【美国精神】第99期

Explanation:

    Every year on July 4, millions of Americans commemorate¹ (or remember and honor) the day when the United States adopted (or approved) the Declaration² of Independence and created a new country that was independent and no longer part of Great Britain.

    Independence Day is a national holiday, meaning that most people don’t have to work that day. Instead, they usually spend the day with family and friends. Since Independence Day falls in the summer (or happens in the summer) when the weather is very nice, the tradition (or something that is normally³ done the same way every year) is to have a barbeque outside, where people cook meat over a fire in a special machine called a grill⁴. Probably the most traditional foods are hamburgers and hot dogs. People also eat a lot of chips and salads, and drink sodas⁵ and beer. There is usually watermelon, which is a large, round, green fruit that is red with black seeds inside, for dessert.

    Baseball games, parades (or events where many people celebrate by walking through the street slowly), and concerts are also popular on Independence Day. Many politicians (or people who have been chosen to work in government) give speeches that day, talking about the importance of U.S. history and patriotism⁶ (or feelings of being proud of one’s country).

    At dusk⁷, which is the time of day when the sun sets and it begins to get dark, people often go to parks to see fireworks. Fireworks are colorful explosions⁸ in the air that make a lot of noise and are pretty to look at. Most towns and cities have fireworks displays where they set off (or start) many fireworks in a short period of time. Some people go to sit on the roof of their home, where they can see many fireworks displays at the same time.

    Other people like to set off their own fireworks. In June and early July, many fireworks are sold to individuals and families. These fireworks are smaller and can be lit (or started with fire) in the street to make noise and colored lights. Some cities and states allow people to set off their own fireworks, but it is not legal in other cities and states.

 

问题：

【Holidays】

99. When do we celebrate Independence Day?

Answer:

July 4

1 commemorate   

vt.纪念，庆祝

参考例句：

• This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
• We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。

2 declaration   

n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报

参考例句：

• We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
• At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。

3 normally   

adv.正常地，通常地

参考例句：

• I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
• My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。

4 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

5 sodas   

n.苏打( soda的名词复数 )；碱；苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
• Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句

6 patriotism   

n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。

7 dusk   

n.薄暮，黄昏，幽暗

参考例句：

• The park closes at dusk.公园在黄昏时关闭。
• At dusk bats appear in vast numbers.蝙蝠于傍晚时分大批出现。

8 explosions   

爆炸( explosion的名词复数 )； 爆发； 激增； （感情，尤指愤怒的）突然爆发

参考例句：

• Soon afterwards five explosions were heard from the area. 此后不久从那个地方传来五次爆炸声。
• They were monitoring the upper air to collect evidence of atomic explosions. 他们正在检测高空空气以收集原子爆炸的证据。