托福口语背景材料：有关节日的意义

　　Purpose of festivals and celebrationsQ: Why do you thinkfestivals are important events in the working year?Answer:Yeah.It’s very important for two reasons.For the country, it’s a timeto remember our cultural origin and our historical past.Thewhole country celebrates our root and it’s very inspiring.Webecome so proud of our past.I guess that’s why festivals areimportant.For the individual, festivals give us a chance forrelaxation as we often have a few days off. It’s a time of fun, meeting friends, entertainment.Soafter that we feel like a new man.In a sense, holidays restore our balance between work andleisure.That’s also why we need festivals for China.

　　Q: Would you agree that the original significance of festival is often lost today?

　　构思:节日的初衷: 庆祝传统, 承上启下, 结束也是开始现在的节日: 人们繁忙, 感觉不到开始和结束的意义, 过完节,马上就再次投入到工作中, 有些单位甚至连节假日都加班. 人们也不在那么感动传统,倒是好好的利用节日放松了一下, 吃吃喝喝,购物,节日从tradition象 consumption过渡.更像是给了人们一个借口: 1. 放下工作 2. 奢侈享受 3. 见见好久不见的重要的人.这么讲的话, 节日也挺好的.Answer:I think the original significance for festivals are to celebrate our tradition.It’s an end tothe old year and the beginning of a new year. So it’s a connecting day.But today, people are sobusy, they’re under so much pressure and they no longer feel the transition between the old andthe new year. Some companies even ask their employees to come in on holidays. So many peoplebegin to feel that festivals are just as common as the other days.People no longer take theopportunities of festivals to honor their tradition,but go shopping, go to restaurant to entertaininstead.So I think tradition is out, consumption is in.Festivals provide people such an excuse to putdown their work, to spend money and be extravagant (奢侈的), and to meet people that theydon’t have time for during the working year.So in this sense, even the original significance is lost,festivals are still exciting.

　　Q: Do you think that new festivals will be introduced in the future? What kind?

　　构思:世界变化快, 人们拥抱新生活, 世界西方东方交融,西方人开始吃饺子, 过春节; 东方人开始互相送巧克力和玫瑰花, 过情人节.人们开始尝试新东西,可能将来也会考虑新节日.这样精彩的节日不再是national, 而是international,这样不是很酷吗?听说,有些人今年开始过 男人节 8.3, 很有趣, 有点傻,但是不得不说也是一个新鲜 的尝试.

　　Answer:The world is changing so fast.People are embracing new lifestyles as East and Westcome together.Westerners begin to eat dumplings with chopsticks to celebrate Chinese SpringFestival. And Chinese young people exchange chocolates and roses on Valentine’s day. So, yousee? People are experimenting with new life patterns.And it’s quite possible that new festivals maybe invented or introduced.Wouldn’t that be cool?What kind? Well, I don’t know for sure becauseit’s the future right?But I heard this year, in my country, some people celebrated the men’s day,which is on August the third.It’s dorky. (书呆子) But it’s new and exciting, right.Will it last? I don’tknow.All I know is that this is an interesting attempt.