We all know that the Friday after Thanksgiving means a mad dash to the shopping centre for ridiculous sales. But how did this bargain shopping get (it) start?
In fact, the first Black Friday had nothing (do) with Thanksgiving or shopping. The origin of Black Friday as we know it today started in Philadelphia during the 1950s and 1960s. Crowds of people would come to town the day after Thanksgiving for the annual ArmyNavy football game to be held the (follow) Saturday. Streets and (store) were always crowded, which was great for business but made easypickings for shoplifters (行窃者) . Local police called this "Black Friday". Not only did they have to deal with extra traffic shoplifting, but they had to work extra hours and couldn't request the day off.
The term didn't go national the late 1980s, but the (explain) changed. While shopkeepers (general) suffered financial losses most of the year, the increase of holiday shoppers marked the first day of real profit. In traditional accounting (会计) practices a few years ago, losses (record) in red ink, and profits in black ink. So the day after Thanksgiving, companies go "into the black" and make a profit, became Black Friday.
Cincinnati Flower Show& Cincinnati May Festival
Every year Cincinnati celebrates the spring with flowers and music.
In late April, the city hosts the Cincinnati Flower Show, the only exhibition (展览) of is kind on the continent. It's a fashion week for the gardening set: Leading gardeners show new flowers and the air is filled with talks of the latest trends and new colors. A show-within-a-show gives hobby gardeners an opportunity to show off their works, and other exhibits feature fine flower arrangements, table settings, and plants in indoor design. The nine-day schedule includes an opening ceremony, wonderful professional lectures, lovely tea parties, and gardening lessons.
The city welcomes visitors again a month later, to the Cincinnati May Festival, the oldest continuously held choral (合唱的) festival in the Western Hemisphere (半球) . Historic Music Hall was built to house the event five years later. The May Festival Chorus was founded in 1880. And the well-known Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (交响乐团) ( CSO) became part of the festival not long after its formation in 1895. Today the May Festival has few competitors across the world when it comes to presenting world-class performances. The concerts of two weekends in a row at Music Hall attract thousands of music lovers from all over the world.
Cincinnati Flower Show: 6201 Kellogg Ave.
Tel: 800-670-6808 or 513-872-5194
Cost: $20
When: 9 days in late Apr.
Cincinnati May Festival: Music Hall, 1241 Elm St.
Tel: 513-621-1919
Cost: Single concert $15
When: Over the last 2 weekends in May
Where to Stay: Cincinnation Hotel
(800-942-9000 or 513-381-3000, from $160)
Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river. People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade. New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River. Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million. But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight. In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness(荒野). But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities in the West, with a population of 30,000.
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London or Paris. People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed hundreds of miles up icy rivers. The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming. An avalanche(雪崩) once closed the path, killing 63 people. For many who made it to Dawson, however, the rewards were worth the difficult trip. Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed rich men for the rest of their lives.
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food and wood were very expensive. But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found. The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come. Today, people still come and go — to see where the Canadian gold rush happened. Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City — its present population is 762.
The earliest known music festival occurred in the 6th century BCE. After centuries' development, by the late 1960s, Rock bands began to organize their own music festivals. Perhaps the first formal and well-known festival to Rock was the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, which brought that band to the attention of American audiences. It started in 1968 as an event with about 10,000 people.
By 1970, the festival grew to bring in more than 600,000 people, showing the popularity of music festivals to organizers. Many others also began to organize such events. The Summerfest Festival was established in 1968. Interestingly, this festival made cities realize festivals could bring many benefits. This helped to spread the idea of creating not only musical festivals but also other types of festivals, such as those related to food and film.
It drew so many people, making it the first large Rock music festival. Abled as "three days of love and peace", Woodstock featured many well-known bands and artists, making Rock music festivals known to many Americans and Europeans.
Many genres (类型) now have their own music festivals, ranging from Classical music to Heavy Metal. Countries in every habitable continent have music festivals. Some focus on traditional, folk music. Music festivals have become very popular venues that have become well established as part of summer culture.
A. Rock music is the reflection of history.
B. Woodstock festival changed the form of rock concerts.
C. However, it focused not only on music but other events.
D. Another early rock festival was the Isle of Wight Festival.
E. Today, it's hard to imagine summer without musical festivals.
F. What perhaps put music festivals on the map was Woodstock in 1969.
G. Others are intended for younger audiences or those who prefer period based music.
When it comes to the symbol of Chinese culture, the images (形象) of giant pandas may catch the foreigners' imagination. However, many may ignore the fact that bamboo, the main food of the national treasure, also (have) a far-reaching influence on the Chinese people.
To the Chinese people, bamboo is symbol of virtue (美德). It reflects people's souls and emotions.
Throughout history, bamboo has given (inspire) to many artists. A large number of artistic works have been made with the theme of bamboo, including poems, paintings and music.
The tall, straight and beautiful bamboo (be) a favorite for Chinese scholars and artists since ancient times, who have spoken highly of (it) character. Bai Juyi, a great poet of the Tang dynasty, compared bamboo a "virtuous man" in his article. Zheng Banqiao, a celebrated Qing-dynasty painter, devoted his whole life to (paint) bamboo.
Many ancient scholars chose to live in deep mountains (surround) by bamboo forests, they drank wine, wrote poems or painted pictures while enjoying the beauty of nature. By leading such a simple life, they wanted to stay away from worldly affairs. Su Dongpo, a famous writer of the Song dynasty, wrote in his poem, "I would rather cat no meat than live without bamboo. Without meat, I will be (thin) than before. Without bamboo, I will be coarse (粗俗的) forever. "
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
Where: Becket, Massachusetts
When: June 15 — Aug 24
Each summer, this influential dance center presents a number of classes and performances by more than 50 companies from around the world. Highlights this season include the Dance Theatre of Harlem's production of Alvin Ailey's "The Lark Ascending", which opens the festival.
Many events are free. Ticketed performances start at $22.
Moab Music Festival
Where: Moab, Utah
When: Aug 29 — Sept 9
This area is better known for mountain biking than for music. But since 1992, it has hosted a private festival that brings classical, jazz, Latin and other types of music to the land. This year there will be 16 concerts, including three "Grotto Concerts", where guests take a 45-minute boat ride down the Colorado River to performances.
Events start at $25.
Cheyenne Frontier Days
Where: Cheyenne, Wyoming
When: July 19 — 28
There's something for everyone at this 117-year-old festival, from an "Indian village" and Old West museum to country concerts. But the competition is still the main attraction, with cowboys and cowgirls competing for major money on the world's largest outdoor stage.
Competition tickets start at $18, and concert tickets at $23.
The Glimmerglass Festival
Where: Cooperstown, New York
When: July 6 — Aug 24
Each summer, opera lovers from around the country (and the world) travel to upstate New York to watch productions that include stars like Nathan Gunn and Ginger Costa-Jackson. This year's performances include Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" and Verdi's "King for a Day", in honor of the 200th birthdays of both composers.
Tickets start at $26.
When mentioning China, what comes to mind? As a country with a history of more than 5000 years, China is rich in civilization and culture. What best represents China?
Confucius (551BC-479 BC)
Confucius was a teacher and philosopher from the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. The philosophy of Confucius stresses individual morality including kindness, fairness, politeness, and sincerity. Confucius' principles have a broad basis in common Chinese tradition and belief.
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with winding or crawling characters. The dragon symbol is frequently used on ancient Chinese emperor's items including chairs or costumes. It is considered a representation of power.
Peking Opera
Peking Opera is considered the essence of China. As the larger form of Chinese opera, it has many "firsts" in Chinese dramas: the abundance of talents, the number of artists, opera groups and audience.
The Great Wall
There is an old saying that goes. "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man. " The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, is a destination one must see when visiting China.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Developed in China, TCM has a tradition dating back to more than 2,000 years, including various forms of herbal medicine, cupping, massage, exercise (Qigong) , and dietary therapy.
What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no1over, like the weather? Is time the same all over the world? That's an easy question, you say. Wherever you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth. Well, maybe. But in America, time is more than that. Americans see time as a2 resource. Maybe that's why they are fond of the expression, "Time is money."
Because Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to conserve and manage it. People in the U. S. often attend lectures or read books on time3. It seems they all want to 4 their time better. Professionals carry around pocket planners—some in electronic form to keep5of appointments and deadlines. People do all they can to 6 more life out of their time. The early American hero Benjamin Franklin expressed this view best: "Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff life is made of. "
To Americans, punctuality is a way of showing7 for other people's time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the 8. Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be 9on time.
American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks 10. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually call first to make sure it is 11. Also, people 12 to call others late at night for fear they might be in bed. The time may13, but most folks think twice about calling after 10:00 p. m.
Even Americans would admit that no one can master time. Time—like money—14 all too easily through our fingers. And time—like the weather— is very hard to 15. Nevertheless, time is one of life's most precious gifts. And unwrapping it is half the fun.
