20091022 -- Decorating for the holidays (1)

Decorating for the holidays

Americans enjoy making their homes look beautiful for holidays

No matter what holiday it is, many Americans love to make their homes look festive. People put up decorations both indoors and out. Lawn displays are very popular at Christmas. And at Easter, people decorate trees in their yards with colored eggs.

Decorations can be simple or expensive. In these do-it-yourself days, many people enjoy making their own decorations, especially children. They make pictures and posters, knickknacks or window displays.

Decorations are not strictly limited to single homes. Some neightborhoods work together to create a neighborhood effect. This is particularly popular at Christmastime. A street may cal itself "Candy Cane Lane" for the Christmas holidays. Every house on the block will have candy canes along with other decorations in its yard.

Some communities even hold contests and give prizes for the best-decorated houses. In some areas, people buy tickets to tour decorated homes. The money from the ticket sales goes to a charity or another good cause.

Simple or extravagant, to many Americans, decorations make the holidays.


lawn n. 草坪/草地
eg: None of the houses on this street have lawn decoratins.

poster n. 海報
=> a large picture that you can place on a wall
eg: Jim put up posters of his favoriate cars in his room.

strictly adv. 僅僅地/嚴格地
=> only
eg: The number of people able to attend the dinner party is strictly limited to 11.
eg: These parking lots are strictly for the use of our VIPs.
eg: We discussed strictly business.
eg: The use of cameras is strictly prohibited in this area.

particular adj. 特別的/特殊地
particularly adv. 特別地/尤其
=> especially
eg: This house is particularly nice looking, don't you think?
eg: Bobby loves to be with children, particularly the toddlers(幼童).
eg: The company is particularly interested in developing new technology.

extravagant adj. 過度浪費的/過度奢侈的
=> fancy/luxurious
eg: The extravagant lifestyle of the young star is the focus of the paparazzi(狗仔隊).
eg: Cathy considers eating out to be extravagant.


festive adj. 節日的/喜慶的/歡樂的
=> joy

knickknack n. 小裝飾物/小擺設

//== Chat room ==//

grill n. 烤爐上面的架子

grill out 在戶外燒烤
=> cooking on the grill

cabin n. (渡假)小木屋

the 4th of July 美國獨立紀念日

watch fireworks 看煙火

bonfire n. 大型營火