英语博客(A cup of English):012 Goodbye Spooks.

　　Goodbye Spooks.
Beginners.
Halloween was 31st of October. It is a huge holiday here in the States. It is celebrated¹ in many other countries, and sometimes has a different name. It has become more popular through the years. Shops sell lots of Halloween costumes, candies, and decorations. Jack-o-lanterns are, of course, a main image of Halloween. A large selection of them of all shapes and sizes, made out of different materials, are available in the stores. We had real Jack-o-lanterns, plastic, and ceramic² ones. My children dressed up, as most children did. My daughter was a pig, and my three sons were: Darth Vader, the Scream, and the Black Angel. They don't sound friendly like the pig, do they? It was great fun, though. We all went around the neighborhoods saying, "Trick or treat." When the children got home, they counted their candies, as if it were treasure. They, of course, had far too much.
Grammar notes.
All shapes and sizes can describe things or people.
Lots of ..... is a more everyday use which means many.
A large selection = a wide selection.
Useful words: though, of course.
Advanced.
My husband threw our home-grown pumpkins³ in the dumpster yesterday. They were moldy⁴ and had collapsed⁵. They had been our Jack-o-lanterns for a couple of weeks. I'm not sure that they had managed to 'spook' anyone. Perhaps they were thrown a courtesy double glance by an occasional passer-by. The neighbor's cat had a good sniff⁶ at one of them the other day, then walked away, uninterested. The time for Halloween and spookiness has gone. The costumes that mothers hunted for have been put away in closets, and the scary masks have been boxed up or given away. Now the calendar, shown by what is on sale in the stores, points to Thanksgiving, closely followed by Christmas. Some stores display holiday paraphinalia four months or so before the actual day. It's ridiculous, really. Of course, it is driven by materialism⁷ and commerce, but it makes me feel as though I cannot enjoy the moment; I always have to rush towards some other event instead of being content to experience normal, non-holiday days. So, here's to those spooks that decorated our house for a while. Let's hang on to their comical and odd images for a while before we rush into the next holiday.
Grammar notes.
Home-grown = something grown at home/ sometimes refers to a person.
It's ridiculous (great, nonsense, garbage etc), really = very common.
Here's to .... = let us toast, let us celebrate, let us tribute etc
Useful expressions: to hang on to something; it makes me feel ...; to have a good sniff / drink/ meal/ look etc; a couple of.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 ceramic   

n.制陶业，陶器，陶瓷工艺

参考例句：

• The order for ceramic tiles has been booked in.瓷砖的订单已登记下来了。
• Some ceramic works of art are shown in this exhibition.这次展览会上展出了一些陶瓷艺术品。

3 pumpkins   

n.南瓜( pumpkin的名词复数 )；南瓜的果肉，南瓜囊

参考例句：

• I like white gourds, but not pumpkins. 我喜欢吃冬瓜，但不喜欢吃南瓜。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Then they cut faces in the pumpkins and put lights inside. 然后在南瓜上刻出一张脸，并把瓜挖空。 来自英语晨读30分（高三）

4 moldy   

adj.发霉的

参考例句：

• She chucked the moldy potatoes in the dustbin.她把发霉的土豆扔进垃圾箱。
• Oranges can be kept for a long time without going moldy.橙子可以存放很长时间而不腐烂。

5 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

6 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

7 materialism   

n.［哲］唯物主义，唯物论；物质至上

参考例句：

• Idealism is opposite to materialism.唯心论和唯物论是对立的。
• Crass materialism causes people to forget spiritual values.极端唯物主义使人忘掉精神价值。