It is hard to calculate the number of festivals and holidays around the world because there are simply too many of them! People have all kinds of local festivals, and some international festivals are celebrated in different ways in various countries. Have you ever wondered why people need festivals?
Some of the festivals come from religious beliefs, such as Christmas. It originated among Christians but has now become a public holiday for everyone around the world. However, there are other reasons why we hold festivals. They break up the flow of the year and bind us together as families and communities.
Festivals and holidays are fun escape from our regular schedules. Without holidays our weeks would run together into years of boredom. What is October without children ringing our doorbells asking for candy? What is November without turkey on the table and family around it? The answer is: boring months.
We also celebrate festivals because they are reasons to be reconnected with family and long-lost friends. Many people do not have the freedom to meet families and close friends at any time. Festivals and holidays give us the chance. Furthermore, festivals bring us together as a community. Many people make holidays the times they reach out to other people. The bright hearts decorating department stores in February, the blinking lights hanging on lamp posts in December—these help us feel connected to something larger than ourselves.
In a world where get-togethers and barbecues do not happen as much as they used to in decades past, in a world where no one borrow sugar from his or her neighbor any longer or bakes a cake when someone moves on to the block, festivals tie us together.
Therefore, everyone should make the most of their festival times. Get out and decorate your home at Christmas time. Surprise your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend with a Valentine’s Day gift And definitely have fun at Halloween. Even if you do not enjoy Halloween, I am sure the children in your neighborhood will appreciate your dressing up, putting a graveyard in your front yard and passing out candy!
【小题1】What does the underlined word “originated” (paragraph 2) mean in this article?| A．congratulated | B．celebrated |
| C．came into being | D．invited |
| A．Because people have the chance to meet each other. |
| B．Because department stores and lamp posts are decorated. |
| C．Because we can’t escape from work and fixed schedules. |
| D．Because we feel we are a community. |
| A．People do not go to barbecues nowadays |
| B．We don’t have as strong as a sense of community as we used to. |
| C．Few people give food to neighbors. |
| D．There are fewer social activities we enjoy during festivals. |
