中考英语分类阅读及讲解汇编(二)中外趣闻

中考英语分类阅读及讲解汇编（二）中外趣闻

[材料1]

Britishnewspapersaremuchsmallerthantheyusedtobeandtheirreadersareoftenina

hurry,sonewspapermenwriteasfewwordsaspossible.Theytelltheirreadersatoncewhat

happened,where,whenandhowithappenedandwhatwastheresult:howmanypeoplewere

killed,whatdamagewasdone,whichfamousmanmarriedwhichwoman,whodidverywellin

thematchandsoon.Readerswantthefactsetoutasfullyandaccuratelyaspossible.Readersare

alsointerestedinthepeoplewhohaveseentheaccident.Soanewspapermanalwayslikestoget

someinformationfromsomeonewhowasthere,whichcanbegivenintheperson'sownwords.

Becausehecanuseonlyafewwords,thenewspapermanmustchoosethosewordscarefully,

everyonemustbeeffective.Insteadof“hecalledoutinaloudvoice"，hewrites“heshouted”;

insteadof“theloosestonesrollednoisilydownthesideofthemountain”,hewillwrite“they

thundereddownthemountainside".Becausemanyofthereadersaren'tveryclever,andmostof

themareinahurry,

注释

1.damage破坏accurately准确地effective有效率的/高效的loose松动thunder发出

轰隆声roll滚动

2.Readerswantthefactsetoutasfullyandaccuratelyaspossible.

读者要求事件尽可能完整准确地报道出来。

3.Soanewspapermanalwayslikestogetsomeinformationfromsomeonewhowasthere,

whichcanbegivenintheperson'sownwords.

所以报人总喜欢从在场的人那儿获得信息，并且这些信息是用目击者自己的话加以描

述的。（which从句作定语修饰information）

字数188要求时间3实际时间

1.Fromthetext,welearnthatnewspapermenwriteasfewwordsaspossible,because

readers.

A.wanttoknowmoreaboutthenewsB.takenointerestinwhathashappened

C.havenotimetoreadthenewscarefullyD.paymuchattentiontotheresult

2.Theword“one”inthesentence“everyonemustbeeffective“means.

A.wordB.newspapermanC.readerD.person

3.Whichofthefollowingwouldbestcompletethetext?

Ahewillkeephiswritingshort.Bhewon'tcareabouthiswriting.

ChewillgivenothingbutinformationDhewon'tmakehiswritinggoodenough

4.InwhatwaydoyouthinkBritishnewspaperhavebecomesmaller?

A.Inpagesize.B.Innumberofreaders.C.Innumberofpages.D.Innumberofcopies.

5.Whichofthefollowingistrue?

A.Readersarenotsatisfiedwiththeshortnews.

B.Notmanypeoplehavetimetoreadthelongmessagesinnewspapers.

C.Readersfindthelanguageofthenewspaperexciting.

D.Newspapermentrytoreportasfullyaspossible.

Key:l.C2.A3.A4.C5.B

[材料2]

AChildrenRestaurant

InAmsterdam,thecapitalofHolland,thereisauniqueChildrenRestaurant.Itisrunwholly

bythechildren.Fromthemanagertothecooks,cashiers,waitersorwaitressesandotherstaff

membersareallchildrenform6to12yearsold.Theythemselvesdoallthenecessaryworksuch

ascookingandcleaning.ThesechildrenareselectedinAmsterdam.Aftertraining,theymayserve

intheRestaurantforfourweeks.Allofthemarewillingtoworkthereandtheyareveryproudof

thework.

ThisRestaurantwasfoundedin1983byawomancook,whowantedtogivethechildren

chancestolearntobeusefultothesociety.Andnowsheistheonlyadultthere,butherjobisjust

totakecareofthechildren.

TheRestaurantiswelcomedalmostbyeveryone.Sincethereareonly20seatsinthe

restaurant,itisalwaysverycrowded.

Soyoushouldmakeareservationmonthsinadvance.Thecostofamealdiffersaccordingto

thecustomers.UsuallyUS$4foreachadult,butmuchcheaperforthechildren.Anditsbusiness

hoursareonlyonSaturdayeveningsandSundayafternoons.

注释

1.Amsterdam阿姆斯山unique独特的wholly完全staff职员waitress女服务员

reservation预定座位inadvance事先

2.Allofthemarewillingtoworkthereandtheyareveryproudofthework.

所有人都是自愿来工作的并且为这项工作而自豪。

3.Thecostofamealdiffersaccordingtothecustomers.

饭菜的价格根据顾客而有所不同。

4.UsuallyUS$4foreachadult,butmuchcheaperforthechildren.

通常每位成人4美元，儿童要便宜得多。

字数199要求时间4实际时间

1.Thechildreninthisrestaurant.

A.canearnonlyfourdollarsaday

B.arefondofworkingthere

C.willhavetoworkthereforoveramonth

D.doalltheworkexceptcooking

2.Theword“cashier“inthefirstpassageperhapsmeans.

A.apersonwhocooksfood

B.apersonwhodoescleaning

C.apersonwhoreceivesandpaysoutmoneyinarestaurantetc.

D.apersonwhoservesfoodtocustomers

3.WhichcanbeTRUEaccordingtothispassage?

A.AllthechildrenintheRestaurantformAmsterdam

B.Ifyoudon'torderamealamonthaheadoftime,youwillgetnofoodinthecity.

C.EverybodylikestheRestaurant,soitisoftenfilledwithcustomers.

D.InAmsterdam,anychildbetween6and12canworkinthisRestaurantifhelikes

4.WhichisNOTtrueaccordingtothewriter?

A.ThisRestauranthasahistoryofabout20years.

B.Forthesamemealachildwillpaylesswhileanadultspaymore.

C.ThewomanwhosetupthisRestaurantusedtobeacook.

D.Therearemorethanascoreofseats.

5.TheChildrenRestaurantwasmanagedby.

A.thegovernmentofAmsterdam

B.awomancook

C.thechildrenthemselves

D.oneofthechildren'sparents

Key:1.B2.C3.A4.D5.C

[材料3]

SeaMail

Somepeopledon'tneedamailboxtosendamessage.Theyuseabottleinstead.Herearetwo

storiesaboutpeoplewhosentamessageinabottle.Bothstoriesaretrue.

In1965,asailorfromSwedenwasonaship.Hewrotealetter,askinganyyoungwomanto

him.Heputtheletterinabottleandthrewthebottleintothesea.

Twoyearslater,amanfoundthebottleonabeachinItaly.Hereadtheletterandshowedit

tohisdaughter.Shewas18.Asajoke,shewrotetothesailor.Theybegantoexchangeletters.In

afewmonths,theyweremarried.

Hereisthesecondstory.Backin1924,aboyfromArkansaswrotehisnameonthebackof

hispicture.Heputthepictureinabottleanddroppedthebottleintoariver.

ThebottlewasnotfoundformanyyearsuntilonedayamannamedBillpickeditupona

beachinFlorida.Hepulledthepictureoutofthebottleandlookedatit.Hecouldhardlybelieve

hiseyes.Tohisgreatsurprise,theboyinthepicturewashisfriend,Tom,fromArkansas.Billhad

notseenTomfor25years.Somehowthebottlehadcometotherightplace.

注释

1.exchange交换Arkansas阿肯色(美国州名)somehow不知怎的

2.Asajoke,shewrotetothesailor.

作为玩笑，她给水手写了信。

3.ThebottlewasnotfoundformanyyearsuntilonedayamannamedBillpickeditupon

abeachinFlorida.

直到许多年后一个名叫比尔的人才有一天在佛罗里达州的一个海滩上拾起这只瓶子。

4.Somehowthebottlehadcometotherightplace.

不知怎的，这个瓶总算来对了地方。

字数222要求时间4.5实际时间

1.Whatisthemainideaofthewholestory?

A.Sailingonaship.B.Sendingamessageinabottle.

C.SendingamessagetoItaly.D.Findafriend.

1.Afterthesailorwrotealetter,he.

a)threwtheletterawayB.puttheletterinabottleC.foundabottleonabeach

D.puttheletterinabottleandthrewitintothesea

2.ThesailorandthegirlfromItaly.

a)grewuptogetherB.wenttothesameschoolC.hadnotknowneachother

D.hadknowneachotherbefore

3.ThemannamedBilllookedatthepictureofTomandwas.

a)unhappyB.surprisedC.tiredD.cryingharderandharder

4.Attheendofthestory,BillandTommusthavebeen.

A.12yearsoldB.25yearsoldC.morethan25yearsold

D.lessthan25yearsold

Key:l.B2.D3.C4.B5,C

[材料4]

Arabsconsideritverybadmannerstostarttalkingbusinessatonce.Eventhebusiness

governmentofficialalwaystakestimetobepoliteandofferrefreshments.Nomatterhowbusy

youare,youshouldmaketimeforthis.

TheconferencevisitisawayofdoingbusinessthroughouttheArabworld.Veryoftenyou

willhavetodiscussyourbusinessinthepresenceofstrangers,whomayormaynothaveanything

todowithyourbusiness.Donotbesurprisedifyourmeetingisinterruptedseveraltimesby

peoplewhocomeintotheroomwithoutbeingasked,talkorspeaksoftlytothepersonwithwhom

youaretalking,andleave.Actasthoughyoudonothear,andnevershowthatyouarenotpleased

atbeinginterrupted.

MakingdecisionsquicklyisnotanArabcustom.Thereisavaguenessindoingbusinessin

theMiddleEastwhichwillpuzzleanewcomer.Giveyourselflotsoftimeandasklotsof

questions.

WhenanArabsaysyes,hemaymeans“maybe”.Whenhesaysmaybe,heprobablymeans

“no".YouwillseldomgetadirectfromanArabbecauseitisconsideredimpolite.Insteadof

"no”,hewillsay"inshaHah”,whichmeans,t4IfGodiswilling^^.Ontheotherhand"yes"doesnot

necessarilymean"yes”.Asmileandaslownodmightseemlikeanagreement,butinfact,your

hostispolite.AnArabconsideritimpolitetodisagreewithaguest.

注释

1.manners礼貌行动refreshment茶点conference招待会式的presence在场interrupt

打断custom习俗vagueness模棱两可seldom难得

2.Eventhebusinessgovernmentofficialalwaystakestimetobepoliteandoffer

refreshments.即使是政府官员也总要花时间来表示他的礼貌并向客人提供茶点。

3.Veryoftenyouwillhavetodiscussyourbusinessinthepresenceofstrangers,whomay

ormaynothaveanythingtodowithyourbusiness.你常常不得不在陌生人在场的情况下和人

谈生意，这些陌生人也许与你的生意有关，也许没有关系。

4.Actasthoughyoudonothear,andnevershowthatyouarenotpleasedatbeing

interrupted.装着什么也没听见，绝对不要因被他人打扰而表露不悦。

5.Ontheotherhand"yes"doesnotnecessarilymean“yes”.另一方面，“是”不

一定就意味着肯定。

字数247要求时间5实际时间

1.Thepassagetellsushowtobepolite.

A.whentravelinginArabB.whentalkingtoArabs

C.whenhavingameetinginArabD.doingbusinesswithArabs

2.Itisconsideredtobe.

A.politeB.impoliteC.friendlyD.terrific

3.AnewcomerwhenheisdoingbusinesswithArabs.

A.feelshappyB.feelspuzzledC.feelsworriedD.feelssorry

4.WhenanArabsays“inshallah”，hereallymeans"

A.YesB.MaybeC.SureD.No

5.It'simpoliteforanArab.

A.totalkwithaguestB.tosaytoaguest

C.todobusinesswithaguestD.tosmileataguest

Key:1.d2.b3.b4.d5.b

[材料5]

TalkingAboutFood

Isn'titastonishinghowmuchtimewespendtalkingaboutfood?”Haveyouevereaten...?v

“Whatdidyouhaveforlunch?”andsoon.Andyetwhenyoutravelfromonecountrytoanother,

youfindthatpeoplehavequitedifferentfeelingsaboutfood.Peopleoftenfeelthatwhattheyeat

isnormal,andthatwhatotherpeopleeatisstrangeorsilly.InmostpartofAsia,forexample,no

meatiscompletewithoutrice.InEngland,peopleeatpotatoeseveryday.IntheMiddleEast,

breadisthemainpartofeverymeal.Eating,likesomanythingswedo,becomesahabitwhichis

difficulttochange.Americansliketodrinkalotoforangejuiceandcoffee.TheEnglishdrinktea

fourorfivetimeseveryday.Australiansdrinkagreatdealofbeer,andtheFrenchdrinkwine

everyday.

Thesortofmeatpeopleliketoeatalsodiffersfromonecountrytoanother.Horsemeatis

thoughttobedeliciousinFrance.InHongKong,somepeopleenjoyeatingsnakes.New

Zealanderseatsheep,buttheynevereatgoatmeat.TheJapanesedon'tliketoeatsheepmeat

becauseofitssmell,buttheyenjoyeatingrawfish.

Soitseemsthatalthougheatingisatopicwecantalkaboutforhours,thereisverylittle

commonsenseinwhatwesayaboutit.Peopleeverywhereenjoyeatingwhattheyhavealways

eaten,andthereisverylittlewecandotochangeoureatinghabits.

注释

1.astonishing令人惊讶的normal正常的silly愚蠢的differ与…不同raw生的sense

感觉

2.InmostpartofAsia,forexample,nomeatiscompletewithoutrice.在亚洲的大部分

地区，没有米饭就算不上一顿完整的饭食。

3.Eating,likesomanythingswedo,becomesahabitwhichisdifficulttochange.就象我

们做其他事一样，吃饭成了一种难以改变的习惯。

4.Thesortofmeatpeopleliketoeatalsodiffersfromonecountrytoanother.人们喜欢

吃的肉的品种各自国家也不尽相同。

5.Soitseemsthatalthougheatingisatopicwecantalkaboutforhours,thereisverylittle

commonsenseinwhatwesayaboutit.所以，情况似乎是这样的，尽管吃饭是一个我们可以

一小时又一小时谈论的话题，但其中的感觉却无一点共同之处。

字数259要求时间5实际时间

1.Peopleoftenfeelthatwhatotherseatis.

A.normalB.badC.terribleD.strange

2.Englishpeopleeateveryday.

A.riceB.potatoesC.horsemeatD.fish

3.TheFrenchdrinkeveryday.

A.wineB.teaC.coffeeD.orangejuice

4.Japanesepeopleliketoeat.

A.snakesB.sheepmeatC.rawfishD.goatmeat

5.People'seatinghabits.

A.areeasytochangeB.needn'ttobechanged

C.aredifficulttochangeD.shouldbechanged

Key:1.d2.b3.a4.c5.c

[材料6]

Fromthetimewewerebabieswehavebeentaughtourmanners.Wearetaughthowtohold

aspoonandchopsticksandnottotalkwithourmouthsfulloffood.Wearetaughthowtoshake

handsandwhentostandandwhentositandthewaytointroducepeople.

Sometimesgoodmannersinoneplaceareverybadmannerssomewhereelse.

Almosteverywhereeatingtogethermeansthatyouareveryfriendlytoeachother.Butin

partsofPolynesia,itisbadmannerstobeseeneatingatall.Theypolitelyturntheirbacksoneach

otherwhentheyaretalkingfood.

SomeEastAfricansspitfourtimesasakindofblessing.Theydoittoshowthattheywanta

sickpersontogetwell,ortoblessanewbombaby.Inmostotherplaces,spittingmeansjust

somethingcompletelydifferent.It5ssomethingtodotoshowthatyouhatesomeone.

Whenwegotovisitsomeone,wesay"heHo”and"Howareyou?”andthingslikethat.

IfyouwerevisitinganEastAfricanvillage,everyonewouldbeverycarefulnottopayany

attentiontoyou.Thepolitethingtherewouldbefortogoquietly,withoutspeakingtoanyone,

andsitbesideyourfriend.Youwouldwaituntilhehadfinishedwhathewasdoingandthenhe

wouldbegintalkingtoyou.

InavillageinArab,avisitorwalksbehindallthetentsuntilhegetstotheonehewantsto

visit.Ifhepassedinfront,hewouldbeinvitedintoeachtentandaskedtoeat.Itwasrudeto

refuse.

注释

1.introduce介绍Polynesia波利西亚（中太平洋岛群）blessing祝福rude无礼

2.Theypolitelyturntheirbacksoneachotherwhentheyaretalkingfood.

他们进食的时候都会有礼貌地背靠背。

3.It'ssomethingtodotoshowthatyouhatesomeone.

这是一种表示讨厌某人的举动。

4.Ifhepassedinfront,hewouldbeinvitedintoeachtentandaskedtoeat.

假如他万一打前面经过，他就会被人请进帐篷吃饭。

字数276要求时间6实际时间

1.Wehavebeentaught.

A.it'sbadmannerstostandandtosit

B.it'sgoodmannerstoholdaspoonandchopsticks

C.it'sgoodmannersnottotalkwithourmouthsfull

D.howtoshakehandswhenweintroducepeople

2.InpartsofPolynesiait'snotpolite.

A.nottoeattogether

B.toturntheirbacksoneachotherwhentheyeat

C.toseeotherseating

D.totakefood

3.Inmostplaces,spittingmeans.

A.akindofblessingB.youwantasickpersontogetwell

C.yougiveanew-bornbabytheblessingD.youhatesomeone

4.IfyouvisitanEastAfricanvillage,you.

A.hadbettersay“Hello"or"Howareyou“toothers.

B.willkeepquietandnottopayanyattentiontoothers

C.shouldbeverycarefulandnottopayanyattentiontoothers

D.cantalktovillagerswhentheyareworking

5.IfyoupassinfrontofthetentsinArab,.

A.youwouldbeinvitedinandeatineachtent

B.youjustrefusetogointothetent

C.youcanwalkbehindallthetents

D.youcan'tgettotheoneyouwanttovisit

Key:l.C2.C3.D4.C5.A

[材料7]

NewYorkisoneofthelastlargeAmericancitiestohavesomeofitspolicemenon

horseback.TheNewYorkpolicehave170horsesworkingincertainpartsofthecity.Thehorses

areexpensivetofeed,butitisevenmoreexpensivetolookafterthem.Becausethehorsesmust

walkonthestreets,theyneedspecialhorseshoes.Infact,theyneedmorethan8,000ofthemeach

year.EverypolicehorseinNewYorkgetsnewshoeseverymonth.Keepingtheseshoesingood

repairisthejobofsixblacksmiths.Thereareonlyaboutthirty-fiveoftheseblacksmithsinthe

wholeUnitedStates.

Thecostofshoeingahorseisbetweentwentydollarsandthirty-fivedollars,andittakesa

goodblacksmithtwoorthreehourstodothejob.

Ablacksmith'sjobisnotaneasyone.Hemustbeabletoshapeashoefromapieceof

metalandthenfitittothehorse'sfoot.Theblacksmithmustbendoverallthetimewhenheis

fittingtheshoeandmustholdtheweightofthehorse'slegwhileheworks.Clearly,ablacksmith

mustbeverystrong.Butevenmoreimportant,hemustbeabletodealwithhorses--forbeforethe

blacksmithcanbeginhiswork,hehastogetthehorsetoliftitsleg.

OneoftheblacksmithsinNewYorkisJamesCorbin.Hecametothecountryfrom

Irelandin1948.Henotonlymakeshorseshoesforthepolicebutalsoworksforagroupofhorse

ownersnearthecity.Corbinbecameinterestedinblacksmithingbecausehisfatherdidit,and,as

theputsit,"It'sagoodwaytomakealiving.”

注释

1.blacksmith铁匠fit安装weight重量

2.Keepingtheseshoesingoodrepairisthejobofsixblacksmiths.

修理这些马掌是六个铁匠的活。

3.Theblacksmithmustbendoverallthetimewhenheisfittingtheshoeandmusthold

theweightofthehorse'slegwhileheworks.

铁匠给马装鞋的时候要老弯着腰，并且工作的时候还要承受马腿的重量。

4.Butevenmoreimportant,hemustbeabletodealwithhorses一

但更重要的是他能对付马。

字数288要求时间6实际时间

1.Accordingtothereadingpassage,ablacksmithmustbelikelyaman.

A.cleverB.richC.strongD.lucky

2.JamesCorbinbecameablacksmithbecausehe.

A.wasinterestedinhorsesB.wasneededbythepolicemen

C.drewapictureofthehorseshoeD.hadamakealiving

3.Inthereadingpassage“toshapeashoe,,isto.

A.fititonthehorse'sfoot

B.useitfortwoorthreehours

C.makethefromofahorseshoefromapieceofmetal

D.drawapictureoftheshoe

4.Thebesttitleforthepassageis"

A.PolicemenonHorsebackB.BlacksmithsandHorseshoeing

C.JamesCorbin,aBlacksmithD.HorseshoeingisaGoodWaytoMakeaLiving

5.Whichofthefollowingistrue?

A.OnlyafewlargeAmericancitieshavesomepolicemenonhorseback.

B.NewYorkistheonlycityinAmericatohavesomepolicemenonhorseback.

C.PolicemenonhorsebackenjoytravellingaroundtheUnitedStates.

D.Policemenonhorsebackarelessexpensivethanthoseincars.

Key:l.C2.D3.C4.B5.A

[材料8]

TheotherdayIheardanAmericansaytoaChinesestudentofEnglish“Youspeakverygood

English."Butthestudentanswered,t4No,no.MyEnglishisverypoor."Theforeignerwasquite

surprisedattheanswer.Thinkinghehadnotmadehimselfunderstoodorthestudenthadnot

heardhimclearly,hesaid,44Yes,indeed,youspeakverywell."ButtheChinesestudentstillkept

saying,"No."Intheendtheforeignergaveupanddidn'tknowwhattosay.

What'swrongwiththestudent'sanswer?Itisbecausehedidn'tacceptacomplimentasthe

Englishpeopledo.Heshouldhavesaid,“Thankyou."insteadof"No."Hereallyunderstood

whattheAmericanhadsaid.Buthethoughtheshouldbemodest.Ifhethought,"Thankyou/5that

wouldmeanhewastooproud.AccordingtotheWesterncultureifsomeonesaysthedishesyou

havecookedareverydelicious,youshouldsay“Thankyou."Ifsomeonesaystoawoman“You

looksobeautifulwiththenewclotheson.''Sheshouldbeveryhappyandanswer“Thankyou.”

Inourcountrywethinkbeingmodestisavirtueandshowingoffisabadthing,butintheWest,

ifyouaremodestandsay,"No,I'mafraidIcan'tdoitwell,“thentheotherswillthinkthatyou

reallycannotdoit.Ifyouoftensay"No,youwillcertainlybelookeddownuponbyothers.If

askingforajob,onesayssomethinglike“Letmehaveatryonthejob."Insteadof"Yes,Ican

certainlydoit”,heorshewillexpecttogetit.SointheWestoneshouldalwaysbeconfident.

Withoutself-confidence,hecannotgoanywhere.Confidenceisofgreatimportancetooneina

countrywherecompetitionisquitekeen.

注释

1.indeed的确compliment赞美词modest谦逊culture文化virtue优点confidence

自信keen激烈的

2.Itisbecausehedidn'tacceptacomplimentastheEnglishpeopledo.

这是因为他没有象英国人那样接受别人的赞美。

3.Inourcountrywethinkbeingmodestisavirtueandshowingoffisabadthing

我们认为谦逊是一种美德而张扬是一件坏事。

4.No,youwillcertainlybelookeddownuponbyothers.

不，你肯定会被人瞧不起的。

字数306要求时间6实际时间

5.WhywastheAmericansurprisedattheChinesestudent'sanswer?

A.BecausehewonderedwhetherthestudentscouldreallyspeakgoodEnglish.

B.Becausehewouldn'tlikeotherstosay"No".

C.Becausehecouldhardlyhearwhatthestudenthadsaid.

D.BecausethewaytoacceptacomplimentinChinaisnotthesameasthatintheWestern

countries.

6.Asthestudentkeptsaying"No.”,theAmerican.

A.becausedisappointed

B.gotangry

C.lostinterest

D.couldnotcontinuethetalkbecausehereallydidn'tknowwhatelsehecouldsay

7.AccordingtotheWesternculture,ifoneisgivenacomplimentheorsheshouldsay

A.PardonB.ExcusemeC.Yes,thanksalotD.Thankyou

8.WhydoesamanintheWestwhoasksforajobsaysomethinglike"Yes,Icancertainly

doit."?

A.Becauseheisnotmodest.

B.Becauseinordertogetthejobheshouldshowthathe'sjustfitforthejob.

C.Becausehecoulddonothingbutspeakthatway.

D.Becausehejustwantedtohaveatry.

9.Whatdoesthepassagetellus?

A.TheChinesepeoplearemodestwhiletheWesternersareconfident.

B.Confidenceismoreimportantthanmodesty.

C.HowtoacceptcomplimentsgivenbyWesterners.

D.AbouttheWesternculture.

Key:l.D2.D3.D4.B5,B

[材料9]

PeoplecelebratebirthdaysinalmosteverycountryonEarth.Andtheycelebratethemin

manydifferentways.

InChinaandinJapan,forexample,theamvaloftheNewYearismoreimportantthana

person'sbirthday.SoeveryoneaddsayeartotheiragesonNewYear'sDay,insteadofontheir

birthdays.

InBrazil,thespecialbirthdayfoodisn'tcake,butspecialcandies.InChina,it'slong

noodles-forlonglife.InIceland,peoplehavepancakeswithcandiesrolledinsidethemon

birthdays.

InBritain,abirthdayisanall-daycelebration.Atschool,thebirthdaychildisliftedupand

“bumped“byhisclassmates.Thismeansthechildisliftedbythefeetandarmsandbumpedtothe

ground,onceforeachyearandonceforgoodgrowth.InIsrael,thesamecustomisfollowed,

exceptthebirthdaypersonisliftedandloweredwhilesittinginachair.

InHolland,childrennotonlygetpresents,buttheygivethingsout,too.Theygivecakes,

cookiesandcandiestotheirclassmatesandteachersontheirbirthday.

InMexico,ifsgoodlucktogivebirthdaygreetingsasearlyinthedayaspossible.Soit's

usualforthebirthdaychildtobewokenupatmid-nightbyfriendssingingbirthdaysongs.

InIndia,birthdaycelebrationsalsobeginbeforeit'slight.Prayersandblessingsmustbesaid

beforemorningcomes.

InThailand,twotallcandlesarelightedthenightbeforeabirthday.Oneisastallasthe

birthdayperson.Ifitgoesoutearly,it'sbadluck.AnothercustomofThailandisthattheybuylive

fishandbirdsforthebirthdaypersonandthenthebirthdaypersonfreestheanimals,anditbrings

goodluck.

InNigeria,everyoneinacertainagegroupcelebratetheirbirthdaystogether,onacertain

day.

Inmanycountriesbirthdaycustomsarechanging.Oldcustomsaregivingwaytowestern

stylebirthdays,withcandle-toppedcakes.Butonethingneverchanges—birthdaysarespecial

daysforeveryone!

注释

1.arrival到达r