Unit 2 The United Kingdom Grammar课时作业

Ⅰ.阅读理解

A

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the night of October 31，before All Saints Day.The word "Halloween" is a shortening of All Hallows Evening，also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve.

Traditional activities include trick－or－treating，bonfires，costume parties，visiting "ghost houses" and cutting jack－o－lanterns.

Halloween has its origins in the ancient festival known as Samhain(pronounced "sah－win")．The festival of Samhain is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture.The ancient Gaels believed that on October 31，the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead overlapped(重叠)and the dead would come back to life and cause destruction such as sickness or damaged crops.

The festival frequently includes bonfire.It is believed that the fires attract the harmful insects to the area which attract bats to the area to eat them.These are additional features of the history of Halloween.Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to imitate the evil spirits.

Trick－or－treating，is an activity for children on or around Halloween in which they go on from house to house in costumes，asking for treats such as candies with the question，"Trick or treat？" Trick－or－treating is one of the main traditions of Halloween.It has become socially expected that if one lives in a neighborhood with children one should buy treat in preparation for trick－or－treaters.

The history of Halloween has evolved.The activity is popular in the United States，the United Kingdom，Ireland and Canada.Bad trick－or－treating has started to happen among children in many parts of Europe.In continental Europe，where the commerce－driven importation of Halloween is seen with more illegal "tricks" and police warnings have further raised doubt about this game and Halloween in general.