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母亲节
作者：朱慧敏
来源：《中学生英语·阅读与写作》2013年第05期
编者注：母亲节是在中国港澳台地区流行起来之后才进入的。20世纪80年代，母亲节逐渐被中国内地的民众所接受。从1988年开始，中国南方的广州等一些城市开始举办母亲节的庆祝活动。20世纪末，随着中国与国际的日益接轨，母亲节这一节日在中国各地日益推广开来，越来越多的人开始接受母亲节。
As a day to thank all the mothers， Mother’s Day firstly appeared in ancient Greece. It was on January 8th. But in China， America， Canada and some other countries， Mother’s Day was on the second Sunday in May. And the dates in other countries were not the same. Mothers will receive many gifts on that day. And carnations（康乃馨） were regarded as flowers for mothers.
母亲节作为一个感谢母亲的节日，最早出现在古希腊，当时时间是每年的一月八日。而在中国、美国、加拿大和其他一些国家，则是每年5月的第二个星期天，其他一些国家的日期也并不一样。母亲们在这一天通常会收到礼物。康乃馨被视为献给母亲的花。
In May， 1934， America firstly issued commemorative（纪念的） stamps of Mother’s Day. On the stamp， a kindly mother delightedly（欣喜地） looked at a bunch of beautiful carnations in the vase （花瓶） with her hands on her knees. With the spread of the stamps， many people connected Mother’s Day to carnations. And then carnations became the symbol of maternal（母亲的） love and were respected by people.
1934年5月，美国首次发行母亲节纪念邮票，邮票上一位慈祥的母亲，双手放在膝上，欣喜地看着前面的花瓶中一束鲜艳美丽的康乃馨。随着邮票的传播，许多人把母亲节与康乃馨联系起来，康乃馨便成了母爱的象征，受到人们的敬重。
In Egypt， Mother’s Day is on the last Friday in March. On this day， all the young people in the country should send flowers and gifts to their own mothers. And they will hold concerts and performances for mothers and choose the most ideal mother.
每年三月的最后一个星期五是埃及的母亲节。这一天，全国各地的年轻人都要给母亲赠送鲜花和礼物，为母亲举办音乐会和文娱演出，并评选出全国最理想的母亲。
In India， Mother’s Day is on April 5th. Mothers who have given birth to babies have to wear colorful sari（纱丽） and exquisite（精美的） jewelries and enjoy themselves in public to display images of women.
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每年四月五日是印度的母亲节。这一天，凡是生了孩子的母亲都要穿上五彩缤纷的纱丽，戴上精美的首饰，来到公共场所尽情娱乐，以显示做母亲的女性风采。
Serbs in Yugoslavia will celebrate Mother’s Day two weeks before Christmas Day. Children will slip（溜） into their mothers’ rooms on the morning of Mother’s Day and tie their mothers in bed. When mothers wake up， finding themselves tied， they will plead with（向……求情） their children to release them and give the children some small gifts under their pillows as exchange. 南斯拉夫的塞尔维亚人的母亲节于每年圣诞节的前两个礼拜庆祝。小孩子们在母亲节的清晨溜进母亲房间，将母亲绑在床上，母亲醒来时发现自己被五花大绑，便哀求孩子们放开她，并以她预先藏在枕头下的小礼物作为交换。 Here are some expressions about mothers.
My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral， intellectual and physical education I received from her. —George Washington
我的母亲是我见过的最漂亮的女人。我所有的一切都归功于我的母亲。我一生中所有的成就都归功于我从她那儿得到的德、智、体的教育。 ——乔治·华盛顿
There was never a woman like her. She was gentle as a dove and brave as a lioness... The
memory of my mother and her teachings were， after all， the only capital I had to start life with， and on that capital I have made my way. —Andrew Jackson
从来没有一个女人像她那样。她非常温柔，就像一只鸽子；她也很勇敢，像一头母狮……毕竟，对母亲的记忆和她的教诲是我人生起步的唯一资本，并奠定了我的人生之路。 ——安德鲁·杰克逊
In all my efforts to learn to read， my mother fully shared my ambition and sympa-thized with me and aided me in every way she could. If I have done anything in life worth attention， I feel sure that I inherited the disposition from my mother. —Booker T. Washington
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在我努力学习阅读的过程中，母亲一直分享着我的抱负、充分理解我，尽她所能帮助我。如果我一生中做了什么值得人们注意的事情，那一定是因为我继承了她的气质。 ——布克·T·华盛顿
It seems to me that my mother was the most splendid woman I ever knew... I have met a lot of people knocking around the world， but I have never met a more thoroughly refined woman than my mother. If I have amounted to anything， it will be due to her. —Charles Chaplin
对我而言，我的母亲似乎是我认识的最了不起的女人……我遇见过太多太多的世人，可是从未遇上像我母亲那般优雅的女人。如果我有所成就的话，这要归功于她。 ——查尔斯·卓别林
The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. —Author Unknown
父亲能够为孩子所做的最重要的事就是爱他们的母亲。 ——作者不详
