. Curiosi ty drove Wang Peng insi de. It was ful of people. The hostess, a very thin l ady came forward. “Wel e, ” she said. “My name is Yong Hui. I’l help you lose weight and be fit in two weks if you eat here every day.” Then she gave a menu to Wang Peng. There were few choi ces of fod and dri nk on i t: just rice, raw vegetables served in vinegar, frui t and water. Wang Peng was amazed at this and especial y at the prices. It cost more than a good meal in his restaurant! He could not believe his eyes. He threw down the menu and hurried outside. On hi s way home he thought about his own menu. Did i t make peopl e fat? Perhaps he should go O n thi s important feast day, people eat fod i n the shape of skul s and cakes wi th “bones” on them. They offer food, flowers and gi fts to the dead. The Western hol iday Hal lowen also had its origin i n old beliefs about the return of the spi ri ts of dead peopl e. It is now a children’s festi val, when they can dress up an go to thei r nei ghbours’ homes to ask for swets. If the neighbours do not give any sweers, the chi ldren mi ght play a tri ck on them. Fetival s to Honour People Festi vals can also be held to honour famous people. The Dragon Boat Festi val in China honours the famous anci ent poet, Qu Yuan. In the USA, Col umbus Day is in memory of the arival of Christopher Columbus i n the New World. Indi a has a nati onal festival on October 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi, the leader who hel ped gain Indi a’s independece from Britai n. Harvest Festival s Harvest and Thanksgivi ng festival can be very happy events. People are grateful because their fod i s gathered for the winter and the agri cul tural work is over. In European countries, peopl e wil usual y decorate churches and town hal s with flowers and frui t, and wil get together to have meals. Some peopl e might win awards for their farm produce, li ke the biggest watermelon or the most handsome rooster. China and Japan have midautumn festivals, when people admire the mon and in China, enjoy mooncakes. Spring Festivals The most energeti c and i mportant festival s are te ones that l ok forward to the end of winter and to the ing of spring. At the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumpings ifsh and meat and may give children lucky money i n red paper. There are dragon dances and carnival s , and famil es celebrate the Lunar New Year together. Some Western countries have ver