How we celebrate

领 衔 人：郑云（江苏省特级教师）

组稿团队：江苏省郑云网络名师工作室

本期撰稿：刘鎏（江苏省泰州市第二中学附属初中）

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 独立日 colony n. 殖民地 barbecue n. 烧烤

parade n. 游行 marching bands 游行乐队

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. 习俗 the Warring States period 战国时期 lunar month 阴历

race v. 竞赛 hang v. 悬挂 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，政府将端午节定为法定节假日，现在人们可以真正地享受这一天了。本句中，“a public holiday”为“the Dragon Boat Festival”的宾语补足语，“make”意为“使……成为……”。

为弘扬中华传统文化，增强文化自信，你的学校准备开展用英语讲中国故事活动。假如你是一名传统文化推荐官，请用英语写一篇短文介绍元宵节，推广中国文化。

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.

第一段建议增加对元宵节的总体介绍，如元宵节对中国人的意义。

第二段可在段首增加主题句，表明本段重点介绍元宵节庆祝活动。建议在介绍各活动时增加关联词，使文章逻辑性更强，结构更紧凑。另外，建议增加细节描写和情感描写，凸显小作者对节日和中国传统文化的喜爱之情。

最后一段建议增加对弘扬元宵节传统文化的呼吁。

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.

（江苏省泰州市第二中学附属初中 马玉旒）

本篇书面表达词汇丰富，句式多样，关联词使用得当。文章结构清晰，表达通顺，行文连贯。在介绍元宵节民俗活动时，小作者补充了细节描写，生动形象的文字既增加了文章的趣味性，又体现了中国传统文化的魅力。

最后，小作者以传统文化推荐官的身份，用简洁的语言表达了对元宵节的喜爱之情，呼吁大家传播中国传统文化，实现了写作目的。