2010年9月上海高级口译考试听力全文6

2010-09-14 00:00:00来源：网络

　　凌凌教你学口语：每日一句系列
　　备战口译：原创双语时事汇总

　　上海中高级口译考试分为笔试和口试，在笔试考试通过后会颁发笔试证书，通过一次笔试可以获得四次口试的机会。中高级口译的笔试和口试虽然是分开进行的，但其笔试的证书在社会上却有很高的认可度。

　　2010年9月上海高级口译考试听力全文6

　　NTGF

　　Today my topic is cultures and traditional holidays. Holidays are special times of respite from work and other routines. In some cases, they are legal holidays when stores, businesses government offices are officially closed. In other cases, they are celebrated without taking time off from work. Holidays are often times for celebration, eating, drinking, travel and family gatherings, but they may be also times of rest and reflection. The current trend is away from rest and reflection. Even Maniga, the day before the traditional reflective period of land, has turned into an entire week of parties, parades, and moneymaking, for those who make the annual pilgrimage to New Orleans.

　　In most countries, the scheduling of holidays originally is related to the seasons, the lunar cycle and religion.

　　Christmas, Dec 25th, celebrates the birth of Jesus. But it is not actually known whether Jesus was born in the winter time. The first woman emperor to her bath Christianity decided to have Christmas when days are shorter. This brings a spill of optimism to the long winter lumps. It also helps bring the Christianity to the pagans, who were accustomed to having festivals at the winter solstice, encouraging the warm and sunshine to return.

　　Over the years, Christmas has come to symbolize good will and generosity for both Christians and non-Christians through the personification of Santa clause, originally a Christian saint known as Santa Nicolas. Nowadays Rudolf the red-nose reindeer is almost as important a global symbol of Christmas as Jesus or Santa, and the commercialization of Christmas threatens to replace the generosity with greed. Many people forget that the original Christmas gifts were given by three wise men, all pagans, to Jesus, a Jewish child born in the manger. All they becoming of are gifts they give and receive and all the money they have spent.

　　One reason for the increasing popularity of Christmas is its proximity to the New Year’s Day, encouraging a long holiday to evolve out of birth. in the USA the holiday has turned into a extended holiday season, lasting from thanksgiving in late November until new year’s day with unseeingly endless parties , dinners , concerts parades and vocation trips. The schools and college are closed from middle December, though early January where people eat too much, drink too much and watch too much American football on TV. New Year gifts, cards and annual newsletters are exchanged and various festivities are not always very restful. Then the some people make new year’s resolutions to eat less, drink less, spend less and work harder in the coming year.

　　Christmas is by far the most important holiday in English speaking countries. Other important holidays, in addition to thanks giving day and New Year, are Valentine’s Day, Sam Patrick’s day, April fool’s day and Easter. On Valentine’s Day, celebrated on Feb. 14th, people give cards, chocolates, flowers, and kisses to their spouses and sweet hearts .on Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17th, people wear green to celebrate the luck of the Irish and eat corned beef and cabbage washed down with green beer.

　　During the Easter week, late march or early April, Christians remembered the death and resurrection of Jesus, while Jews celebrate pass over in memory of the escape of Jews from ancient Egypt where they had been salved.

　　Although it is not actually a holiday and has no religious connotation, April fool’s day celebrated on April 1st is a day when people play embarrassing tricks on friends and colleges and even their teachers. Another holiday, with some similarity to April fool’s day, is Halloween, on October 31st , when children wear funny or scary costumes and ask their neighbors for ticks or treats. And Halloween means hallow evening, the night before all saint’s day when Christians are honored.

　　On the following day, or “saint day” services and preys are set for the dead. In many countries, it is a day when families visit cemetery and place flowers on the tombs of their relevants. In Europe, labor day is celebrated on may 1st , whereas in Canada and united states, labor and labors’ day are honored as a legal holiday on the first Monday of September.

　　本文选自新东方口译名师裴晓栋的blog,blog链接地址：http://blog.hjenglish.com/peixiaodong