Unit 1 Festivals around the world
FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS
Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere since ancient times. Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals. At that time people would starve if food was difficult to find, especially during the cold winter months. Today’s festivals have many origins, some religious, some seasonal, and some for special people or events.
Festivals of the dead
Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to satisfy the ancestors, who might return either to help or to do harm. For the Japanese festival Obon, people should go to clean graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. They also light lamps and play music because they think that will lead the ancestors back to earth. In Mexico, people celebrate the Day of the Dead in early November. On this important feast day, people eat food in the shape of skulls and cakes with “bones” on them. They offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead. The Western holiday Halloween also had its origin in old beliefs about the return of the spirits of dead people. It is now a children’s festival, when they can dress up an
d go to their neighbours’ homes to ask for sweets. If the neighbours do not give any sweets, the children might play a trick on them.
Festivals to Honour People
Festivals can also be held to honour famous people. The Dragon Boat Festival in China honours the famous ancient poet, Qu Yuan. In the USA, Columbus Day is in memory of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the New World. India has a national festival on October 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi, the leader who helped gain India’s independence from Britain.
Harvest Festivals
Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals can be very happy events. People are grateful because their food is gathered for the winter and the agricultural work is over. In European countries, people will usually decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and will get together to
have meals. Some people might win awards for their farm produce, like the biggest watermelon or the most handsome rooster. China and Japan have mid-autumn festivals when people admire the moon and in China enjoy moon-cakes.
Spring Festivals
The most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring. At the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat and may give children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and families celebrate the Lunar New Year together. Some Western countries have very exciting carnivals, which take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. These carnivals might include parades, dancing in the streets day and night, loud music and colourful clothing of al kinds. Easter is an important religious and social festival for Christians around the world. It celebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the coming of spring and new life. Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival happens a little later. The country, covered with cherry tree flowers, looks as though it is covered with pink snow.
People love to get together to eat, drink and have fun with each other. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our customs and forget our work for a little while.
A SAD LOVE STORY
LI Fang was heart-broken. It was Valentine’s Day and Hu Jin had said she would meet him at the coff
ee shop after work. But she didn’t turn up. She could be with her friends right now laughing at him. She said she would be there at seven o’clock, and he thought she would keep her word. He had looked forward to meeting her all day, and now he was alone with his roses and chocolates, like a fool. Well, he was not going to hold his breath for her to apologize. He would drown his sadness in coffee.
It was obvious that the manager of the coffee shop was waiting for Li Fang to leave - he wiped the tables, then sat down and turned on the TV - just what Li Fang needed! A sad Chinese story about lost love.
The granddaughter of the Goddess of Heaven visited the earth. Her name was Zhinü, the weaving girl. While she was on earth she met the herd boy Niulang and they fell in love. (“Just like me and Hu Jin,” thought Li Fang.) They got married secretly, and they were very happy. (“We could be like that,” thought Li Fang.) When the Goddess of Heaven knew that her granddaughter was married to a human, she became very angry and made the weaving girl return to Heaven. Niu Lang tried to follow her, but the river of stars, the Milky Way, stopped him. Finding that Zhinü was heart-broken, her grandmother finally decided to let the couple cross the Milky Way to meet once a year. Magpies make a bridge of their wings so the couple can cross the river to meet on the seventh day of the sev
enth lunar month. People in China hope that the weather will be fine on that day, because if it is raining, it means that Zhinü is weeping and the couple won’t be able to meet.
The announcer said, “This is the story of Qiqiao Festival. When foreigners hear about the story, they call it a Chinese Valentine’s story. It’s a fine day today, so I hope you can call all meet the one you love.”As Li Fang set off for home, he thought, “I guess Hu Jin doesn’t love me. I’ll just throw these flowers and chocolates away. I don’t want them to remind me of her.” So he did.
As he sadly passed the tea shop on the corner on his way home, he heard a voice calling him. There was Hu Jin waving at him and calling, “Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting for you for a long time! And I have a gift for you!”
What would he do? He had thrown away her Valentine gifts! She would never forgive him. This would not be a happy Valentine’s Day!
Unit 2 Healthy eating
高中英语课文COME AND EAT HERE (I)
Wang Peng sat in his empty restaurant feeling very frustrated. It had bee n a very strange morning.
Usually he got up early and prepared his menu of barbecued mutton kebabs, roast pork, stir-
fried vegetables and fried rice. Then by lunchtime they would all be sold. By now his restaurant ought to be full of people. But not today! Why wa
s that? What could have happened? He thought of his mutton, beef and b acon cooked in the hottest, finest oil. His cola was sugary and cold, and h is ice cream was made of milk, cream and delicious fruit. “Nothing coul d be better,” he thought. Suddenly he saw his friend Li Chang hurrying by. “Hello, Lao Li,” he called. “Your usual?” But Li Chang seemed  not to hear. What was the matter? Something terrible must have happene d if Li Chang was not coming to eat in his restaurant as he always did.
Wang Peng followed Li Chang into a new small restaurant. He saw a si gn at the door.
Tired of all that fat? Want to lose weight?
Come inside Yong Hui's slimming restaurant.
Only slimming foods served here.
Make yourself thin again!
Curiosity drove Wang Peng inside. It was full of people. The hostess, a very thin lady, came forward. “Welcome,” she said. “My name is Yo ng Hui. I’ll help you lose weight and be fit in two weeks if you eat here e very day.” Then she gave a menu to Wang Peng. There were few choice s of food and drink on it: just rice, raw vegetables served in vinegar, fruit and water. Wang Peng was amazed at this and especially at the prices. It cost more than a good meal in his restaurant! He could not believe his ey es. He threw down the menu and hurried outside. On his way home he th ought about his own menu. Did it make people fat? Perhaps he should go  to the library and find out. He could not have Yong Hui getting away wit h telling people lies! He had better do some research!
At the library Wang Peng was surprised to find that his restaurant serve d far too much fat and Yong Hui’s far too little. Even though her custom ers might get thin after eating Yong Hui’s food, they were not eating eno ugh energy-
giving food to keep them fit. They would become tired very quickly. Wa ng Peng felt more hopeful as he drove back home. Perhaps with a discou nt and a new sign he could win his customers back. So he wrote:  Want t o feel fit and energetic?
Come and eat here! Discounts today! Our food gives you energy all day!  The competition between the two restaurants was on!
COME AND EAT HERE (II)
A week later, Wang Peng’s restaurant was nearly full and he felt happier. Perhaps he would be able to earn his living after all and not have to clos e his restaurant. He did not look forward to being in debt because his rest aurant was no longer popular. He smiled as he welcomed some customer s warmly at the door but the smile left his face when he saw Yong Hui w alking in. She did not look happy but glared at him. “May I ask what yo u were doing in my restaurant the other day? I thought you were a new c ustomer and now I know that you only came to spy on me and my menu,” she shouted. “Please excuse me,” he calmly explained, “I wanted to know where all my customers had gone last week. I followed one of th em and found them in your restaurant. I don’t want to upset you, but I fo und your menu so limited that I stopped worrying and started advertising the benefits of my food. Why don’t you sit down and try a meal?”
Yong Hui agreed to stay and soon they were both enjoying dumplings a nd breast of chicken cooked with garlic. When they were served the ice c ream, Yong Hui began to look ill. “I feel sick with all this fat and heavy  food,” she said, “I miss my vegetables and fruit.” Wang Peng was e njoying a second plate of dumplings so he sighed. “Yes,” he added, “and I would miss my dumplings and fatty pork. Don,t you get tired quick ly?”“Well, I do have to rest a lot,” admitted Yong Hui. “But don’t you think it
would be better if you were a bit thinner? I’m sure you’d feel  much healthier.”
They began to talk about menus and balanced diets. “According to my  research, neither your restaurant nor mine offers a balanced diet,” expla ined Wang Peng. “I don’t offer enough fibre and you don’t offer enoug h body-building and energy-
giving food. Perhaps we ought to combine our ideas and provide a balanc ed menu with food full of energy and fibre.” So that is what they did. T hey served raw vegetables with the hamburgers and boiled the potatoes r ather than fried them. They served fresh fruit with the ice cream. In this way they cut down the fat and increased thefibre in the meal. Their balan ced diets became such a success that before long Wang Peng became sli