新编六级听力练习 第375期

Passage Three
Easter is a mix of three traditions: Pagan, Hebrew and Christian. The Pagan part, relates to the Easter Bunny and the Easter egg. [32]The origin of the rabbit icon, or Easter Bunny, comes from the fact that rabbits are notable for their capacity of abundant production of young especially at this time of year. [33]The use of Easter eggs has its roots in the characteristic of eggs laid in great numbers in the spring being colored like rays of the returning sun and the northern lights. There is also a long tradition of decorating Easter eggs and giving them at Easter.
As for the Hebrew tradition, Easter just happens to fall on the same day as Passover, a traditional Jewish festival. [34]It was at the feast of the Passover in Jerusalem that Jesus, a Jew, was crucified and rose from the dead. A name for Easter, therefore, is Pasch, with various spellings. Churches throughout the East and West celebrate Easter as a major feast ranking with Christmas, witness the "hot cross bun" or boon distributed among the faithful. There is no indication of the observance of the Easter festival in the New Testament bible, or in the later writings by Christian leaders. [35]The first Christians didn't celebrate it as a Christian event at all. They continued to observe the Jewish festivals, though in a new spirit, as commemorations of events, which those festivals had foreshadowed. Thus the Passover, with a new conception and became the Christian Easter.

Questions 32 to 35 are based on the passage you have just heard.
32. What is the origin of Easter Bunny?
正确答案：A
解析：短文谈到，兔子成为复活节的标志，原因是兔子的繁殖能力很强，特别是在每年的这个时候（即春天），故选A。
33. What do we learn about the Easter eggs from the passage?
正确答案：B
解析：短文谈到，在春天大量染了色的鸡蛋堆放在一起就好像反射的太阳光和北极光，复活节彩蛋的使用即根源于这一特色，也就是说，彩蛋象征着春季这个美丽的季节，故选B。预读选项时可发现D过于绝对，一般太绝对的选项不为答案，可先排除D。
34. What do we know about the Passover according to the speaker?
正确答案：D
解析：短文谈到，在耶路撒冷的逾越节里，耶稣被钉死在十字架上并复活，故选D。
35. How did early Christians celebrate Easter?
正确答案：A
解析：短文谈到，早期的基督徒没有庆祝复活节的习惯，故选A。