英语课程计划-International Women's Day

International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated¹ around the world on March 8 every year. It began as a campaign for better working conditions by women in New York at the turn of the 20th century. The first official IWD was on February 28, 1909. No one knows for sure why the date changed to March 8, but this is the date when thousands of women started annual marches in New York’s streets. The first international women’s conference took place in 1910, in Denmark. Since then, IWD has spread around the world. Today it is an important day to highlight² the economic, political and social contributions women have made to our world. Women can now be happier that things are moving in the right direction.

IWD is an official holiday in many countries, including Algeria, China, Cuba, Italy, Poland, Vietnam, and Zambia. All across the world, men give flowers and other gifts to the women in their lives - mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters, teachers, etc. In Portugal and Romania, women celebrate by having "women-only" dinners. IWD is a big event in India, where people hold celebrations throughout the day. Indian men want to show how important women are to their society. All around the world women are becoming more powerful in business, entertainment, politics and other areas. There are over a dozen nations today with women leaders. However, IWD is still necessary to highlight the inequality millions of women still face.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 highlight   

n.加亮区；v.加亮，强调；[计算机]醒目

参考例句：

• Her performance was the highlight of the show.她的表演是那场演出中最精彩的部分。
• The highlight of this term is the school trip to Austria.这学期最重要的活动就是去奥地利的校外旅行。