Purpose of festivals and celebrationsQ： Why do you think festivals are important events in the working year?Answer：Yeah. It’s very important for two reasons.For the country， it’s a time to remember our cultural origin and our historical past.The whole country celebrates our root and it’s very inspiring.We become so proud of our past.I guess that’s why festivals are important.For the individual， festivals give us a chance for relaxation as we often have a few days off. It’s a time of fun， meeting friends， entertainment.So after that we feel like a new man.In a sense， holidays restore our balance between work and leisure.That’s also why we need festivals for China.

　　Q： Would you agree that the original significance of festival is often lost today?

　　构思：节日的初衷： 庆祝传统， 承上启下， 结束也是开始现在的节日： 人们繁忙， 感觉不到开始和结束的意义， 过完节，马上就再次投入到工作中， 有些单位甚至连节假日都加班. 人们也不在那么感动传统，倒是好好的利用节日放松了一下， 吃吃喝喝，购物，节日从tradition象 consumption过渡.更像是给了人们一个借口： 1. 放下工作 2. 奢侈享受 3. 见见好久不见的重要的人.这么讲的话， 节日也挺好的.

　　Answer：I think the original significance for festivals are to celebrate our tradition.It’s an end to the old year and the beginning of a new year. So it’s a connecting day.But today， people are so busy， they’re under so much pressure and they no longer feel the transition between the old and the new year. Some companies even ask their employees to come in on holidays. So many people begin to feel that festivals are just as common as the other days.People no longer take the opportunities of festivals to honor their tradition，but go shopping， go to restaurant to entertain instead.So I think tradition is out， consumption is in.Festivals provide people such an excuse to put down their work， to spend money and be extravagant (奢侈的)， and to meet people that they don’t have time for during the working year.So in this sense， even the original significance is lost， festivals are still exciting.

　　特别提醒：如果你没有学习伙伴，一定要把你的回答录下来，然后听听有什么问题，再做有针对性的改进，直到满意为止。