背诵为王 第 四 册 第 35 课

Lesson35 Holidays and Vacations in the US
In some countries, holidays and vacations are the same thing. That is because people in those countries take their vacations only when there is a holiday. But that is not necessarily¹ how it is done in the United States.
In America, holidays are simply days set aside for the celebration of a particular event, such as historical or religious commemorations. The word holiday originally meant "holy day," signifying² an important day on the religious calendar. Today, however, the word has nothing to do with religion.
There are holidays of both religious and secular³ significance. The religious holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, are well known because they are shared by the many countries of the Christian⁴ world. But there are many secular holidays, too, such as Veteran's Day, Memorial Day and Labour Day. Holidays
like these were established to honour persons who have served their nation or died in the service of their country and those whose labour makes the country strong.
All of these are holidays, but they aren't vacations.
Vacations are usually longer than holidays. A person on vacation often travels out of town to see the country, or to visit relatives, and might be gone for several weeks or longer. They almost always use paid vacation time, and they must, of course, first get permission from their employer⁵.
Sometimes vacations are taken together with holidays, especially during the "holiday season." This starts with Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November, and ends with New Year's Day.

commemoration 纪念, 纪念会
secular 世俗的, 非宗教的

美国的节日和假日
在有些国家，节日和假日是一回事，因为在这些国家里，人们只有在节日时才会有假日。但是在美国情况却不一定是这样。
在美国，节日是用来庆祝某一特殊事件的，例如历史或者宗教纪念活动。“节日”这个词在英语中的原义是“神圣的日子”，指的是宗教日历上的重要日子。然而，这个词现在与宗教没有任何关系。
有些节日具有宗教意义，有些没有。宗教节日例如圣诞节和复活节是为人所熟知的，因为它们在基督教世界的许多国家都有庆祝活动。但是也有一些非宗教的节日，例如退伍军人节、阵亡将士纪念日和劳动节。设立这些节日是用来纪念那些为曾经服务祖国的人们、为国捐躯的人们和为祖国的强大而辛苦劳作的人们。
所有这些都是节日，但不是假日。假日通常比节日持续时间要长。度假的人经常要外出旅游观光或者探亲访友，可能要离开几个星期或者更长的时间。他们几乎都是带薪度假，当然要事先征得老板的同意。
有时候，度假的时间和节日刚好重合，特别是在圣诞节前后的“度假旺季”里，即从感恩节，十一月的第四个星期四，一直到元旦这段时间。

1 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

2 signifying   

吹牛游戏； （辱骂对方亲属的）对骂游戏

参考例句：

• They clutch their mobile phone to their chest, signifying mine. 他们在胸前紧紧握住自己的手机，意味着自己独享的东西。
• Rub-out: Computer code signifying null and used to delete. 擦去：表示“无效”的电脑代码，用来作取消用。

3 secular   

n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的

参考例句：

• We live in an increasingly secular society.我们生活在一个日益非宗教的社会。
• Britain is a plural society in which the secular predominates.英国是个世俗主导的多元社会。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 employer   

n.雇用方，雇主

参考例句：

• My employer deducted ten pounds from my wages this week.我的雇主从我本周的工钱中扣除了十英镑。
• His monthly salary is paid into the bank by his employer.他的月薪由雇主替他存入银行。