VIP Class Notes (Mike)

Post Holiday Syndromes

I was born in the 80’s when the material living conditions in the country were not very good. However, Chinese New Year was the most popular holiday for children back then, as parents would start preparing a lot of delicious food on the eve of Chinese New Year, which usually did not appear on the table often, and would also buy new clothes and new stationery for the children, and the clothes had to wait until the day of the New Year to be worn, which makes it very ceremonial.
I was born in the 80’s , a time when the material living conditions in the country were very limited. However, Chinese New Year was the most popular holiday for children back then, as parents would start preparing a lot of delicious food on the eve of Chinese New Year, which is not a common sight for ordinary households. Apart from that, parents would also buy new clothes and stationery for the children, and children would wait till the first day of CYN to wear the clothes, making it an extremely ceremonial thing for people at that time.

In the evening, with the fireworks and the sound of firecrackers, it was full of festive atmosphere. Shanghai did not have a policy of banning fireworks at that time. Although it was cold outside, it could not stop the enthusiasm of the children to watch the fireworks.
In the evening, a full festive atmosphere was accompanied by the sound of fireworks and firecrackers. Shanghai was not banning fireworks at that time. The chilliness outside could not stop our enthusiasm to watch the fireworks.

Today’s Shanghai may not be as festive as it used to be, it is even not as busy as usual during the Spring Festival, and with the improvement of living conditions, many people will travel during the Spring Festival for relaxing and celebration. However, the significance of Chinese New Year remains the same, people still yearn for family reunion, when they can get together and chat about their lives and thoughts in the past year and their prospects for the New Year.

Today’s Shanghai may not be as festive as it used to be, it is even not as busy as usual during the Spring Festival, and with the improvement of living conditions, many people now have the option of traveling during the Spring Festival for relaxing and celebration. However, the significance and essence of Chinese New Year remain the same: a yearning for family reunion. When they can get together and chat about their lives and thoughts in the past year and their prospects for the New Year.

Vocabulary

chilly (adj.)
chilliness (n) 寒冷

chill (n)

essenece (n) 本质

punctuation (n) 标点

colon 冒号

diluted (adj.) 稀释的，不浓的

blessing (n) 祝福语

economy (n) 经济
economics (n) 经济学
mirco ~微观经济学
macro ~ 宏观经济学
economist (n) 经济学家
economic (adj.)

linguistics (n) 语言学
physics (n) 物理/物理学

widespread phenomenon 普遍的现象

phenomenon – phenomena (复数)

ritual (n) 仪式

make comments on

comedy (n) 喜剧
comedian (n) 喜剧演员

set off fireworks  放烟花

nostalgic (adj.) 怀旧的，念旧的

heavily polluted

sticky rice 糯米

even numbers： 2， 4， 6…
odd numbers： 1， 3， 5…

good things come in pairs 好事成双

I was more excited when I was on the bus than actually being in the zoo.

You were filled of imagine and expectations.
You were filled with imaginations and expectations.

extended family

not many students were interested in that major.

we are not allowed of setting off …
We were not allowed to set off …