China's railways carry nearly 25 mln during holiday

 BEIJING, June 24 (Xinhua) -- China's railways carried nearly 25 million passengers during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, up 7.5 percent year-on-year, statistics from the Ministry¹ of Railways showed Sunday.

At least 7 million passengers traveled by rail on June 22, marking the daily high during the holiday, according to the figures.

Most of the passengers were students heading for hometowns or holiday travelers to scenic² spots, the ministry said.

To cope with the travel rush, the railway authorities arranged 894 additional trains and stepped up measures to ensure safe transport.

The Dragon Boat Festival, also called Duanwu Festival, is traditionally celebrated³ on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

The festival commemorates⁴ the famous ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan. Chinese people prepare and eat zongzi, or leaf-packed glutinous⁵ rice dumplings, drink wine and race dragon boats on the day. The festival fell on Saturday this year.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

3 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

4 commemorates   

n.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的名词复数 )v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A tombstone is erected in memory of whoever it commemorates. 墓碑是为纪念它所纪念的人而建的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A tablet commemorates his patriotic activities. 碑文铭记他的爱国行动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 glutinous   

adj.粘的，胶状的

参考例句：

• The sauce was glutinous and tasted artificial.这种酱有些黏，尝起来不是非常地道。
• The coat covering the soft candies is made from glutinous rice.包裹软糖的江米纸是由糯米做成的。