英语博客：Start the year with light.

 　　One of the great  consolations(1) of the end of the year is a New Year's Eve party. We don't always go to a party on New Year's Eve. Sometimes we prefer to stay at home, by the fire, with good food and drink, family and maybe a few friends, and welcome the new year quietly. This December 31st, however, was different. We were invited to two parties, and we decided² to go to both of them. The first was  quiet and relaxed. A friend of mine, Barbara, was hosting(2) it, and she had decided that it should only be two hours long. It went from five o'clock until seven(3). She has two small children and wanted to be able to put them in bed by eight o'clock, which I understand. So, it was an unusual party, short and sweet(4). "The party will finish when it's New Year's in Sao Paolo" she joked. The next party was quite different. There were lots of people, lots of noise, food, music, drink, and games. This felt like a celebration. I bumped⁴(5) into a few people I knew, and we caught up with eachother. Then the hostess of the party announced that we all had to go outside. There was a large wooden fire burning in a round fire pit; people were standing⁵ around it keeping warm. Large, colored paper rectangles⁶ were handed out to groups of three or four people. They gently opened them, and I could see that they were tissue paper (6)bags. But they weren't just bags. These groups of people then held them upside down and lit a pad(7) of paper that was attached to a small wire frame. The paper had some kind of flamable fluid in it that burned well, and filled the paper bags, or lanterns with hot air. After a few minutes each lantern lifted slowly into the air and we all cheered and clapped. It was a beautiful sight. About seventeen of them, of different colors, floated up into the night's sky. We were all moved by the scene; it seemed to symbolize⁷ part of us leaving, and new hopes rising, a silent prayer for the New Year.

　　1. 'Consolation¹' is a noun that means a 'benefit' or 'positive element that makes up for negative ones'.

　　a. He didn't win; he was second in the race. However, he got $2000 which was a great consolation.

　　b. We missed our plane, and got home late. Our only consolation was that there was no traffic.

　　2. 'To host' means to organise⁸ an event, and to be in charge of the location.

　　a. Toyota will be hosting an international party celebrating clean energy cars.

　　b. I'm going to host a surprise party for my best friend.

　　3. Often with expressions of time, we miss out the word 'o'clock'.

　　a. The movie starts at five thirty and finishes at seven.

　　b. We'll leave at six o'clock, so we should arrive at their place by eight.

　　4. 'Short and sweet' could be a literal⁹ description, but it is often used figuratively as 'conveniently brief and to the point'.

　　a. My doctor's appointment was short and sweet. She answered all my questions and explained everything without going on and on.

　　b. "Did you get your wall painted?"

　　"Yes, thanks. The project was short and sweet."

　　5. 'To bump³ into someone' can mean the literal act of knocking into someone, but it often means to meet someone by chance.

　　a.  I was coming out of Safeway, and I bumped into my neighbor.

　　b. You'll never guess who I bumped into...my ex-husband.

　　6. 'Tissue paper' is a very fine, very breakable paper that is often used to fill up a gift bag.

　　a. Fill the bag with tissue paper so the present inside doesn't move around.

　　b. You can use tissue paper for many craft projects.

　　7. The word 'pad' has several meanings. 'A pad of paper' is like a small book of paper, pad being like a block. 'Pad' is also slang¹⁰ for a house/home. And 'cotton pads' are often used to cover injuries that have bled.

　　a. I need to buy each of my children 6 pads of writing paper for school.

　　b. Hey, this is a nice pad. How long have you lived here?

　　c. In the hospital they put cotton pads on his injuries and held them in place with bandages.

　　Remember to join me on Facebook at Anna fromacupofenglish; you are all welcome! Also you can email me at [email protected] or [email protected] if you have questions or comments.

1 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 bump   

v.（against,into）碰，颠簸；n.碰撞，隆起物

参考例句：

• I heard a bump in the next room.我听到隔壁房间传来“砰”的一声。
• He got a bad bump on his forehead.他碰得前额隆起一个大包。

4 bumped   

凸起的，凸状的

参考例句：

• In the dark I bumped into a chair. 我在黑暗中撞上了一把椅子。
• I bumped against an old friend in town today. 我今天在城里偶然碰见了一个老朋友。

5 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

6 rectangles   

n.长方形，矩形( rectangle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The open rectangles represent typical elements of the ion fluid. 空心的矩形表示典型的离子流体元。 来自辞典例句
• Label the rectangles, and illustrate and describe how one grouping or element affects others. 为每个方块图添加上标签和注解，并描述每个分组或者元素如何影响其他分组和元素。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 symbolize   

vt.作为...的象征，用符号代表

参考例句：

• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。
• Dolphins symbolize the breath of life.海豚象征着生命的气息。

8 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

9 literal   

adj.照字面的，原义的，逐字的

参考例句：

• This word should not be taken in its literal sense.这个词不能按本义去理解。
• He made a literal interpretation.他逐字解释。

10 slang   

n.俚语，行话；vt.使用俚语，辱骂；vi.辱骂

参考例句：

• The phrase is labelled as slang in the dictionary.这个短语在这本字典里被注为俚语。
• Slang often goes in and out of fashion quickly.俚语往往很快风行起来又很快不再风行了。