Double the fun 双重乐趣

王涛涛

南方小年和北方小年，不一樣的习俗，一样的乐趣。

1 I have made many new friends in the five years when I have been in Shanghai. During the four years of my undergraduate studies， I spent most of my time with friends who were from northern China， as I am. In graduate school this year， however， my friends are from all over the country. Because of that， I got an unexpected surprise when the Little New Year came around. It seems that this holiday falls on different days in different parts of China. I didnt know that.

2 The Little New Year is the day for offering sacrifices to the Stove God， believed by the ancients to be the ruler of diet and health. That day traditionally indicates the start of the Spring Festival， the biggest holiday of the year in all of China. Its the day we pray to have good food and clothing for the coming year.

3 The Little New Year in North China is always on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month， so thats when I sent out all of my greetings on WeChat. My friends from the north all thanked me and sent greetings of their own. One by one， however， my new friends from the south expressed confusion. They said things like， “Thanks， but dont you know that the Little New Year is not until tomorrow？”

4 When I searched the Internet， I learned that the Little New Year in South China is on the 24th day， not the 23rd， of the twelfth lunar month. The reason for the difference， I found， is that northerners in the past were heavily influenced by the Qing imperial family and followed the Qing lunar calendar， while southerners followed an older Chinese dynasty， the Jin Dynasty.

5 Now， things are a little more complicated for me. I have to keep track of which of my friends are from the north and which are from the south. On the other hand， I now have two Little New Years to celebrate！

[Reading][Check]

Ⅰ. Choose the best answers according to the text

Detail    1. What can we learn about the author according to the first paragraph？

A. She works in Shanghai.

B. She comes from the north.

C. She has friends in the West.

D. She is still a college student.

Detail    2. What can we know about the Little New Year in China from the text？

A. It traditionally shows the start of new years spring.

B. It is a traditional festival to welcome the New Year.

C. It is on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month in the north.

D. It is on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month in the south.

Detail    3. According to the author， why is the Little New Year in the south different from the north？

A. The start of the Spring Festival is different in China.

B. The northerners follow the Jin lunar calendar.

C. The southerners use the Qing lunar calendar.

D. The traditions in the south and north are different.

Inference 4. From where is the text probably taken？

A. A personal blog.

B. A research paper.

C. A book review.

D. A history textbook.

Ⅱ. Discussion

When does your family celebrate the Little New Year？ Please share your local traditional customs for the Little New Year celebration.

[Language][Study]

I. Discover the useful structure in the text

It seems that+主语从句，表示“这似乎是……”。

It seems that this holiday falls on different days in different parts of China. 在中国的不同地区，这个节日似乎在不同的日子。

Ⅱ. Complete the following phrases according to the text

1. 全國各地 allthe country

2. 小年 theNew Year

3. 到来 come

4. 拜祭 offer

5. 春节

6. 了解……的动态 keepof

7. 另一方面 on thehand