Lesson30 Birthdays
For British and American people, birthdays are very special days, especially

for children. Parents and family members send cards and give presents. Often

children invite their friends, who bring presents to the party. There are

games, and prizes, and a birthday "tea" with sandwiches, biscuits, ice cream

and a birthday cake. There are small candles on the cake. When the little

guests leave, they each get a small present and a balloon.
Birthdays are special days for older people too. Family members and friends

give presents, and send birthday cards.
When people meet someone on their birthday sometimes even at work, they say

"Happy birthday!" or "Many happy returns of the day!"
The most important birthday in the US is the eighteenth. When you are

eighteen, you are grown up. You can vote, you can get married, and you can

even go to prison! People often have a big party on their eighteenth

birthday, and receive a lot of presents. In the UK, the most important

birthday is the twenty-first, and many Brits throw huge parties for that

event.
Fortieth and seventieth birthdays are also rather special, and in Britain,

if you live to be a hundred, the Queen sends you her congratulations.

vote 投票
throw ... party举办派对、聚会等活动

生日
对于英国人和美国人来说，生日是很特殊的日子，尤其对小孩来讲。父母和家庭成员送

生日卡和礼物。小孩常常邀请他们的朋友，朋友会带着礼物参加生日聚会。聚会上有游

戏、奖品，还有三明治、饼干、冰激凌和生日蛋糕等生日“茶点”。蛋糕上有小蜡烛。

小客人们走的时候，每人可得到一份小礼物和一个气球。
生日这天对成人来说也是很特殊的一天。家庭成员和朋友赠送礼物，送来生日贺卡。甚

至有时工作的时候碰到过生日的人，他们也会说：“生日快乐！”，或“恭祝快乐无限

多！”
美国人最重要的生日是十八岁生日。当你年满十八，你就成人了。你能选举、结婚，甚

至去坐牢！十八岁时，人们常会举行盛大的派对，并收到很多礼物。在英国，二十一岁

的生日最重要，许多英国人为此安排盛大的聚会。
四十岁和七十岁的生日也相当特殊。在英国，如果你能活到一百岁，女王会对你表示祝

贺。