Section III Expand Your Horizon

Section III Expand Your Horizon Is Christmas a threat to Chinese Culture? Christmas is one of the biggest religious festivals celebrated around the world. This festival falls on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ ① . Nowadays in China, Christmas arouses increasing attention year by year. Although it is not a legal holiday, people could feel an overwhelming Christmas atmosphere in big cities where decorated Christmas trees are sparkling everywhere and Santa ② toys are hanging from one shop to another.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Many westerners may be surprised at the way Chinese people have made Christmas a festival of their own. Without much religious significance attached to it as that in the west, Christmas has become a day for the Chinese to shop and enjoy themselves. Why does such a foreign festival become so popular in China?

Section III Expand Your Horizon First of all, the popularity of Christmas is mostly due to globalization which is now an unstoppable trend. With rapid and drastic changes in the global society, the world is smaller and smaller, just like a “global village”. Along with globalization, the contact and impact between countries are more intense day after day. In particular, the frequent cultural communication between China and western countries makes Christmas knownand accepted by Chinese people easily and quickly.

Section III Expand Your Horizon In addition, commercialization is another reason. Marketing has played an important role in making western festivals, especially Christmas, popular among Chinese people. As the biggest Christmas gifts provider in the world, China has many producers who thirst for exploiting the home market. In order to promote sales, businesses spare no effort to advocate Christmas as a significant festival through advertising or other activities. They hold many special activities to attract customers during the Christmas season. People in such an atmosphere find it difficult to refrain from spending generously on goods at low prices.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Since more and more Chinese young people are crazy about celebrating Christmas, some people are worried about Christmas being a threat to Chinese culture. However, this will never happen. Yes, Christmas does have a profound religious connotation—it is part of 2,000 years of western tradition, which is an occasion to spend time with cherished ones, for families to exchange presents and for friends to visit each other in western countries.

Section III Expand Your Horizon However, for most Chinese people, it does not make religious sense. Christmas is more of a celebration and a commercial carnival（狂欢节）. It is a social event not for one’s private life but for the public field. And even, it is just an excuse for young Chinese to go out for eating, shopping and having fun. Well, in China, Christmas, just like Valentine’s Day ③ , Singles’ Day ④ or others, is all but a happy commercial day for going out and being with friends.

Section III Expand Your Horizon Imported from the west, the Christmas tradition is quite new to Chinese people, but just like so many foreign customs that China has for centuries absorbed and developed, the holiday has already developed its own Chinese characteristics. It might not be a bad thing for traditional Chinese culture to make some changes under the influence of western culture. As a matter of fact, Chinese culture has developed a lot while embracing other cultures. The celebrations of Christmas in China do not last as long as that of New Year’s Day, but it is still a big stimulation to the economy.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 圣诞节是最盛大的宗教节日之一，通常由世界各地数以百万计的人们在１２月２５日进行庆祝以纪念耶稣基督的诞生。如今在中国，圣诞节引起了越来越多的关注。虽然不是法定假日，但在大城市里人们仍会感受到势不可当的圣诞节气氛，装饰的圣诞树到处都是，闪闪发光。每家店里都挂着圣诞老人玩具。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 许多西方人可能惊讶于中国人以这种方式来庆祝他们的圣诞节。圣诞节不像在西方，它在中国没有太多的宗教意义，它已经成为中国人购物和娱乐的日子。为什么这样一个外国节日在中国会变得如此受欢迎呢？

Section III Expand Your Horizon 首先，圣诞节在中国流行主要是由于全球化。现在全球化是一个不可阻挡的趋势。随着全球社会迅速和剧烈的变化，世界越来越小，就像一个地球村。随着全球化，国与国之间的联系和影响日复一日地变得更强烈。特别是中国和西方国家之间频繁的文化交流，使圣诞节轻松且快速地被中国人所知晓和接受。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 此外，商业化是另一个原因。西方节日，尤其是圣诞节，受到中国人民的欢迎，营销发挥了重要作用。作为世界上最大的圣诞节礼物生产国，中国有很多生产商渴望开拓国内市场。为了促进销售，企业通过广告或其他活动不遗余力地宣传圣诞节。他们在圣诞节期间举行许多特色活动来吸引顾客。在这样一种氛围中，人们发现很难不慷慨消费低价商品。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 由于越来越多的中国年轻人喜欢庆祝圣诞节，有些人担心圣诞节可能对中国文化造成威胁。然而，这将永远不会发生。是的，圣诞节肯定有深刻的宗教内涵，它是两千年西方传统的一部分。在西方文化中它是一个与相爱的人待在一起、家庭之间交换礼物以及朋友之间互相拜访的节日。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 然而，对多数中国人来说，它不具有宗教意义。圣诞节更多的是庆祝活动，是商业狂欢节。它是一个关乎公共领域而非私人生活的社会事件。甚至，它只是中国年轻人出去吃饭、购物和娱乐的借口。在中国，圣诞节就像情人节、光棍节等其他节日一样，几乎是一个同朋友外出分享快乐的商业节日。

Section III Expand Your Horizon 圣诞节传统是从西方传入的，在中国还相当年轻。但就像中国几个世纪以来吸收和发展的很多外国习俗一样，圣诞节已经具有了中国特色。中国传统文化在西方文化的影响下做出一些变化可能不是一件坏事。事实上，中国文化在吸收其他文化的同时，自身也得到了很大的发展。在中国，圣诞节的庆祝活动不会持续到新年，但它仍然是对经济的一个巨大刺激。

Section III Expand Your Horizon Practice What You Learnt Task 1 Comprehension Check Choose the best answer according to the text.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 1.Nowadays people in China celebrate Christmas ____________? A. because it is a legal religious holidayB. to commemorate the birth of Jesus ChristC. to spend time with cherished ones, to exchange presents and to visit friendsD. by go eating, shopping and having some fun with friends D Click me

Section II Store Your Bricks 2.Christmas has become popular in China because of______________? A. the contact and impact between countriesB. the frequent cultural communication between China and western countriesC. commercialization of the worldD. all of the above D Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon 3.What does the underlined phrase “ all but” mean in Paragraph 5? A.仅是 B. 但是 C. 不可能 D. 一切 A Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon • 4.Which of the following statements is TRUE? • A. Christmas is celebrated generally on December 25 only • by Christians.B. According to the text, there are three reasons why • Christmas is popular.C. Advertising or the other activities are often used by the • businesses to promote sales.D. Imported from the west, the Christmas traditions do not • have any of their own characteristics in China. C Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon 5.What can we infer from the passage? A. Christmas will gradually replace the traditional Spring Festival.B. Christmas may become more and more popular in China.C. The celebration of Christmas will do harm to China’s economy.D. Christmas will make religious sense for Chinese in the future. B Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon Task 2 Vocabulary and Sentences (1)Replace the italicized words with the words or phrases given in the box. Change the form if necessary.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 1.“ As long as I’m Secretary General, I will to make the proposal pass” , he said. trymy best spare no effort 2.The decision made by the manager of the company the anger of its employees. 2.The decision made by the manager of the company the anger of its employees. 2.The decision made by the manager of the company the anger of its employees. 2.The decision made by the manager of the company the anger of its employees. aroused caused

Section III Expand Your Horizon Section III Expand Your Horizon 3.If it is and there is demand for nurses, they will do it. legal allowed by the law 4. Michael finds it hard to . resist the temptation to smoke refrain from 5. He promised to his wife forever. cherish love 6. Finally Angela put her arms round her father and embracedher father heldhim tightly.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 3.If it is and there is demand for nurses, they will do it. legal allowed by the law 4. Michael finds it hard to . resist the temptation to smoke refrain from 5. He promised to his wife forever. cherish love 6. Finally Angela put her arms round her father and embracedher father heldhim tightly.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 7. As the only child in the family, she playmates. thirsted for longed for Click me 8. People built a new theatre to the birth of Cao Yu. honor the memory of commemorate Click me 9. These gases pollute the of the towns and cities. atmosphere air Click me 10. They are very short-sighted in their own coal. using exploiting Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon (2)Fill in the blanks with the words given, and change the form if necessary. religious Click me 2. The threat of ______________________ warming will force some countries to slow down their energy consumption. ( globalization) global Click me 3. A sponge _________________ water. ( absorb) absorbs Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon sparkling Click me 4. At first I could only see the ________________ lights of the restaurant. (sparkle) 5. Our daily life is so different from those of our_________ .(ancestor) Click me ancestors decorated/ decorates Click me 6. Kate_______________ her room with pictures of all her favorite singers.(decorate) 7. The effect of newly developed laxative (泻药）for human beings is far more_______________ her room with pictures of all her than expected for the scientists.( drastic) Click me drastic

Section III Expand Your Horizon intensely 8.It is not easy for a graduate to find a job in a___________ competitive job market. (intense) Click me generous 9. Mr.Smith is _____________________ with his time and money. (generously) Click me importing 10. Rich countries benefited from____________Indonesia’s timber. (import) Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon Task 3 Sentence Making Try to make one or more sentences with the given information. And what you write should not be merely from the text.

Section III Expand Your Horizon 1.Howdo people celebrate Christmas in large city centers? （生活在大都市的人们是如何庆祝圣诞节的？）（decorate, hang） People decorate Christmas trees and hang Santa toys over the store windows. Click me ________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 2.The reason why Christmas is popular in China（圣诞节在中国受欢迎的原因）（known and accepted, promote ） Globalization makes Christmas known and accepted by Chinese people easily and quickly, and commercialization promotes Christmas to be significant festival. Click me ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 3.The meaning of Christmas to most Chinese people （对大多数中国人来说，圣诞节意味着什么）（excuse, have some fun） Christmas is just an excuse for them to go out eat and have some fun. Click me ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 4. The benefits of the popularity of Christmas in China.（圣诞节在中国流行的好处）（develop, stimulation） It helps develop Chinese culture and is a big stimulation to the economy. Click me ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 5.Football games are closely associated with thanksgiving celebration in America. Football matches are organized every year to mark （纪念） the occasion. Click me 在美国,足球比赛与感恩节庆祝活动密切相关,人们每年都组织足球比赛来纪念这个日子。 ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon (2)Translate the following Chinese into English. 1.中国的传统节日反映了中国深厚的文化底蕴。（reflect, profound） Click me Traditional Chinese festivals reflect profound culture of China. ____________________________________________________________________ 2.我们两国的友谊可以追溯到唐朝。（date back to） Click me The friendship between our two countries dates back to the Tang Dynasty. ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon 3.那对夫妇举办了一场晚会来庆祝他们结婚 30 周年。（celebrate, anniversary） Click me The couple held a party to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. ____________________________________________________________________ 4.他的死亡标志着一个时代的结束。（mark, era） Click me His death marked the end of an era. ____________________________________________________________________ 5.节日是人们庆祝和放松的好时机。（relaxation） Click me Festivals are opportunities for celebration and relaxation. ____________________________________________________________________

Section III Expand Your Horizon Task 4 Reading Aloud Read paragraph 1 aloud until you have learned it by heart. Then try to complete the passage from memory. Click me boasts China _____________ a profound culture with rich and ___________traditional festivals with its long history of over 5,000 years. Traditional Chinese festivals which are _____________ by diverse styles and themes are ______________ after a long-term process of historical and cultural sediment. diverse Click me characterized Click me Click me formed

Section III Expand Your Horizon Most of them are ____________ according to the Chinese lunar calendar, therefore, dates of each festival are ____________ in western calendar every year. With its own ____________ origins and customs, almost every festival ____________the traditional practices and morality of the whole Chinese nation and its people. But all festivals make no _____________to be celebrated for good wishes for happiness, health, luck, wealth and most importantly family reunion. The ____________ and most popular festivals are the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival , Tomb Sweeping Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-autumn Festival, etc. Click me scheduled varied Click me unique Click me reflects Click me difference Click me grandest Click me

Section III Expand Your Horizon