VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2013-12-31 The Clock Is Ticking to 2014 - It's New Year's Eve!（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2013-12-31 The Clock Is Ticking to 2014 - It's New Year's Eve!

From VOA Learning English, welcome to As It Is for New Year’s Eve. I’m Steve Ember.

Today, calendars – choosing the right one takes time – and New Year’sResolutions:  Making ones you can keep takes…well, we’ll talk about that,and even share some  of ours.

You'll need a new calendar - Got yours yet?

The New Year is the time for new beginnings. It is also the time to buy anew calendar. Have you bought yours yet?

With so many choices, it can take a lot of time just to choose the right one.

There are small ones. Big ones. Calendars that sit on a desk. Calendars thathang on the wall. Calendars you can carry around with you. Calendars thatshow a whole  month, or one day at a time.

Of course, in one way all calendars are the same. They all list the same daysof the year in exactly the same order. But people do not buy calendars justto know what  day it is. Calendars have become popular gifts because manyare filled with beautiful pictures.

You can even learn from calendars. They often give information about theirsubject -- such as famous writers or American Indians or flower gardens.

There are calendars about food and about beautiful places in the world.

For pet lovers, there are calendars with pictures of cats doing unusualthings. Three hundred sixty-five of them – one for each day of the year. Andof course, there’s  one more in leap years.

Would you rather look at pictures of cars? Or trains? Or airplanes? There are calendars with those, too.

Some people do not just look at their calendars. They use them to write down important things they must remember, like meetings or doctor’sappointments. Busy people  can buy small calendars to carry around to help them organize and plan their life. But what if they forget to look at theircalendar? No worries there - there are  electronic organizers that makesounds to remind people of things they must do. These days, if you forgetsomething, it is getting harder and harder to find a good  excuse.

Then, there are some people do not like little calendars, or big ones, or noisyelectronic ones. They are happy just to write down notes to themselves onsmall pieces of  paper.        Then, there’s the matter of New Year’s Resolutions….have you made yours?

More importantly, do you keep yours? We’ll talk about that next.

It’s As It Is, New Year’s Eve edition from VOA Learning English, I’m SteveEmber.

New Year’s Resolutions – Plan to keep yours?

Now, depending on where in the world you are and when you’re joining us,the start of the New Year is just hours, or maybe minutes, or even secondsaway.  Yes, the  clock is ticking toward 2014.  As far back in history as we can tell,people have celebrated the start of a new year. The people of ancient Egyptbegan their new year in  summer.  That is when the Nile River flooded itsbanks, bringing water and fertility to the land.

Today, most people celebrate New Year’s Day on January first.  Peopleobserve the New Year’s holiday in many different ways, usually starting withNew Year’s Eve.

The ancient Babylonians celebrated the New Year by forcing their king togive up his crown and royal clothing.  They made him get down on his kneesand admit all the  mistakes he had made during the past year.  That idea of admitting mistakes and finishing the business of the old year isfound in many cultures at New Year’s.   So is  the idea of making New Year’s resolutions.  A resolution is a promise tochange or do something different in the coming year.  Making New Year’s resolutions is a  common American tradition. Breakingthem is, too!

Today, popular resolutions might include the promise to lose weight, stopsmoking, or be more productive at work.

Some members of our Learning English group have offered New Year’sresolutions of their own, and told me I could share them. So here goes.

One of our people promised to stop telling stories about others. That practiceis known as gossip. Another staff member promised to spend more time withhis family. Our  boss resolved to be “the best Dad ever.”  And one said about resolutions, “Oh, I gave that up years ago.”  Here’s one we’ve all at least thought about:

[Sound of lottery terminal]

“I resolve to win the lottery.”

Another colleague wants to stop smoking.

Every year, she says, she makes that resolution…and every year it hasn’thappened. Well, maybe in 2014. Another one of our group is resolving to lose some weight.  Those resolutionsusually have to wait until after the holiday season. Lots of festive meals, youknow.

Here’s one I like: My resolution is to stop making resolutions, because Inever keep them. For example, this colleague told me, I have not given upeating too many  sweets, resolved on many a January first.  She says, shewill still work for chocolates! That’s good to know.

One person – that would be me - decided to get a new cat to replace a much loved one that had recently died. 

Now, that resolution was made at the end of 2002. It took me almost two years to keep it, but in October of 2004, at an animal shelter in Virginia, I was “adopted”  by a very handsome, and very talkative, gray and white cat. Mewer and I have been together ever since. He even helped me out on a recent As It Is, all about cats.  Perhaps you heard him? He’s the one that purrs like a diesel locomotive.

Other people use New Year’s resolutions to make changes in how they live their lives.  One such resolution might be to “stop and smell the roses.” That’s always a  pleasant thing to do, but what the expression means to taketime to enjoy life’s simple pleasures…instead of always being too busy and ina hurry. Another resolution  might be “don’t sweat the small stuff.”  This means not toworry or get angry about unimportant things.  Another resolution might beto be happy now and to forget  about bad things that happened in the past.

Or, to be thankful for the most important things in life, like family andfriends.   Here’s a little musical resolution I made – to wrap up today’s program with  amusical question.

Maybe it’s much too early in the gameAh, but I thought I’d ask you just the sameWhat’re you doing New Year’s Eve?

That’s Margaret Whiting’s classic recording of the Frank Loesser tune “WhatAre You Doing New Year’s Eve”

As It Is is a production of VOA Learning English.

Steve Ember here, and no matter what you’re doing New Year’s Eve ourresolution is to wish you a happy, healthy and productive New Year!  Seeyou in 2014.

[Margaret Whiting continues]

Maybe I’m crazy to supposeI’d ever be the one you choseOut of a thousand invitations you’ll receive…