文章大意:这是一篇记叙文。本文主要叙述了作者一家很早从哥伦比亚移民到美国,他们在美国人庆祝圣诞节前经常庆祝他们自己的节日,以此来找回归属感。但是由于后来家人都各自忙着自己的事,庆祝九日敬礼节也变得困难起来。
Some Christmas traditions are pretty standard in mainstream(主流)American culture: put up the tree, string up the lights, visit grandma, and so on.
Then there’s the one my Colombian family does every year: the Novena de Aguinaldos. We pray(祈祷)for nine days without a stop, and this Novena counts down the nine days before Christmas. Most Americans have never heard of it, but in Colombia, it’s a big deal.
Like all good traditions, especially around the holidays, this tradition is about community and getting together with friends and family. My family immigrated(移民)from Colombia when I was just two months old. Every year, we gather with a group of Colombian friends for as many of the nine nights as we can.
There are three parts to the Novena de Aguinaldos. The first is the reading: each kid takes turns to read a book. Next comes the gozos, which means “The Joys”. That’s where the music comes in, and everyone gets an instrument, a maraca, a drum, a tin can—whatever you can use to make a sound. And then, the villancicos——Spanish Christmas carols(颂歌)come.
I’ve lived my whole life in the US. There’s not a lot of Colombian culture that we still hang onto. Why do we still carry on with the tradition of celebrating the Novenas, then?
When I asked my parents the other day, the answer was that immigrants didn’t belong anywhere—not where you were, nor where you were from. So my parents helped create a space where we did. Even if the Novenas were nothing like what we might have celebrated if we’d stayed in Colombia, the Novenas became the heart of our community.
But our Novenas are starting to feel a little more breakable. It’s getting harder and harder for everyone to get together each year. Last year, I was studying abroad in Italy and couldn’t make it to any gathering; my brother went off to college and had exams late into December; my sister just moved to a new city, and my parents have taken up jobs in different countries.
8. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?
A.The process of celebrating the Novena. |
B.The development of a Colombian tradition. |
C.The background of the Colombian family. |
D.The differences between the Novena and Christmas. |
9. Why does the Colombian family celebrate the Novena?
A.To remember their dead friends. | B.To find a sense of belonging. |
C.To show their respect for Americans. | D.To understand the local culture. |
10. What makes celebrating the Novena difficult for the Colombian family?
A.Lack of money. | B.Their separate busy life. |
C.American laws. | D.Friends’ complaints. |
11. What’s the best title for the text?
A.Growing Up | B.Colorful Culture |
C.Exploring American Christmas Traditions | D.Colombian Family’s Novena in the US |