新西兰英语 382 Summer Holidays

　　The New Year began with concerts and fireworks in many places. It is mid¹ summer in New Zealand at the moment, with long warm days.
There are a number of music festivals, an international tennis tournament in Auckland, and the usual summer sport such as cricket² and yachting.
Many businesses are closed until January 5th or later so this is holiday time for many workers. School children are on holiday too, until the beginning of February. Camp grounds are full at this time of year and some families have a small cottage, called a bach, beside the sea or a lake or a river. Families spend time at the beach: swimming, surfing, boating, fishing, playing ball games, having a barbecue or doing nothing much at all. There are rainy days too which are not so good for campers.
Many people visit their families in other parts of New Zealand during this holiday period, especially at Christmas time. The police warn us to drive carefully to avoid accidents at this time of year when so many people are travelling. At the moment, the road toll³ for this holiday period is nine. That means nine people have died in car accidents since Christmas Eve.
Questions
1. Is the New Year celebrated⁴ in your country?
2. What do people do during the summer vacation in your country?
3. Do businesses close during the summer vacation?

1 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

2 cricket   

n.蟋蟀，板球运动；adj.公平的

参考例句：

• The England cricket team scored quite a useful total.英格兰板球队得分总数令人满意。
• We could hear the shrill of the midsummer cricket.我们可以听到仲夏时节蟋蟀的尖叫声。
• Your behaviour isn't cricket.你的行为不光彩。

3 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

4 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。