高中课文 高中英语必修3.docVIP

UNIT1 1.Festival around the world Ancient Festivals Festivsls 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 aunmm.Sometimes celebrations would be held after hunters had caught animals At that time people would starve iffood was difficult to find,especially during the cold winter months.Today’s festivals have many origins,some rdigious some seasonal，and some for special people or events. Festivals of the Dead Some festivals are held to honour the dead or to sarisfy the ancestors,who might return either to help or t0 do harm For the Japanese festival Obon,people should go to clean graves and light incense in memory oftheir ancestors They also light lamps and play music because they think that this 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 girls to the dead.The Western holiday Halloween also had its origin in old beliefs about the retum of the spirits of dead people.It is now a children’s festival，when they can dress up and go to their neighbours’homes to ask for sweets If the ncighbours do not give any sweets，the children might play a trick on them. Festivals to Honour People Festivals Call also be held to honour famous people.The Dragon Boat Fesrival 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 October2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi，the lcadet who helped gain India’s independence from Britain. Harvest Festivals Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals call 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 decorat