The Qingming(Pure Brightness) Festival is one of the 24 seasonal division points in China, falling on April 4-6 each year. After the festival, the temperature will rise up and rainfall increases. It is the high time for spring plowing and sowing. But the Qingming Festival is not only a seasonal point to guide farm work, it is more a festival of commemoration.

清明节是中国24个节气之一，每年4月4-6日。节后，气温会升高，降雨量也会增加。现在是春耕播种的好时节。但清明节不仅是指导农活的季节性节日，更是一个纪念节日。

The Qingming Festival sees a combination of sadness and happiness.

清明节是悲伤和快乐的结合。

This is the most important day of sacrifice. Both the Han and minority ethnic groups at this time offer sacrifices to their ancestors and sweep the tombs of the diseased. Also, they will not cook on this day and only cold food is served.

这是最重要的牺牲日。此时，汉族和少数民族都会祭祀祖先，并为患病者扫墓。此外，他们不会在这一天做饭，只供应冷食。

The Hanshi(Cold Food) Festival was usually one day before the Qingming Festival. As our ancestors often extended the day to the Qingming, they were later combined.

寒食节通常在清明节前一天。由于我们的祖先经常将这一天延长到清明，他们后来被结合在一起。

On each Qingming Festival, all cemeteries are crowded with people who came to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices. Traffic on the way to the cemeteries becomes extremely jammed. The customs have been greatly simplified today. After slightly sweeping the tombs, people offer food, flowers and favorites of the dead, then burn incense and paper money and bow before the memorial tablet.

每个清明节，所有的墓地都挤满了前来扫墓祭祀的人。前往墓地的路上交通变得异常拥挤。今天，海关大大简化了。在略微扫墓后，人们会献上食物、鲜花和死者的最爱，然后烧香、烧纸钱，在牌位前鞠躬。

In contrast to the sadness of the tomb sweepers, people also enjoy hope of Spring on this day. The Qingming Festival is a time when the sun shines brightly, the trees and grass become green and nature is again lively. Since ancient times, people have followed the custom of Spring outings. At this time tourists are everywhere.

与扫墓者的悲伤相反，人们在这一天也享受着春天的希望。清明节是一个阳光明媚、树木和草地变绿、大自然再次活跃的日子。自古以来，人们就有春游的习俗。这时到处都是游客。

People love to fly kites during the Qingming Festival. Kite flying is actually not limited to the Qingming Festival. Its uniqueness lies in that people fly kites not only during the day, but also at night. A string of little lanterns tied onto the kite or the thread look like shining stars, and therefore, are called "god's lanterns."

人们喜欢在清明节放风筝。放风筝其实并不局限于清明节。它的独特之处在于人们不仅在白天放风筝，而且在晚上也放风筝。绑在风筝或线上的一串小灯笼看起来像闪闪发光的星星，因此被称为“上帝的灯笼”。

The Qingming Festival is also a time to plant trees, for the survival rate of saplings is high and trees grow fast later. In the past, the Qingming Festival was called "Arbor Day". But since 1979, "Arbor Day" was settled as March 12 according to the Gregorian calendar.

清明节也是植树的时候，因为树苗的成活率很高，树木生长速度也很快。在过去，清明节被称为“植树节”。但自1979年以来，“植树节”被定为公历的3月12日。

Tomb Sweeping Day is popularly associated with Jie Zi Tui, who lived in Shanxi province in 600 B.C. Legend has it that Jie saved his starving lord's life by serving a piece of his own leg. When the lord succeeded in becoming the ruler of a small principality, he invited his faithful follower to join him. However, Jie declined his invitation, preferring to lead a hermit's life with his mother in the mountains.

清明节通常与介子推联系在一起，介子推于公元前600年生活在山西省。传说中，介子推用自己的一条腿救了饥饿的主人（晋文公）的命。当晋文公成功成为一个国家的统治者时，他邀请了他的忠实追随者加入他的行列。然而，介子推拒绝了他的邀请，宁愿和母亲在山里过隐士的生活。

Believing that he could force Jie out by burning the mountain, the lord ordered his men to set the forest on fire. To his consternation, Jie chose to remain where he was and was burnt to death. To commemorate Jie, the lord ordered all fires in every home to be put out on the anniversary of Jie's death. Thus began the "Cold food festival feast", a day when no food could be cooked since no fire could be lit.

晋文公相信他可以通过火烧山把介子推赶出来，于是命令手下放火焚烧森林。令他惊愕的是，介子推选择留在原地，被烧死。为了纪念介子推，晋文公下令在介子推去世纪念日扑灭每家每户的火灾。于是开始了“冷食节”，这是一个因为不能生火而不能烹饪食物的日子。

The "Cold food festival" festival occurs on the eve of Tomb Sweeping Day and is often considered as part of the Tomb Sweeping Day festival. As time passes, the Tomb Sweeping Day festival replaced the "Cold food festival". Whatever practice is observed，the basic observation of Tomb Sweeping Day is to remember one's elders by making a special way to visit their graves, ashes or ancestral tablets. To make the visit even more meaningful, some time should be spent to remind the younger members of the family of the lives and contributions of their ancestors, and the story of Jie Zi Tui.

“寒食节”发生在清明节前夕，通常被认为是清明节的一部分。随着时间的推移，清明节取代了“寒食节”。无论遵守什么习俗，清明节的基本习俗都是通过特殊方式祭扫长辈的坟墓、骨灰或祖先牌位来缅怀长辈。为了使这次访问更有意义，应该花一些时间提醒年轻的家庭成员他们祖先的生活和贡献，以及介子推的故事。

Last Tomb Sweeping Day, I return home to worship my grandfather. Tomb Sweeping Day is a folk Festival. The day before Tomb Sweeping Day is called Cold Food Festival. But Today, Chinese visit their family graves to tend to any underbrush that has grown. Weeds are pulled, and dirt swept away, and the family will set out offerings of food and spirit money. Unlike the sacrifices at a family's home altar, the offerings at the tomb usually consist of dry, bland food. One theory is that since any number of ghosts roam around a grave area, the less appealing food will be consumed by the ancestors, and not be plundered by strangers.

去年清明节，我回家祭拜我的祖父。清明节是一个民间节日。在清明节前一天被称为寒食节。但是今天，中国人会去拜扫祖先的坟墓，清除长出的杂草，扫去灰尘，家人会摆出食物和纸钱作为供品。与在家中祭祀祖先的供品不同，坟墓中的供品通常是干巴巴的食物。有一个理论是，因为许多鬼魂在坟墓周围游荡，不太吸引人的食物会被祖先消耗掉，而不会被陌生人抢走。

With the passing of time, this celebration of life became a day to the honor past ancestors. Following folk religion, the Chinese believed that the spirits of deceased ancestors looked after the family. Sacrifices of food and spirit money could keep them happy, and the family would prosper through good harvests and more children.

随着时间的流逝，这个庆祝生命的日子成为纪念过去祖先的日子。遵循民间宗教，中国人相信先人的灵魂会照顾家庭。牺牲食物和精神财富可以让他们保持幸福，家庭将因丰收和更多的孩子而繁荣。

There is a small lake in my hometown, which is one of my favorite place. I always go to the lake with my friends. We swim and play a lot there. Sometimes we will go boating and enjoy the quiet moment. Now the lake is not that clean because of the pollution. I realize the importance of protecting the environment.

在家乡我的家乡有一个小湖，那是我最喜欢的地方之一。我总是和我的朋友一起去湖边，我们经常游泳、玩耍。有时我们会去划船，享受安静的时刻。现在的湖因为污染已经不那么干净了。我意识到保护环境的重要性。

Golden week means long vacation. I'm in favor of the existing of golden week. Every year, I'm looking forward to its coming. During the golden week, I can have a good rest at home or go for a travel if my parents would like to. It is very wonderful. A semester is very long, and I often feel tired after a semester. Thus, if I can have a little long vacation during the long time study would be great. After I have a good rest, I can study effectively. Having a good rest, everyone would be full of energy.

黄金周意味着长假。我赞成黄金周的存在。每年我都期待着黄金周的到来。在黄金周期间，如果我的父母愿意，我可以在家好好休息，或者去旅行。这是非常美妙的。一个学期很长，一个学期后我经常感到疲倦。因此，如果我能在长时间的学习中有一个小长假，那将是很好的。在我好好休息之后，我可以有效地学习了。好好休息，每个人都会精力充沛。

Today is Friday. It is my thirteenth birthday. I got up very early in the morning and put on my new clothes happily. My parents bought me the new clothes as my birthday presents. I went to school earlier than before. I invited many of my classmates to come to my birthday party in the evening.

今天是星期五。今天是我的十三岁生日。我早上起得很早，高兴地穿上了新衣服。我父母给我买了新衣服作为生日礼物。我比以前更早上学了。我邀请了很多同学来参加我晚上的生日聚会。

Evening came at last. Many of my classmate came to my home. They bought me lots of beautiful presents. They all said:"Happy birthday to you!" We sang birthday songs happily. Then my parents brought out a big birthday cake, saying:"We love you for ever. Happy birthday!"

晚上终于到了。我的许多同学来我家。他们给我买了很多漂亮的礼物。他们都说：“祝你生日快乐！”我们快乐地唱着生日歌。然后我父母拿出一个大生日蛋糕，说：“我们永远爱你。生日快乐！”

At the end of the party, we ate the birthday cake and some other delicious food. How happy I was!

晚会结束时，我们吃了生日蛋糕和其他一些美味的食物。我真高兴！

As the winter vacation comes, my school has activities for students, and we can choose to go to other cities to learn the historical knowledge. I want to join, but I also want to spend some time with my grandparents. At last, I make the tough choice. I decide to visit my grandparents, because I love them so much and I want to company them.

随着寒假的到来，学校组织了学生活动，我们可以选择去其他城市学习历史知识。我想加入，但我也想和我的祖父母一起度过一段时间。最后，我做出了艰难的选择。我决定去看望我的祖父母，因为我非常爱他们，我想陪伴他们。

Winter begins with December and lasts for three months. The weather is very cold. It's extremely cold in the late winter.

冬天从十二月开始，持续三个月。天气很冷。最后一个月是最冷的。

In winter, the roofs are usually covered with frost in the early morning. Brooks and rivers will be frozen and the ground will be frozen hard too during the coldest period. All the insects sleep under the ground without eating. Nothing looks as fine as in the spring time.

在冬天，屋顶通常在清晨被霜覆盖。在最冷的时候，小溪和河流会结冰，地面也会结冰。所有的昆虫都睡在地下不吃东西。没有什么比春天更美好了。

However, when snows fall, we can enjoy a wonderful white world. How beautifully it is falling all day long, all night long, on the mountains, on the meadows, on the roofs of the living, on the graves of the dead. All is white. Then children will stay outdoors to make snowmen.

然而，当下雪时，我们可以享受一个美妙的白色世界。它整日整夜地落在山上、草地上、活人的屋顶上、死人的坟墓上，多么美丽。一切都是白色的。然后孩子们会呆在户外堆雪人。

There is always a brilliant image living in my heart. That is my dear father. Seen through the eyes of many other people, father seems to be a very ordinary person. But he is quite extraordinary in my eyes, I have never lost my wonder at his good-personalities such as diligence, devotion, care, optimism ever since my childhood.

我心中总是有一个光辉的形象。那是我亲爱的父亲。从许多人的眼中，父亲似乎是一个很普通的人。但在我眼中，他非常非凡，我从小就对他的勤奋、敬业、细心、乐观等良好性格感到惊讶。

Being a farmer, father works very hard in the fields all the year round. He works from dawn till dusk every day and even till midnight when it is the harvest season. He seldom enjoys leisure with other farmers even if the farm work is not much. He chooses to live a busy life with reluctance to stop for a while.

作为一名农民，父亲一年四季都在田里辛勤工作。他每天从早到晚工作，直到收获季节的午夜。即使农活不多，他也很少和其他农民一起休闲。他选择了忙碌的生活，不愿意停下来。

Father devotes all himself to our family. As we are poor, he always tries his best to support our family and afford the tuitions for my brother and me. For the whole family, for brother and me, he never stops working laboriously in the fields throughout the year. Now he has got a wrinkled face and white hair because of excessive hard work, looking much older and weaker than any other person of his age. In spite of all this, father never complains to us. It is his full devotion that we're living a better life now. It is his full devotion that both my brother and I are able to study at college.

父亲全心全意地为我们的家庭服务。由于我们很穷，他总是尽力养家糊口，为我和弟弟支付学费。为了全家，为了弟弟和我，他一年四季都在田里辛勤劳作。现在，由于过度劳累，他长了一张皱巴巴的脸和一头白发，看起来比同年龄的任何人都要苍老和虚弱。尽管如此，父亲从不向我们抱怨。我们现在过着更好的生活，这是他的全部奉献。我和我弟弟都能在大学学习，这是他的全部奉献。

Father shows much care to us children and my mother as well. Whenever there is any delicious food on the table, he just leaves it to us while he takes the simple one himself. If my brother and I fall ill, he will not hesitate a moment to get some medicine for us or take us to see the doctor. My mother suffers a bad disease. Father looks after her very carefully. He never lets mother do any heavy work both at home and in the field. Mother appreciates him very much that she often praises him as a model husband before others.

父亲对我们的孩子和我的母亲都很关心。每当桌子上有好吃的食物时，他都会把它留给我们，而他自己拿着简单的。如果我和弟弟生病了，他会毫不犹豫地给我们买些药，或者带我们去看医生。我母亲患有重病。父亲非常细心地照顾她。他从不让母亲在家里和田间做任何繁重的工作。母亲非常欣赏他，她经常在别人面前称赞他是模范丈夫。

Father is a person full of optimism. He never complains about our poor life. He is never frustrated by trouble. He often tells us that everything will be all right if we have enough confidence in life. Due to his optimism, we are all confident to face our life and work.

父亲是一个非常乐观的人。他从不抱怨我们的贫穷生活。他从不因麻烦而沮丧。他经常告诉我们，如果我们对生活有足够的信心，一切都会好起来的。由于他的乐观，我们都有信心面对生活和工作。

We all think that father is not in the least an ordinary man. He plays an extraordinary role in my family. We can't have anything without him. Now I'm pursuing further studies at college far away from father. I miss him very much. And I often see him in my dreams. His great image is deeply carved in my mind.

我们都认为父亲根本不是一个普通人，他在我的家庭中扮演着非凡的角色。没有他我们什么都得不到。现在我在远离父亲的大学继续深造。我非常想念他。我经常在梦中看到他。他的伟大形象深深刻在我的脑海里。

Going to high school is my first time to leave home. I have to live in school from Monday to Friday. I like to stay away from my parents for some time, because I can make my own choice and be free to go anywhere. My friends and I like to spend the weekend in the countryside that near the city we live. It is the short travel that I can not only appreciate the beautiful scenery, but also learn to be independent. The things that nature teaches me a lot. I can see from the color of the cloud to predict the weather and the sound of of animals have different meanings. All of these are hard to know from the books. I have my own thinking from these trips, and the way to take care of myself helps me to grow up.

上高中是我第一次离家。我必须从周一到周五住在学校。我喜欢远离父母一段时间，因为我可以做出自己的选择，可以自由去任何地方。我和我的朋友喜欢在我们居住的城市附近的乡村度过周末。正是这种短暂的旅行，我不仅能欣赏美丽的风景，还能学会独立。大自然教给我的东西很多。我可以从云的颜色来预测天气、动物的声音有着不同的含义。所有这些都很难从书本上得知。从这些旅行中我有了自己的思考方式，也学会了照顾自己，帮助我成长。

Time past quickly. My three years of high school life is coming to an end. In retrospect, I have a lot of memories of my English learning.

时间过得真快。我三年的高中生活即将结束。回想起来，我对我的英语学习有很多记忆。

When I entered middle school, I had a lot of difficulties in English. I can't understand the teacher in class, and I can't master words and phrases. There was a time when I wanted to give it up. Later, with the help of the teachers and classmates, I listened to the teacher carefully in class, insisted on reading English every day and said as much as possible. My English has made great progress step by step.

当我进入中学时，我的英语有很多困难。我在课堂上听不懂老师的课，也不能掌握单词和短语。有一段时间我想放弃它。后来在老师和同学的帮助下，上课认真听老师讲课，每天坚持读英语，尽量多说。我的英语一步一步取得了很大的进步。

In short, only by cultivating interest in learning English can we learn English well.

总之，只有培养学习英语的兴趣，才能学好英语。

Halloween is on the last day of October, it is very popular in the western country. On that day, people will dress in the horrible style, especially for the kids, they will knock from door to door. If people don't give them the candy, the children will play tricks on them. But in China, more and more young people like to follow this trend, they will play the roles and find some fun. As for me, I'd like to join some activities on the Halloween. My friends always have some funny costumes, so I will borrow one from them. Then we dress together, when night comes, we will come to join the party. We sing and dance. It is such a fun night. Before the midnight, we will get together and take some drinks. We talk about the happy hour. I like these activities.

万圣节在10月的最后一天，它在西方国家很受欢迎。在那一天，人们会穿着恐怖风格的服装，尤其是孩子们，他们会挨家挨户敲门。如果人们不给他们糖果，孩子们就会捉弄他们。但在中国，越来越多的年轻人喜欢追随这个潮流，他们会扮演角色，找到乐趣。至于我，我喜欢在万圣节参加一些活动。我的朋友总是有一些有趣的服装，所以我会借一件。然后我们一起打扮，夜幕降临时，我们将会来参加聚会。我们唱歌跳舞。这是一个有趣的夜晚。在午夜之前，我们会聚在一起，喝饮料。我们谈论快乐的时光。我喜欢这些活动。

Every person has a idol in their heart. Children chase famous singers and actors. They are attracted by their beautiful appearance and all kinds of talents, but in my heart, the person I like the most is my English teacher. She is a very nice person. I remembered the first day I saw her. I felt so nervous and didn't know how to answer her question. She smiled and helped me to solve the problem. I felt so thankful and tried to learn English well. I like her class so much, because she will introduce some western music and culture to us. I gain a lot of knowledge and broaden my vision.

每个人心中都有自己的偶像，孩子们追逐著名的歌手和演员，他们被美丽的外表和各种才华所吸引，但在我的心里，我最喜欢的人是我的英语老师。她是个很好的人，我记得第一天见到她的时候，我很紧张，不知道怎么回答她的问题。她微笑着帮助我解决了我的问题。我非常感激，并努力习英语。我很喜欢她的课，因为她会给我们介绍一些西方的音乐和文化，我收获了很多知识，开阔了眼界。

In China, a lot of students are complaining about the difficulty to master English. They know how important English is, but they just feel hard to learn it. However for many foreingers, when they start to learn Chinese, some even speak it very well. To conquer Chinese has been the popular slogan for them. As Chinese economy develops so fast, the foreigners have realized the trend, so mastering Chinese is the best way to seek for cooperation. Even though it has been admitted that Chinese is the most difficulty language to learn, still a lot of foreigners make up their minds and learn it well. As the saying that there is will, there is a way. So when we are complaining about the difficulty to learn second language, just thinking about the foreigners how to learn Chinese.

在中国，很多学生抱怨掌握英语很难，他们也知道英语是多么的重要，但就是觉得很难学。然而对于很多外国人来说，他们开始学习中文，有些人却能够说得很好。征服汉语一直是流行的口号。随着中国经济的快速发展，外国人已经意识到这一趋势，所以掌握好汉语是寻求合作的最好方法。就算大家都说汉语是最难学的语言，仍然还有很多的外国人下定决心去学好它。俗话说有志者，事竟成。所以当我们抱怨学习第二语言困难的时候，想想外国人是如何学习汉语的。

I am very happy, because the Mid-autumn Festival is coming. During the days, there are many moon cakes. I love eating moon cake very much. There are various tastes, such as sweet, salt and so on. I like the sweet ones, especially the fruit-filled moon cakes. My parents always buy many for me, because they know I like moon cakes. Besides, moon cake has good moral. It symbolizes reunion. When I eat the moon cake, I often think of my big family and my relatives.

我很高兴，因为中秋节就要来了。在那几天，有很多的月饼，我很喜欢吃月饼。月饼有很多口味，比如说甜的，咸的等等。我喜欢吃甜的，特别是水果馅的。我父母总是给我买很多，因为他们知道我喜欢吃月饼。此外，月饼具有美好的象征。它象征着团圆。当我吃月饼的时候，我经常想起我的大家庭和我的亲戚。

I have an uncle, he is so kind to me and I like him so much. My uncle looks very young, he is busy with his work. But when he goes back on business, he will bring me the gift. Sometimes I will play basketball with him or we watch the game together, we share our opinion. My uncle is like my brother.

我有一个叔叔，他对我很好，我很喜欢他。我的叔叔看起来很年轻，他总是忙于工作。但是当他出差回来了，会给我带礼物。有时候我会和他一起打篮球或者我们一起看比赛，彼此分享意见。我的叔叔就像是我的兄弟。

I had a wonderful holiday at spring festival. I went to the park with my friends. We met at eight o'clock at the school gate. We went to the park by bike. It was a beautiful day. We sat under a big tree and chatted with each other. We talked about some movies and some fun things. We had lunch there. We ate hamburgers and some drinks, but I know they are not healthy and not good for us. Then we played some games.

在春节我有一个美好的假期。我和我的朋友去了公园。我们八点钟在学校门口见面。我们骑自行车去了公园。这是一个美好的一天。我们在一棵大树下坐着，互相闲聊。我们谈论了一些电影和一些有趣的事情。我们在那里吃午饭。我们吃了汉堡包和一些饮料，但我知道他们是不健康的，对我们没有益处。然后我们玩了一些游戏。

We were all fell tired, but we were very happy! It was great fun!

我们都累了，但我们觉得很快乐！这真是太有趣了！

When summer holiday comes, I always go back to my hometown and spend the time with my grandparents. I like the life there, it is so simple and happy. Living in the countryside, I feel the peace in my heart. It seems the days become longer. In the morning, I hear the cock make out the sound, as if it is singing, then I wake up. Sometimes I will go to the mountain and I can hear some birds singing. I enjoy listening to these birds' sound. I am so close to the nature. I love everything that the nature brings. The green tree, the colorful flower, the clean water even the fresh air. I find its beauty.

暑假的时候，我总是会回到老家跟爷爷奶奶在一起。我喜欢那里的生活，它是如此的简单和快乐。住在乡下，我心里感受到了平静。在这里的日子似乎变得更长一些。早上，我听到公鸡的声音，好像是在唱歌，之后我就醒过来了。有时我会跑到山上去，可以听到一些鸟儿唱歌。我喜欢它们的声音。我是如此的接近大自然。我爱大自然带来的一切。绿色的树，五彩缤纷的花朵，干净的水甚至是新鲜的空气。我找到了它的美。

Last night, I enjoyed a wonderful party in my father's company. It was held by his company for workers enjoyment. Most performers were their workers. I heard that they prepared for it two months ago. They danced and sang songs. Some played simple but interesting drama that was the reflection of worker’s life. Some popular programs on the Internet were performed on the stage. The audiences enjoyed the party very much. So did I.

昨晚，我在父亲的公司里享受了一场精彩的聚会。这是他的公司为工人们举办的。大多数表演者都是他们的工人。我听说他们两个月前就准备好了。他们跳舞唱歌。有些人表演了简单但有趣的戏剧，反映了工人的生活。舞台上表演了一些网上流行的节目。观众们非常喜欢这个晚会。我也是。

近年来我国的发展世人瞩目，中国的传统文化正越来越受到各国朋友的关注。请根据提示，以“The Spring Festival”为题写一篇短文，向外国朋友介绍我国的春节。

根据所给要点及参考词汇，可适当发挥。

① 春节是中国农历年(the lunar year)的第一天

② 春节前：一个月前开始准备(prepare)食物，打扫卫生，装饰(decorate)房子

③ 除夕(On Chinese New Year's Eve)：家人团圆(get together)，吃年夜饭(big dinner)，守夜(stay up till midnight)，放烟花鞭炮(play fireworks and crackers)

④ 大年初一(the first day)：穿新衣(put on new clothes)，向父母拜年(greet parents)，收压岁钱(get lucky money)

范文：

In China, the Spring festival is the first day of the lunar year. People usually start preparing for the festival one month before it comes. They prepare delicious food, clean and decorate their homes. On Chinese New Year's Eve, the family all get together for a big dinner. They stay up till midnight, and then play fireworks and crackers for good luck. On the first day of the lunar New Year, children put on their new clothes and greet their parents. They are very happy to get lucky money from them.

在中国，春节是农历一年的第一天。人们通常在节日到来前一个月开始为节日做准备。他们准备美味的食物，打扫和装饰他们的家。在中国除夕夜，一家人聚在一起吃大餐。他们熬夜到午夜，然后放烟花爆竹以求好运。在农历新年的第一天，孩子们穿上新衣服，向父母问好。他们很高兴从他们那里得到压岁钱。