英语写作：端午节

    （As we enter the month of June， we find ourselves already in the middle of the year． However， according to the Chinese lunar calendar， the fifth month just begins and the Chinese people are preparing to celebrate another traditional festival －－ the Duanwu Festival．）The Duanwu Festival falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar． For thousands of years， Duanwu has been marked by eating Zongzi and racing¹ dragon boats．The taste of Zongzi， a pyramid－shaped dumpling made of glutinous² rice and wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves to give it a special flavor， varies greatly across China． Zongzi is often made of rice mixed with dates in Northern China， because dates are abundant in the area． Eastern China’s Jiaxing County is famous for its pork－stuffed Zongzi． In the southern province of Guangdong， people stuff Zongzi with pork， ham， chestnuts³ and other ingredients， making them very rich in flavor． In Sichuan province， Zongzi is usually served with a sugar dressing⁴． Most people still maintain the tradition of eating Zongzi on the day of the Duanwu Festival． But the special delicacy⁵ has become so popular that you can now buy it all the year round．Duanwu is also known as the Dragon Boat Festival， because dragon boat races are the most popular activity during the festival， especially in Southern China． A dragon boat is shaped like a dragon， and is brightly painted in red， white， yellow and black． Usually， a dragon boat is 20 to 40 meters long， and needs several dozen people to row it． Boatmen row the boat in cadence⁶ with the drumbeats， as the captain standing⁷ in the bow of the boat waves a small flag to help coordinate⁸ the rowing． Before the race gets underway， a solemn ceremony is held to worship the Dragon King．Dragon boat racing is quite a spectacle， with drums beating， colorful flags waving， and thousands of people cheering on both sides of the river． Nowadays， it has become a popular sporting activity in Southern China． International dragon boat races are held in Guangzhou and Hong Kong every year．The Duanwu Festival used to have other interesting customs that are no longer commonly observed， though you may still find them practiced in some rural areas．Ancient Chinese believed the day of Duanwu was unlucky because midsummer was just around the corner． The hot weather used to bring various diseases， which could spread rampantly⁹． Dispelling¹⁰ disease and driving out evil were the main purpose of the festival． People would paste on their front doors pictures of Zhongkui， a legendary¹¹ Chinese ghost－catcher． People would also use cattail and mugwort leaves to drive away mosquitoes and other insects．Since children are generally the most vulnerable to disease， they received extra care at this special time． Children would wear necklaces or bracelets¹²， made of red， yellow， blue， white and black threads， to keep evil away from them． They would also receive colorful pouches¹⁴ containing fragrant¹⁵ herbal medicines as presents． They hung these around their necks， and would compete with one another to see whose pouch¹³ had the finest needlework． Mothers also made sure to bathe their children in water boiled with herbal medicines． Modern science has proven that these medicines are， in fact， quite beneficial to health．Ancient Chinese believed realgar was an antidote¹⁶ for all poisons， and therefore most effective to drive away evil spirits and kill insects． So everyone would drink some realgar wine during the Duanwu Festival， and children would have the Chinese character for “King” written on their foreheads with realgar wine．

1 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

2 glutinous   

adj.粘的，胶状的

参考例句：

• The sauce was glutinous and tasted artificial.这种酱有些黏，尝起来不是非常地道。
• The coat covering the soft candies is made from glutinous rice.包裹软糖的江米纸是由糯米做成的。

3 chestnuts   

n.栗子( chestnut的名词复数 )；栗色；栗树；栗色马

参考例句：

• A man in the street was selling bags of hot chestnuts. 街上有个男人在卖一包包热栗子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Talk of chestnuts loosened the tongue of this inarticulate young man. 因为栗子，正苦无话可说的年青人，得到同情他的人了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

4 dressing   

n.(食物)调料；包扎伤口的用品，敷料

参考例句：

• Don't spend such a lot of time in dressing yourself.别花那么多时间来打扮自己。
• The children enjoy dressing up in mother's old clothes.孩子们喜欢穿上妈妈旧时的衣服玩。

5 delicacy   

n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴

参考例句：

• We admired the delicacy of the craftsmanship.我们佩服工艺师精巧的手艺。
• He sensed the delicacy of the situation.他感觉到了形势的微妙。

6 cadence   

n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫

参考例句：

• He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
• He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜欢退休生活的悠闲的节奏。

7 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

8 coordinate   

adj.同等的，协调的；n.同等者；vt.协作，协调

参考例句：

• You must coordinate what you said with what you did.你必须使你的言行一致。
• Maybe we can coordinate the relation of them.或许我们可以调和他们之间的关系。

9 rampantly   

粗暴地，猖獗的

参考例句：

• Weeds grew rampantly around here. 这里周围长满了杂草。

10 dispelling   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He succeeded in dispelling our suspicious and won our confidence. 他终于消除了我们的怀疑，得到了我们的信任。 来自辞典例句
• Truth is a torch, which can pierce the mist without dispelling it. 真理是一个火炬，不用驱散大雾，其火炬即能透过。 来自互联网

11 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

12 bracelets   

n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 pouch   

n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件

参考例句：

• He was going to make a tobacco pouch out of them. 他要用它们缝制一个烟草袋。
• The old man is always carrying a tobacco pouch with him.这老汉总是随身带着烟袋。

14 pouches   

n.（放在衣袋里或连在腰带上的）小袋( pouch的名词复数 )；（袋鼠等的）育儿袋；邮袋；（某些动物贮存食物的）颊袋

参考例句：

• Pouches are a peculiarity of marsupials. 腹袋是有袋动物的特色。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Under my eyes the pouches were heavy. 我眼睛下的眼袋很深。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

16 antidote   

n.解毒药，解毒剂

参考例句：

• There is no known antidote for this poison.这种毒药没有解药。
• Chinese physicians used it as an antidote for snake poison.中医师用它来解蛇毒。