作者：James Blanshard,Nancy Dickmann
出版社：外语教学与研究出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
悦读联播：英美文化读本（小学第二册）试读：
Preface
The world is getting smaller and smaller, but gaps between people have always existed and will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. Different sets of cultures, belief systems and values have shaped today's world. To avoid misunderstandings, we need to learn not only other languages, but the cultures behind the languages as well.
To understand English-speaking people, we first need to understand their culture and shared history and way of life. This series will give students a good general idea of life and culture in the United Kingdom and United States, helping them to fit in quickly if they visit. The articles in this series vividly depict the fabric of Western society from the perspectives of ordinary people — and their own experiences of life. As an American living in the United Kingdom, I am in a better position to know what's best about American culture through the eyes of my British friends, which I'm glad to share with you. Actually, all the articles in this series are written by native English speakers or authors who have lived in the West for a significant period. This ensures that the text presents an accurate picture of life in the English-speaking world.
As a children's publisher, I know that young students in particular need lively lessons that will engage their curiosity and desire to learn. Therefore, topics have been carefully chosen to include those of greatest relevance to children, including games, schools, clothes and festivals. The series also provides an interesting contrast of British and American culture, which gives you an insight into the differences between them and therefore enables you to better understand the two countries. Being aware that the teacher will pass on the information to students, the authors have made sure to present the text in a light-hearted and fun way, with interesting stories inserted where appropriate. This means that the series is a perfect fit for young Chinese students.
Mention should be made that the Chinese editors worked closely with the authors to make sure that the demands of the English curriculum were met. Where necessary, articles were carefully revised to meet the needs of the Chinese market.
British and American Culture Reader is not just another series, but a reflection of our society, a script being performed by the ordinary people in the two countries. Readers of this series will shake off some of the bad stereotypes that they hold about Westerners and may be surprised to find how similar Westerners' way of life is to their own in many ways. I hope you enjoy reading the articles as much as I have enjoyed writing them.Nancy Dickmann前 言
学习英语必须了解英美文化，因为语言是文化的组成部分，是文化的载体，两者息息相关。大量事实表明，语言理解的障碍往往不在语言结构本身，而在相关文化知识的缺乏。何谓文化？从广义来说，文化是人类在社会和历史发展进程中创造的物质财富和精神财富的总和，包括文学、艺术、音乐、科学、技术、哲学、地理、建筑等。从狭义来说，文化是人们的生活方式、风俗习惯、行为准则等。所有这些，都需要用语言表达。英语有句名言: 想要掌握两种语言，必须掌握两种文化。（To be bilingual, one must be bicultural.）英美文化对于广大的英语学习者的重要性可见一斑，而对于广大的一线英语教师来说，如果能够掌握广博的英美文化，不仅能够提升自己的文化素养，能够更加准确、传神地讲述教材，取得较好的教学效果，还能够进一步激发学生学习英语的兴趣和积极性，扩展他们的国际视野。
外研社基础教育出版分社经过长达四年的调查研究，广泛地听取了广大一线教师的意见，决定开发一套英美文化读本，以满足中小学英语教师的需求，并兼顾大专院校学生和一般读者的需求。为此，中方团队密切关注英美文化发展的最新态势，遵循国家《英语课程标准》的精神和中国学生学习英语的实际，提出选题方案，然后依据文章主题聘请各个领域的英美学者撰稿。在稿件完成后，中方专家又就内容和语言问题提出意见，请英美学者再进行修改和完善而成。
概括起来，这套读本具有以下特点：
一、内容充实，知识性和趣味性较强。两套读物涵盖了英美文化的诸多层面，从国情概况、国民性格、历史、地理、民族、建筑风格到民俗传统、文体生活、社会心态、旅游观光，向读者呈现出立体的、丰富多彩的英美社会风情。
二、材料新颖。两套读物紧跟时代潮流，对英美文化中出现的新人新事作了介绍，譬如在谈及英国文化名人时，除了介绍影响力甚广的丘吉尔、达尔文、莎士比亚等历史人物，还介绍了当今青少年极感兴趣的英国球星贝克汉姆和流行歌手罗比·威廉姆斯等；又如小学读本Clothes一章，除了介绍了服饰的历史发展和传统服装，还介绍了当代美国青少年中流行的着装风格等等。
三、语言规范，读者不仅可以多视角地熟悉英美文化，而且可以学到地道的英语。考虑到不同水平读者的需求，小学读本我们采取了中英对照的形式，以便读者准确理解文章的内涵。中学读本采取了注释的形式，对文中所涉及的具有特殊文化背景的内容加以解释，以便读者深入理解原文。
四、图文并茂。考虑到这套读物所涉及的诸多文化内容和现象与中国读者的日常生活存在一定距离，编辑特为文章精心挑选了与文字内容相对应的图片，使读者更加直观地了解文字内容。同时出版社还在英国对每篇文章进行了录音，呈现给读者的是一套文、图、音三者并举的读本，以提升读者的学习效果。
总之，我们相信，读者通过学习这套英美文化读本，将会提高跨文化交际的能力。书中疏漏之处，敬请读者不吝指教。申 立 2010年6月1 Festivals 节日ChristmascChristine M Cafferty
What do children think about when it comes to Christmas? Many children around the world think about holidays, piles of presents under the Christmas tree and special times with the family. They think about a big Christmas lunch and singing carols (Christian songs about baby Jesus).
Christmas Day is on December 25 every year. Preparations for Christmas start many weeks before. Younger children write a letter to Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas) to tell him what presents they want. Saint Nicholas lived many years ago. He was a good Christian man who helped and gave gifts to poor and suffering children. Children are often extra well behaved this time of year because they are told that Santa won't visit them unless they have been good.
Children, with their parents and grandparents, decorate their home. They put up coloured paper streamers and holly and mistletoe. A Christmas tree is covered with lights, coloured balls and fake snow. Many children make their own decorations at school and are very proud to put them up at home for the whole family to enjoy.
Christmas cards arrive in the post with greetings from friends and family near and far. The fridge and food cupboards fill with Christmas treats like mince pies (sweet pies with a fruit filling), yule log (a chocolate cake in the shape of a log), mixed fruit, nuts and chocolates. A day or two before Christmas, the turkey appears in the fridge and takes up all the space. The turkey will be cooked for Christmas lunch.
Children are encouraged to give something for the less fortunate at Christmas time. They should also remember people who are lonely and do not have family. Children buy or make presents for their family members. Adults try to teach them that it is better to give than to receive.
The night before Christmas is called Christmas Eve. By then children are very excited about the gifts they hope Santa Claus will bring them. It is believed that Santa Claus will arrive by reindeer and sleigh in the middle of the night. Then he will come down the chimney with his bag of presents.
Children try very hard to stay awake during the night so that they can see Santa. But he always seems to visit just after they fall asleep and they never see him. The children bounce awake very early on Christmas morning. Parents can enjoy their children's shouts of delight as each present is unwrapped.
Once the excitement of the gift giving is over, there is the big lunch. Many families then go for a gentle walk, followed by hours of games and playing with the new toys.
Why else do children enjoy Christmas so much? It is said that Christmas is the birthday of a very special child, Jesus Christ. He was born over 2 000 years ago. His parents had nowhere to stay so he was born in a humble stable where cows would have slept. His family was not rich or important but a special star appeared over the town where he was born and angels sang in the sky telling of his birth.
Three wise men came to see this little child, bringing him gifts of gold, incense and a special perfume called myrrh. This is another reason why we give gifts on Christmas Day. Children feel special that it is a child that is getting all this attention. Sometimes they act out this story at their school or church. That is called a nativity play.
Children also love holding a candle in the church. Children are told that God sent this special boy to the world because God loves them so. The boy was to be a light to the whole world just like their candles. They can spread the light around by lighting other people's candles. On a dark and cold winter's night the whole church is lit up by the candles.
Christmas is a wonderful time that children always have fond memories of.Jesus in manger with MaryThree wise men“A Christmas tree is covered with lights, coloured balls and fake snow. Many children make their own decorations at school and are very proud to put them up at home for the whole family to enjoy."圣诞节黄菲飞 译
谈到圣诞节的时候，孩子们会想到什么呢？世界各地的许多孩子都会想到圣诞假期、圣诞树下那成堆的礼物和那些与家人团聚的特别时刻。他们还会想到丰盛的圣诞大餐和欢畅的圣诞颂歌（即歌颂圣婴耶稣的基督教歌曲）。
每年的12月25日是圣诞节，而圣诞节的准备工作提前数周就开始了。小孩子们给圣诞老人（也叫圣诞公公或圣尼古拉斯）写信，告诉他自己想要什么样的礼物。圣尼古拉斯生活在很久以前，他是一位善良的基督徒，他帮助穷苦、受难的孩子，并送礼物给他们。在圣诞节前这段时间里，孩子们通常会表现得格外乖巧，因为大人告诉他们，如果表现不好，圣诞老人就不会看望他们。
孩子们和父母、祖父母们一起装饰他们的家：他们挂起彩纸带、冬青和槲寄生树枝，还在圣诞树上挂满灯、彩球和人造雪花。许多孩子在学校亲手制作装饰品，并把它们带回家挂起来让全家人欣赏，并对此引以为豪。
圣诞节到来时，人们会收到亲朋好友从四面八方寄来的圣诞卡片和美好祝福。冰箱里和食品柜里堆满了各式各样的圣诞美食，如百果馅饼（水果馅的甜饼）和圣诞原木形蛋糕（做成原木形状的巧克力蛋糕），以及什锦水果、坚果和巧克力。在圣诞节的前一两天，火鸡出现在冰箱里，占满了冰箱里的空间。人们会在圣诞午餐时享用烹制好的火鸡。
在圣诞节期间，大人鼓励孩子们向那些不那么幸运的人伸出援手，他们还应想到那些孤独的、没有家庭的人们。孩子们为家人购买或制作礼物。大人们试图教导孩子：给予比索取更高尚。
圣诞节前一天晚上称为圣诞夜，孩子们这时都憧憬着圣诞老人将要送给他们的礼物。孩子们相信圣诞老人会乘着驯鹿拉的雪橇在午夜到来，带着礼物袋从烟囱里爬下来。
为了见到圣诞老人，孩子们在圣诞夜都竭力忍着不睡；然而圣诞老人似乎总是刚好在孩子们入睡之后才来，所以他们从来都没有见过他。圣诞节那天，孩子们一大早就从床上爬起来；听到他们打开礼物时兴奋的喊叫声，他们的父母十分开心。
赠送礼物的兴奋劲儿过去后，家人们一起享用丰盛的圣诞午餐。此后，许多家庭都会出去稍微走走，然后在接下来的几个小时里大家玩玩游戏和摆弄摆弄新玩具。
孩子们这么喜欢过圣诞节还有其他原因吗？传说在圣诞节这天诞生了一个与众不同的孩子，他就是耶稣基督。他出生在两千多年以前，他的父母连住的地方都没有，最后他出生在一个十分简陋的牛棚里。虽然他的家庭既不富有，也不显赫，但是他出生的小镇上方此时出现了一颗不同寻常的星星，天使们在空中歌唱，向世人宣告他的诞生。
三位智者前来探访这个刚出生的孩子，并把黄金、乳香和没药作为礼物献给他。这也是圣诞节人们送礼物的另一个原因。孩子们会觉得这很特别，因为一个孩子居然得到了如此的关注。他们有时候在学校或者教堂里表演这个故事，这种表演被称为“耶稣诞生剧”。
圣诞节期间，孩子们还喜欢在教堂里手持蜡烛。孩子们被告知，上帝深爱他们，因此派这个不同寻常的男孩儿来到人间。这个男孩儿如他们手中的蜡烛一样，将给整个世界带来光明。孩子们可以点亮他人的蜡烛，传播这种光明。
在寒冷漆黑的冬夜，整个教堂都被这些烛光所照亮。
圣诞节是一个美好的节日，总能给孩子们带来许多美好的回忆。New Year's DaycChristine M Cafferty
New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1. That is the first day of the year according to the calendar used in the UK, America and most of the world. The night before is called New Year's Eve. This is the night that we say good-bye to the old year and wait for midnight when the New Year starts. When the church bells strike at midnight, we "ring out the old and ring in the new".
People celebrate this time in many different ways. Many capital cities hold big street parties. Thousands of people come to these parties from all over the country. The streets are very busy. At the parties one can enjoy live music performances and, of course, fireworks. The fireworks displays are shown on television across the world.
The first major country to welcome the New Year is New Zealand. New Zealand is 11 hours ahead of the UK. When it is 12 o'clock (midnight) in New Zealand it is still only 1 o'clock in the afternoon in the UK. After New Zealand comes Sydney in Australia. Sydney always has a fantastic fireworks display for the New Year from its Harbour Bridge.
Probably the most famous party in the USA is the New Year's Eve Ball held in Times Square in New York. A beautiful big crystal ball is lowered as people count the seconds till midnight. In London people gather in a place called Trafalgar Square. In Edinburgh in Scotland, one of the biggest street parties in the world takes place. The striking of midnight is marked by a wonderful fireworks display from Edinburgh Castle high over the city centre.
The big street parties are really only for older children and adults. Many American and British people celebrate New Year in a different way, at a party with friends or family at home. Younger children can enjoy the party with their families. Even better, they can stay up extra late, until at least midnight! The little ones usually fall asleep long before though.
Whether the celebrations are big or small, New Year is a time to be hopeful and to think good thoughts. New Year reminds us that time is passing and it is a chance for everyone, young and old, to think about the people who are important to them.
We all hope that next year will be better than the one that has just passed. In this hopeful mood, many people make New Year resolutions. These are promises to oneself that in the New Year one will do better. What New Year resolutions do children make? They might choose to do their homework on time, to work extra hard in their English lessons or listen to their parents more. They should not worry if they don't always keep their resolutions. We all fail sometimes, but we must keep trying!
In Scotland, the striking of midnight on New Year's Eve is called 'The Bells'. People toast 'The Bells' with a drink and sing 'Auld Lang Syne'. This song was written by Scottish poet Robert Burns and means 'Former good days and friends'. It is sung in many English-speaking countries at New Year. It calls on us all to remember and celebrate long-standing relationships and friendships—long may they last! In the UK, and particularly in Scotland, there is the tradition of 'first footing'; each household hopes their first visitor (the first to put their foot through the door) on New Year's Day will be a handsome male as this will bring good luck. It's even better if he brings a lucky gift such as a piece of coal for warmth, shortbread for food or whisky.
In Scotland people often climb the Munros on New Year's Day. A Munro is a Scottish mountain 3,000 feet (914 metres) or more in height. There are 283 of them to choose from in Scotland. It's a great way to start the New Year, and the fresh air helps to clear away the headache from the long party the night before. In Scotland, January 1 and 2 are public holidays, but in England, the USA and most of the rest of the world only January 1 is a holiday. It is said that the Scottish need the extra day of holiday because they need twice as long to recover from the terrible Scottish whisky headache.Scottish whisky"…each household hopes their first visitor (the first to put their foot through the door) on New Year's Day will be a handsome male as this will bring good luck. It's even better if he brings a lucky gift such as a piece of coal for warmth, shortbread for food or whisky."新 年张华嵩 译Robert Burns
1月1日是公历新年。根据英国、美国及世界上大多数国家的历法，新年是一年中的第一天，前一天晚上被称为新年前夜。在这个夜晚，我们向旧的一年告别，等候午夜时分，即新的一年到来。当教堂钟声在午夜敲响时，我们在钟声中辞旧岁，迎新年。
新年的庆祝方式多种多样。许多首都或首府城市会举行盛大的街头狂欢，成千上万的人从全国各地赶来加入欢庆的队伍，大街小巷热闹非凡。在庆祝活动中，人们能欣赏到现场音乐表演，当然还有焰火，而且全世界都能通过电视观赏到焰火表演的盛况。
第一个迎来新年的重要国家是新西兰。新西兰比英国要早11个小时，新西兰午夜12点时英国才刚刚下午1点。紧跟在新西兰之后迎接新年的是澳大利亚的悉尼。每逢此时，在悉尼都能欣赏到来自海港大桥的盛大焰火表演。
美国最富盛名的迎新活动恐怕要数在纽约时报广场举行的“新年前夜降球仪式”了。人们在午夜即将到来时一起倒计时，同时一个美丽的巨大水晶球会徐徐降下。在伦敦，人们聚集在特拉法尔加广场迎接新年。而在苏格兰爱丁堡举行的街头新年狂欢，其盛况在全世界也是数得着的。午夜来临时，在爱丁堡城堡燃放的绚丽烟花会盛开在市中心上空。
参与这些盛大街头狂欢的一般是大孩子和成人。在英美两国，很多人以不同的方式庆祝新年，他们选择与朋友聚会或在家里与亲人团聚。年幼的孩子可以随家人参加聚会，更棒的是他们至少可以熬到午夜。更小的孩子则通常等不到午夜就早早睡了。
无论庆祝规模大小，新年这天，人们心中总会满怀希望，萌生很多美好的想法。新年提醒我们，时间在流逝，每一个人，无论年纪大小，都要在这一年初始之际想想自己生命中那些重要的人。
我们都希望新的一年能比刚刚过去的这一年好。许多人满怀期待的心情，定下新年决心。这些决心是人们对自己的许诺，希望自己在新的一年能做得更好。那么孩子们通常会有什么样的决心呢？他们会选择按时做作业，更加努力学习英语课或是要更听父母的话。即使不能总是将新年决心贯彻到底也没有关系，我们每个人都会偶尔违背自己的承诺，但我们绝不能放弃努力。
在苏格兰的新年前夜，午夜时刻的钟声被称为“新年钟声”。人们会举杯庆祝新年钟声的敲响，高唱《友谊地久天长》。这首歌为苏格兰诗人罗伯特·彭斯所作，意思是“昔日的美好时光和亲朋好友”。在许多英语国家，人们都会在新年这天唱起这首歌。它唤起了我们大家对长久的亲情和友情的怀念和祝福——希望此情地久天长！在英国，尤其是苏格兰，还有“第一只脚”的习俗。每家每户都希望新年的第一位客人（第一位把脚踏进家门的客人）是一位英俊的男子，因为这会带来好运。假如这位客人还能带来一块象征温暖的煤、象征食物的牛油甜酥饼和威士忌之类能带来好运的礼品，那就更好了。
在苏格兰，人们会在新年这天攀爬“芒罗”。“芒罗”是海拔不低于3000英尺（914米）的苏格兰山峰。在苏格兰有283座这样的山峰供人们攀登。这样开始新的一年是个不错的方式，清新的空气可以缓解前一晚参加漫长的庆祝活动而带来的头痛。在苏格兰，1月的1号和2号是公共假日，而在英格兰、美国和其他大多数国家，只在1月1号放假。据说这是因为苏格兰人需要多一天假期才能完全消除苏格兰威士忌酒导致的剧烈头痛。EastercChristine M Cafferty
Some things that children have said about Easter:
"Easter is the time when the bunny hides chocolates in the garden for us to find."
"My favourite Easter eggs are the ones that look like real eggs. They have got white candy around the chocolate."
"I like Easter because last year I found the nice bunny chocolate and my sister got the chicken."
"The Friday before Easter is a sad day because we remember when Jesus died."
"Every year our church has a pretty miniature garden that shows the place where Jesus was buried in the cave. But he is not there anymore because he is alive now."
The date of Easter depends on the lunar calendar (movements of the moon). So it changes each calendar year, and can be anytime between March 22 and April 25. Easter is another very special time of the year for children. It is also the most important Christian festival. It is first marked with sadness and then with the greatest joy. Why is that? What is Easter all about?
The Friday before Easter is called Good Friday. On this day in many places in the world, a passion play is held in the local town. A passion play is a drama that shows the death of Jesus. Remember Jesus is the boy who was born at Christmas time. He is now an adult and although he has only done good things all his life, people want to kill him. The townspeople follow the passion play through the town. One man is dressed up as Jesus. He wears a torn outfit and carries a big heavy cross. As he walks, some people shout bad things at him and he is even made to look as though he is being badly beaten. He is then tied to the cross and the cross with him bound toit is lifted up where he pretends to die. Jesus died as a punishment for all the bad things that we humans have done. This day is called Good Friday because Jesus took our punishment.
All the people in the town are then invited to come to church on Sunday to hear the rest of the story. Good Friday is a sad day, but there is good news to come.
On Easter Sunday at church the rest of the story is told. When Jesus' friends went to visit his grave, they found that he had been raised from the dead. They are told by an angel that Jesus is alive again! This is very good news and the people feel happy once more.
It is when the children get back from church that they are allowed to hunt for their chocolate Easter eggs. They are told that the Easter bunny has hidden them, usually in the garden. They have great fun hunting for the treats. Another Easter food that children like is hot cross buns. These round buns are marked with a white cross that represents the cross that Jesus died on.
Easter falls at the time that spring is starting. In spring time many animals lay their eggs. Eggs are an important part of Easter celebrations. The egg is the symbol of new life—or in the case of Jesus Christ, being brought to life again. It is traditional for children to paint eggs in bright colours at Easter. It is simple to decorate Easter eggs. You can arrange this activity for the children in your school. You need a hard-boiled egg, food colouring and some vinegar (to brighten the colour). Mix the vinegar and colouring (half and half) and put the egg in to dye it. You can wrap rubber bands around your egg. The parts of the egg covered with rubber bands will not be coloured. Once the rubber bands are removed, you can drop the egg into a different colour dye. You can also draw on the egg with crayons before putting them in the colouring. The wax will resist the dye and your picture will show through.
Egg rolling is when children roll decorated eggs down grassy hills. The biggest egg roll in the world is the one hosted by the President of the USA on the White House lawns. Over 13 000 hard-boiled eggs are rolled down the hill. For Christians the rolling eggs symbolise the rolling away of the stone from the entrance of Jesus' tomb on Easter Sunday.“Easter falls at the time that spring is starting. In spring time many animals lay their eggs. Eggs are an important part of Easter celebrations."复活节黄菲飞 译Jesus is alive again.
孩子们这样描述复活节：“复活节的时候，小兔子会把巧克力藏在花园里让我们去找。”“我最喜欢那种看起来像真鸡蛋一样的复活节彩蛋，里面是巧克力，外面裹了一层白色的糖果。”“我喜欢复活节，因为去年复活节的时候我找到了可爱的兔宝宝巧克力，我姐姐得到了小鸡巧克力。”“复活节之前的那个周五是令人悲伤的一天，因为我们记起了耶稣死去的时刻。”“我们的教堂每年都布置一个非常漂亮的微型花园来展示耶稣死后埋在山洞里的情景。不过耶稣已经不在那里，因为现在他已经复活了。”
复活节的具体日期要根据阴历（月相变化）来定，因此每一个阳历年的复活节日期都有变化，它有可能是3月22日到4月25日之间的任何一天。对孩子们来说，复活节是一年中另外一个非常特殊的日子，也是最重要的基督教节日。这一天从悲伤开始，又在无比欢乐中结束。这是为什么呢？复活节又是怎样一个节日呢？
复活节之前的那个周五被称为“耶稣受难日”。在这一天里，世界上许多地方都在当地演出“耶稣受难剧”。“耶稣受难剧”是描述耶稣之死的戏剧。大家应该记得耶稣就是那个在圣诞节出生的孩子，现在他长大成人了，虽然他做了一辈子好事，人们还是想要杀死他。当地人随着“耶稣受难剧”表演的队伍在城镇中穿行。在表演中，有一个人扮成耶稣——穿着破旧的衣服，背着沉重的大十字架。当他走在路上时，有人大声地辱骂他，他还要假装正在遭受毒打；然后人们把他绑在十字架上，并高高举起绑着耶稣的十字架，随后扮演耶稣的男子会假装死去。耶稣的死是替人类所犯一切过错而领受的惩罚。这一天被称为“耶稣受难日”，因为耶稣在这一天替世人受罚。
此后，所有人都会应邀在周日去教堂听接下来的故事。耶稣受难日是一个令人难过的日子，但接下来就要有好消息了。
复活节这一天，人们在教堂里倾听接下来发生的故事——耶稣的朋友们去他的坟墓拜祭，却发现他已经起死回生。一个天使告诉他们，耶稣复活了！这可真是天大的好消息，人们又转悲为喜了。
孩子们从教堂回来以后，就可以四处寻找复活节巧克力彩蛋了。大人们告诉他们，复活节兔子已把彩蛋藏了起来，彩蛋通常被藏在花园里。孩子们寻找彩蛋的过程其乐无穷。另一种孩子们喜爱的复活节食物是热的十字面包，这种圆圆的小面包上有白色十字架图案，象征着耶稣受难的十字架。
复活节来临是在春天伊始的时候，而春季是许多动物产蛋的季节，因此蛋是复活节庆祝活动中重要的一部分。蛋是新生命的象征，对耶稣而言，则象征着复活。依照传统，复活节时孩子们会把蛋涂上鲜艳的颜色。装饰复活节彩蛋很简单，你可以在学校里组织孩子们进行这个活动。你需要准备煮好的鸡蛋、食用色素和一些醋（醋可以使颜色更加鲜亮），然后把醋和食用色素（按照1:1的比例）混在一起，再把鸡蛋放进去染色。你可以在鸡蛋上缠绕橡皮筋，这样鸡蛋上被橡皮筋缠住的地方就不会被染上颜色。当你把橡皮筋取下来后，还可以把鸡蛋放在另一种颜料里染色。你也可以先用蜡笔在鸡蛋上画画，然后再放进颜料里染色。有蜡的部分不会被染上颜色，你的图画便会显现出来。
滚彩蛋活动指的是孩子们把装饰好的彩蛋从长满草的小山坡上滚下去。世界上最盛大的滚彩蛋活动是由美国总统主持的、在白宫的草坪上举行。在比赛中，有超过1.3万个煮熟的鸡蛋滚下山坡。对于基督徒们来说，滚动的彩蛋象征着复活节那天从耶稣坟墓入口处滚走的石头。President Obama hosts White House egg roll.
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