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“Carnival” comes from two Latin words，meaning “no more meat”In Europe，where it began，carnival was followed by forty days without meat，as people prepared for the Christian festival of Easter.People saw Carnival as a last chance to have fun at the end of the winter season.Having fun meant eating，drinking，and dressing up.,The most famous carnival in Europe was in Venice.At the beginning，it lasted for just one day.People ate，drank，and wore masks.As time passed，however，the carnival period was extended，so that it began just after Christmas.For weeks on end people walked round the streets wearing masks，doing what they wanted without being recognised.Ordinary people could pretend to be rich and important，while famous people could have romantic adventures in secret.Many crimes went unpunished.,The government realised that wearing masks had become a problem. Their use was limited by laws，the first of which dates back to the fourteenth century.Men were not allowed to wear masks at night；and they were not allowed to dress up as women.In later times more laws were passed.People who wore masks could not carry firearms；and no one could enter a church wearing a mask.If they broke the laws，they were put into prison for up to two years.Finally，when Venice became part of the Austrian empire，at the end of the eighteenth century，masks were banned completely，and carnival became just a memory.,But in the late 1970s the tradition was revived by students. They began making masks and organising parties，and threw bits of brightly coloured paper (called coriandoli) at tourists.The town council realised that carnival was good for business，and the festival was developed for tourists.,Today，carnival in Venice is celebrated for five days in February.People arrive from all over Europe to enjoy the fun.Hotels are fully booked and the narrow streets are crowded with wonderful costumes.German，French and English seem to be the main languages.But the spirit of Venice carnival is not quite the same as the great American carnivals.If the key to Rio is music and movement，then in Venice it is the mystery of the mask.As you wander through the streets，you see thousands of maskselegant or frightening，sad or amusing，traditional or modernbut you have no idea what the faces behind them look like.Nobody takes them off.If the masks come off，the magic is lost.,面具的魔力 想到狂欢节，你就会想到人群、各式各样的服装(costume)和热闹非凡(confusion)的场面。热闹的场面在不同的国家会有所不同，但人们的兴奋程度在各地都是相同的。 “狂欢节”这个词是由两个拉丁词演变而来的，意思是“禁肉食”。在欧洲，狂欢节的起源地，狂欢节过后会有40天不吃肉的日子，因为人们准备迎接基督教的节日复活节。人们把狂欢节视为冬天结束前的最后一次享乐的机会。尽情地享乐意味着吃、喝和乔装打扮。,欧洲最著名的狂欢节是在威尼斯。最初，狂欢节只持续一天。人们吃啊，喝啊，并戴上面具。随着时间的推移，庆祝狂欢节的时间长了(extend)，圣诞节一过狂欢节就开始了。接连几个星期，人们戴着面具走街串巷，为所欲为而不会被认出来。普通人可以装(pretend)阔佬和要人，而名人也可以偷偷地体验浪漫奇遇，很多罪行都逃脱了惩罚。,政府意识到戴面具已成了一个问题。于是面具的使用就受到了法律条文的限制，这最早可以追溯到14世纪。男子不准在夜间戴面具，并且不能假扮女性。之后，更多法律条文出台。戴面具者不得携带火器(firearm)，不得进入教堂。如果违反这些法律将被判入狱，刑期可长达两年。最后，在18世纪末，当威尼斯成为奥地利帝国(empire)的一部分时，面具被完全禁止了，狂欢节变成了一种记忆(memory)。,但在20世纪70年代后期，这个传统又被学生恢复(revive)了。他们开始制作面具，并组织聚会，向游人扔许多小片的彩色纸屑。市镇议会(the town council)意识到狂欢节创造了一定商机，因此，狂欢节得以发展，以吸引更多的游客。,如今，威尼斯狂欢节的庆祝活动在二月进行，历时五天。来自欧洲各国的人们在此尽情娱乐。旅店被订满(be fully booked)，狭窄的街道挤满了身着各种华美服饰的人们。德语、法语和英语似乎成了主要语言。但威尼斯狂欢节的本质与美洲狂欢节有所不同。在里约热内卢，狂欢节主要是音乐和游行，而在威尼斯，则是神秘的面具。走在(wander through)街上，你能看到成千上万的面具高雅的(elegant)或可怕的，忧伤的或有趣的，传统的或时尚的你并不知道面具后面的那张面孔长得怎样。没人把面具摘下。如果面具摘掉了，其魔力(magic)也就消失了。,The arrival of Europeans in America，and the opening of huge farms and plantations to grow cotton，fruit and vegetables，meant there was an immediate need for people to work on them.This marked the beginning of the slave trade.For more than two hundred years，until the beginning of the 19th century，when the trade was finally stopped，millions of people were taken by force from their homes in Africa and transported to the New World to work as slaves.Six million were taken to the Caribbean islands where there were British and French landowners.,Naturally，the Europeans also imported their own festivals.So the slaves were forced to watch as their masters celebrated carnival with food，drink，and masked dances.In Trinidad，the slaves began to hold their own carnival celebrations: they painted their faces white，imitating their masters and making fun of them.But at the same time they were continuing their own African traditionssuch as walking round a village wearing masks and singinga custom which they thought would bring good luck.,When the slave trade was abolished in 1838 the former slaves took over the carnival.It became more colourful and more exciting than it had been before.Magnificent costumes were made and musical bands created.Carnival became a celebration of freedom.,With the passing of time，the white inhabitants of the island began to take part in the carnival，tooand they were welcomed by their former slaves. Carnival became a way to unite different communities，as people forgot their everyday problems and enjoyed themselves eating，drinking，and dancing.Today，visitors from all over the world come to this small state in the Caribbean to join in the fun.Carnival has become a celebration of life itself.,狂欢节的意义 今天的狂欢节是一种国际性的多元文化(multicultural)的体验。但它如何变成这样的呢？为了理解有关狂欢节的情况，我们需要看看美国的历史和两种文化欧洲文化和非洲文化的融合。 欧洲人到了美洲，开辟了栽种棉花、水果和蔬菜的大农场与大种植园(plantation)，这意味着急需干活的人手。这也标志着奴隶贸易(trade)的开始。直到19世纪初奴隶贸易被最终禁止的时候有二百多年了，这期间上百万的人被迫离开非洲老家，被运送(transport)到新大陆当奴隶。六百万人被带到加勒比岛上，在那里有英国和法国地主(landowner)。,自然，欧洲人也引进了(import)他们自己的节日。因此当奴隶们的主人(master)用食物、饮料和戴面具的舞蹈来庆祝狂欢节的时候，奴隶们也被迫观看。在特立尼达岛，奴隶们开始举行自己的狂欢节庆祝活动：他们把他们的脸涂白，模仿他们的主人来取笑他们。但同时，他们也继续他们自己的非洲传统比如戴面具绕村子行走和唱歌他们认为这是一个能带来好运的传统。 当奴隶贸易在1838年被废除(abolish)的时候，以前的奴隶延续了这个节日。它变得比以前更丰富更让人兴奋。耀眼的(magnificent)服装被做出来，乐队也建立起来。狂欢节变成一种自由(freedom)的庆祝。,随着时间的推移，岛上的白人也开始加入到这个活动中并且他们也受到先前奴隶的欢迎。狂欢节变成一种联合(unite)不同社区团体的方式，因为人们忘记了日常问题而尽情享受着吃、喝、舞蹈的乐趣。今天，世界各地的参观者都来到加勒比海的这个小国家来享受这份乐趣。狂欢节本身已经变成一种对生命的庆祝。,同学们,来学校和回家的路上要注意安全,同学们,来学校和回家的路上要注意安全,
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