外研社新标准大学英语三级网上考试答案.doc

PART1 BDCDB CCCAD PART2 DABBDDPART3 DCA BBC CBC DBC ADC Brazils Famous Carnival HolidayRenata Pauperio from BrazilCarnival is the most famous holiday in Brazil. It is not about a big moment in history or about a famous person, but it is important for the people because its a time of camaraderie, freedom, and almost a whole week without work. People can choose between parties or rest, and most people choose parties, day after day, night after night.It starts forty days before Easter. Its based on the Christian calendar, but it isnt approved by the Church very well. It lasts four days and four nights. It starts on Saturday and finishes on a Thursday. People put on their costumes and go out into the streets or to clubs. There are also the Samba schools which make a parade showing their music, fantasies, and allegorical cars. They are followed by the people. Every year the parade tell a different story. Each city has one or more schools like this.Carnival is celebrated in the south where by Wednesday everything comes back to normalThe problem is that it is not approved by the church in the Northwest where carnival is more traditional. There people dont respect its end and keep going to party until the next SundayI like Carnival, but I dont agree that the party should keep going on. And, like at every other popular party, people drive, dance and have fun. Unfortunately, some people arent conscientious and give it a bad name, leaving a bad impression of this holiday, but it is the only national holiday that moves all the country and its different kinds of people and cultures togetherReturn to: Holidays and Celebrations of the World | Home PageNew Year Traditions Irish (Celtic) New YearThe Irish New Year festival is known as Samhain which meant summer ends and was celebrated on 31 October. The festival has survived as Halloween.It was at this time they hold their General Assembly. This was held in the out in the air parliament where the laws were renewed and accounts of events, details of births, deaths and marriages, were recorded.This day was considered of great danger for it was when the spirits of the dead returned to earth. It was believed the spirits could do harm unless precautions were taken. The Celtic priests go into the woods on New Years Eve to gather bunches of mistletoe which they handed out to people to protect them from any harm. Also bonfires were lit to drive away evil forces. They also believed that it was safer to stay indoors as fairies were abroad on New Years Eve.In Ireland the girls would go to bed with sprigs of mistletoe, or holly and ivy leaves under their pillows so they would go to bed dreaming of their future husbands. They might also chant:Oh, ivy green and holly red,Tell me, tell me whom I shall wed!In western Ireland the direction of the wind blowing at New Year would indicate the trend of politics in the coming year If it blew from the west it would flourish, if from the east the English would have upper hand.Also if they ate a very large New Years Eve dinner they would have plenty of food for the coming yearOne custom that was practiced on New Years Eve was to take a large loaf of Christmas bread or cake outside the house and hammer it against the closed doors and windows, this was done so as to drive out any misfortune and let happiness inThe Druids gave a gift of twigs from the mistletoe, as this was a plant that was