纽约庆祝中国农历新年

 　　Kicking off the New Year with a bang.

　　In the heart of New York's Chinatown hundreds brave the cold and snow for a glimpse of the New Year fire crackers¹.

　　Public schools in the city are closed for this holiday for the very first time and families aren't allowing a little inclement² weather to dampen their mood.

　　"It's a big deal because we can celebrate it, or the Chinese people can celebrate it as well as like Christmas that we enjoy and everybody enjoys it."

　　"It's about time they started doing that. When I was a kid going to school here they didn't have it so I had to take a sick day or leave."

　　纽约庆祝中国农历新年

　　The Year of the Monkey is associated with energy and mischief³. And armed with drums and confetti- New Yorkers are trying to get into the spirit.

　　The city is home to over a million Asian Americans. And Executive Director of the Chinatown Partnership⁴ Wellington Chen says New York's Chinatown is a special place to ring in the new year.

　　Wellington Chen, Executive Director, Chinatown Partnership

　　"New York, this is one of the oldest Chinatown's so you can't beat it. No other Chinatown has the kind of history, the roots, the deep culture and the connection to the Statue of Liberty in the harbour."

　　But the firecracker ceremony in Chinatown is just one part of the city's effort to celebrate the Year of the Monkey.

　　Across Manhattan a cross-cultural art exhibit has opened celebrating the works of established and contemporary artists from the US and China.

　　It's part of a five day festival taking place across the city and Chair of the US-China Cultural Institute Shirley Young- says she hope to make the new year more than just a celebration.

　　Shirley Young, Chair, US-China Cultural Institute

　　"I hope what this overall celebration does is really to help people understand better in a deeper way through the arts, through the kids, through nature, what modern China is about."

　　New Yorkers have also been treated to a huge fireworks display on the Hudson River. To ensure the Year of the Monkey gets off to a flying start.

　　For CRI, I'm William Denselow in New York.

1 crackers   

adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘

参考例句：

• That noise is driving me crackers. 那噪声闹得我简直要疯了。
• We served some crackers and cheese as an appetiser. 我们上了些饼干和奶酪作为开胃品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 inclement   

adj.严酷的，严厉的，恶劣的

参考例句：

• The inclement weather brought forth a host of diseases.恶劣的天气引起了种种疾病。
• They kept on going,even through the inclement weather.即使天气恶劣，他们还是执意要去。

3 mischief   

n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹

参考例句：

• Nobody took notice of the mischief of the matter. 没有人注意到这件事情所带来的危害。
• He seems to intend mischief.看来他想捣蛋。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。