【创新设计】2016-2017学年高中英语 Unit 1 Festivals around the world Period One Warming Up Reading讲义 新人教版必修3.doc

Unit 1 Festivals around the world The Chinese Spring Festival 2016 Chinese New Year falls on February 8.It is a great chance to experience the traditional Chinese folk customs! The Chinese New Year，also called the Spring Festival，has more than 4,000 years ofhistory.Being one of the traditional Chinese festivals，it is the most important festival for Chinese people.Starting in the Shang Dynasty (about 17th－11th century BC)，it celebrates family reunion and hopes the advent of spring.People from different regions celebrate it in their unique ways. It is said that the custom of the Chinese New Year started in the last month of the Chinese lunar calendar when people offered sacrifice to their ancestors.At that time，people prepared the sacrifice by doing thorough cleaning，having bathes and so on.Later，people began to worship different deities as well on that day.The sacrificing time changed according to the farming schedule and was not fixed until the Han Dynasty (202 BC－220 AD).The custom of worshipping deities and ancestors remains even though the ceremonies are not as grand as before.It is also the time that spring is coming，so people hold all kinds of ceremonies to welcome it. There are many legends about the Spring Festival in Chinese culture.In folk culture，it is also called “guo- nian” in Chinese.It is said that the “nian” was a strong monster which was fierce and cruel and ate one kind of animal including human beings a day.Human beings were scared about it and had to hide in the evening when the “nian” came out.Later，people found that “nian” was very scared about the red colour and fireworks.So after that，people use red colour and fireworks or firecrackers to drive away the “nian”.As a result，the custom of using red colour and setting off fireworks remains. 1.advent n.(重要人物、事件等的)到来，出现 2.sacrifice n.祭品；牺牲；v.牺牲；献祭 3.worship vt. n.敬奉(神)；拜神 4.deity n.神 5.legend n.传说，传奇 6.monster n.怪物 判断正(T)误(F) 1.The Spring Festival in China dates back to the Tang Dynasty.(F) 2.