第二十二章假日和节日.doc

Chapter 22Holidays and Festivals I.本章知识点1.重点：New Years Day celebration in the USPractices of Valentines DayEaster in the USIndependence DayHalloweenThanksgiving DayChristmas2.难点、考点：New Years DayEaster in the USThanksgiving DayChristmas.课本内容New Years Day celebration in the US1.Most people like to hold big parties at private homes or go to restaurants or clubs. New Years Day is thought of as good time to make New Years decisions. Grown-ups and children often promise to get rid of their bad habits and make up their minds to lead better lives in the new year.2.One of the biggest and most exciting places in the United States on New Years Eve is Times Square in New York City.3.Mummers Parade （化妆游行） in Philadelphia: one of the most popular New Years Day activities.4.the Rose Tournament （玫瑰竞赛） in California.Martin Luther Kings day “I have a dream”; he was awarded the Nobel Prize for peace in 1964.practices of Valentines Day1.a day for lovers, and one of the loveliest holidays in the United States.2.origins: One English story tells that the birds select their mates on February 14th welcoming spring. Another story says that a Roman Emperor ordered the killing of a Roman priest Valentinus on February 14, 269 A.D because Valentinus secretly married many young couples against the kings order.3.send card decorated with hearts and flowers to express love; the joke of sending “Guess Who?”Universities also hold a Sweethearts Ball for the young students to celebrate the Valentines Day.Easter in the US1.the second of the two most important religious holidays for Christians, celebrating the rising （resurrection） of Jesus Christ from his tomb, where he had lain for three days following his death.2.Of all the symbols, the egg and the hare, which are considered to represent fertility and new life, are those most frequently associated with Easter.3.gather on hilltops, parks, churches, and open spaces to salute another Easter dawn.Egg rolling，the original Easter tradition by the colonists, is held on Easter Monday morning every year on the White House Lawn.The Easter Parade is very popular in the United States. The most famous one is along the Fifth Avenue in New York City.Independence Day1.Americas most important patriotic holiday, the birthday of the nation.2.On July 4, 1776 the Continental Congress passed and adopted the Declaration of Independence, which cut the tie with Britain and established a new nation.3.The army marks the occasion by firing a thirteen gun salute（礼炮） every year.4.Philadelphiathe birthplace of the nation, the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.Halloween1.All Hallows Eve; a night-time childrens holiday. It is a time for frightening costumes, masks, parties, games and tricksall for fun. Children with curious masks go from house to house to frighten friends or neighbors and threaten them with “Trick or treat”.Halloween customs today follow many ancient traditions that devils and spirits were believed to fly on All Hallows Eve and bonfire were lit to warn off these spirits.2.The 1965 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to American children because they asked for pennies for UNICEF （United Nations International Children Emergency Fund联合国儿童基金会） to help children in other countries. Thanksgiving Day1.Thanksgiving Day is a typical American holiday.2.Theme: peace and plenty, health and happiness.3.It is historical, national and religious holiday that began with the Pilgrims. In September 1620, some Puritans began to sail to the New World on the ship called Mayflower.The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated by the English settlers in Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 13, 1621.4.After that, Thanksgiving Days were celebrated irregularly. The first National Thanksgiving Day was set on November 26, 1789 by George Washington in his inauguration. In 1864, President Lincoln appointed the last Thursday of November to be the day. And the Congress declared the fourth Thursday in November to be a national day in 1941.Today the Americans usually hold a big family dinner to celebrate the holiday, which often lasts four days.Christmas1.Christmas Day, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, is the biggest and the best-loved holiday in the United States. It is a time of warmth and love, hospitality and good will. 2.