Unit 02
Fading festival traditions
海外生活/節日習俗
Overseas Life/Holiday Customs
BRAIN STORM
Share your ideas with your teacher and try to make sentences.
What is your favorite festival? Why is it your favorite?
VOCABULARY
Repeat these sentences after your teacher.
1. evolve (v.) （使）逐步發展；（使）逐步演變
How did you evolve this very personal and original style?
你是怎樣逐步形成這種很有個性且具獨創性的風格的？
2. at a breakneck speed (phr.) 飛速地，以驚人的速度
The car is running at a breakneck speed.
汽車以驚人的速度行駛。
3. zeitgeist (n.) 時代思潮，時代精神
What do you think is the zeitgeist of this era?
您認為這個時代的時代精神是什麼？
4. antiquated (adj.) 陳舊的，過時的
Antiquated methods of farming are slowly forgotten.
過時的耕作方法逐漸被人們遺忘。
5. rubric (n.) 指示，說明，提示
Can you give me the rubric for the contest?
你能給我比賽的紅字嗎？
6. untethered (v.) 不受束縛的；並非連接於…之上的
Animals should be untethered from cages.
應將動物從籠子中解開。
7. can’t abide (phr.) 無法忍受
He is a rule breaker and he can’t abide easily.
他是一個違反規則的人，他不能輕易遵守。
Dialogue
Read the dialogue aloud with your teacher.
No one wants to go see the lanterns with me. Doesn’t anyone care about tradition anymore?
竟然沒人願意和我一起去看花燈。難道大家都不關心節日傳統了嗎？
You know that matchmaking was a part of the Lantern Festival once, right? Should I call my auntie to set you up with a husband?
你知道相親曾經也是元宵節的傳統吧？要不要我給我的阿姨打個電話幫你安排一下？
Ok, point taken. Things evolve. But why do they evolve so quickly?
好吧，我懂了。時代在發展，可是為什麼發展得這麼快呢？
Technology moves at a breakneck speed, and the zeitgeist gets pulled along with it.
科技以驚人的速度在發展，時代精神也隨之變化。
Leaving our traditions “antiquated,” right?
我們的傳統也因此“過時”了，對嗎？
Change is the only constant. We still have our traditions, but now they exist under the rubric of a consumer culture.
唯一不變的就是變化了。傳統我們還保留著，但這些傳統現在都以消費文化為前提。
We may be able to shop till we drop, but we’re untethered from the past and I can’t abide that.
我們是可以盡情購物，但和過去的傳統剝離開來，這點我不能接受。
I wouldn’t say untethered. It’s more like old traditions are subsumed and take on new life.
我不認為是完全脫離傳統的。這更像是舊的傳統融入新時代，煥發出新的生命力。
Or they just create new festivals out of thin air like Double 11 and expect us to show them the same reverence.
或者只是憑空創造出像雙十一購物節這樣的新節日，還希望我們像對待傳統節日一樣給予同樣的敬意。
Who knows, maybe these festivals will transcend consumerism and become something of much more significance to our progeny.
誰知道呢，也許這些新節日會超越消費主義本身，成為對我們的後代更有意義的東西。
We’ll see.
讓我們拭目以待吧。
Grammar
Shop till you drop
In today‘s lesson, we see the phrase “shop till you drop.” We can use this phrase to talk about shopping and it means you do a large amount of shopping.
In this phrase, the “drop” does not mean a lot, and it just rhymes with “shop.” We can also say “shop till she drops,” “shop till we drop.“
It doesn’t matter if the shopping is done on or offline, you can still use this phrase!
1. His new wife loves to shop till she drops, so his credit card bills have never been higher.
2. Growing up poor, I never really experienced what it was like to shop till you drop.
3. Can we try to resist the urge to shop till we drop on Black Friday this year?
4. ______________________________________________________________________.
DISCUSSION
Make a conversation with your teacher.
1.How do you think you can preserve fading festival traditions?
