2014届高考英语一轮复习精选阅读理解文章六十篇(36)

全球人民共同庆祝新年到来

As the clock strikes 12 on Monday, millions will pop champagne corks and light fireworks while others indulge in quirkier New Year's rituals like melting lead, leaping off chairs or gobbling grapes.

当时钟在周一午夜十二点敲响时，数百万人将开香槟放烟火庆祝新年，其他许多人则将举行一些更为奇特的庆祝仪式，诸如熔铅、跳椅子或吃葡萄。

One of the world's oldest shared traditions, New Year's celebrations take many forms, but most cultures have one thing in common -- letting one's hair down after a long, hard year.

For much of the globe this involves sipping bubbly with friends until the sun comes up, seeing out the old year with bonfires（篝火） and flares and off-key renditions of Auld Lang Syne.

But others have rather more curious habits, often steeped in superstition（迷信）.

In Finland, say tour guides, people pour molten lead into cold water to divine the year ahead from the shape the metal sets in. If the blob represents a ship it is said to foretell travel, if it's a ball, good luck.

In Denmark, people stand on chairs and jump off in unison（一致地） as the clock strikes midnight, literally leaping into the new year.

The Danes also throw plates at their friends' homes during the night -- the more shards you find outside your door in the morning the more popular you are said to be.

The Dutch build massive bonfires with their Christmas trees and eat sugary donuts -- one of many cultures to consume round New Year's foods traditionally believed to represent good fortune.

Spaniards, in turn, gobble a dozen grapes before the stroke of midnight, each fruit representing a month that will either be sweet or sour.

In the Philippines, revellers wear polka dots for good luck, while in some countries of South America people don brightly coloured underwear to attract fortune -- red for love and yellow for financial success.

Despite regional and cultural differences, for most the New Year's festivities are a chance to let off steam before the annual cycle starts all over again.

"This is a holiday that is about relaxation and letting go," explained George Washington University sociologist Amitai Etzioni.