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怎么才能快速学好英语 Reading THE BIRTH OF A FESTIVAL You probablFestivalsy know that Christmas, the Spring Festival and Ramadan are important holidays in the world. But have you heard about Kwanzaa? situation and make sure that all Australian are treated with the respect that they deserve. Many improve new laws have been passed and special council was set up in 1991 to address issues of equality and rights. The country is now heading for a future where cultural diversity is appreciated and celebrated. Working together as one people, Kooris and other Australians hope to heal the wounds of history and build a society where all members are truly equal. Unit 4 Green Worlds READING THE BIRTH OF A SCIENCE Before the eighteenth century, botany was merely a branch of medicine. Unit then, mostly doctors and surgeons studied herbs. Attempts had been made by others to classify plant species into groups, but the breakthrough came with the work of Carl Linnaeus. Showing how plants were related was a complex and strange thing before Linnaeus developed his system. The idea to give each species two names was not new, but names were not truly fixed and accepted. Some scientists classified plants into herbs and trees, or according to the shape of the fruit, or whether they had flowers or not. But Linnaeus’ idea of grouping plants in families was unique. In his system the identification of different species was based on the arrangement of the male and female organs in the flowers. As a result, fruits such as peaches and pears are in fact related, although they are different at first sight. Linnaeus’ system soon conquered the world. In 1759, Linnaeus’ student, Daniel Solander, traveled to England to promote the new system. In London, Solander developed a lifelong friendship with Joseph Banks, Kwanzaa is a seven-day festival celebrating the culture and history of African Americans. The week following Christmas Day, Many African American families get together to greet the new year and think about the past. African Americans have a long history and a rich culture, but Kwanzaa is a young holiday. Kwanzaa was born in 1966, when people created a new festivalM. so that African Americans would be able to celebrate their history and culture. The people who created Kwanzaa used the word for "first fruit" in Swahili, one of the largest languages in Africa. They chose the word because there are many festivals in Africa called "first fruit" festivals. The African first-fruit festivals had many things in common: people would get together to celebrate their harvest; they used to give thanks for their harvests and for life: they used to honour their ancestors,celebrate their past, and the group or society they lived in. The festivals were a way to celebrate history and culture, as well as the new year. The people who created Kwanzaa liked the characteristics of the African festivals so much that they used them to write the Seven Principles of Kwanzaa. The seven principles are:Unity. We must build unity of family,community and nation. Self-determination. We have to build our own lives,think for ourselves and speak for ourselves. Living together. We should build our community and solve our problems together. Working together. We should build and support our factories and shops. Purpose.We should remember our past and build our future. We should honour our ancestors. Creativity. We must do as much as we can to make our community better and more beautiful. Faith. We should believe in our family,our people,our teachers and our leaders. People celebrate Kwanzaa from December 26 to January1. The dates were chosen so that Kwanzaa begins the day after Christmas Day and ends on New Year's Day. This way,people who celebrate Kwanzaa can enjoy the spirit of the holidays without all the commercial activities of Christmas. Since Kwanzaa is a time for learning as well as joy, people celebrate it by lighting a candle each day and discussing one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. The candle is usually lit by the youngest child in the family. On the last day of Kwanzaa, family and friends gather to enjoy a large meal and to celebrate the new year. Creating a new festival may seem an unusual way to celebrate history and culture, but we are in fact all creating new festivals every year. Each time we celebrate a festival it changes a little and in that way we keep our culture alive. The Spring Festival,Christmas,Ramadan,Kwanzaa and all the other holidays and festivals help us understand who we are, remember where we come from,and share our hopes for a happy future. Integrating skills Reading and writing 1.Read about these festivals and discuss the questions below. Earth day Earth Day is celebrated on March 21,the first day of spring. Earth Day is a celebration of life and our planet. It is a reminder that we need to care about the world we live in and that we should learn to respect life and nature.