Lily的Scalers Talk第八轮新概念朗读持续力训练Da

Lesson 96    The dead return

A Festival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerful occasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and they are welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their long journey, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outside each house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance and sing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead is thrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyone living to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which had been hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when the festival is over. Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding the dead on their return journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle, for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting away until they can be seen no more.

lantern  灯笼

be said to  据说

lay out  摆开，展示

spectacle  景象、场面、壮观

今天晚上正好去看了新年的灯会，好巧今天就学习了lantern这个单词。日本的亡灵节和墨西哥的看上去差不多。明天就是除夕了，厚厚的一本新概念第二册也读完了。新年继续持续力训练。