For lots of people in Britain, the 31st of December, or New Year’s Eve as we call it, is the biggest party of the year. It’s a time to get together with friends or family and welcome in the coming year. 对很多英国人来说, 12月31日(我们中国人称之为“元旦前夜)是一年之中最盛大的聚会。很多人在这个时候都会和家人或朋友在一起迎接新的一年到来。 New Year’s parties can take place at a number of different venues. Some people hold a house party; others attend street parties, while some just go to their local for a few drinks with their mates. Big cities, like London, have large and spectacular fireworks displays. 人们举行新年聚会的地方各有不同。有的人在家里举行新年聚会;有的人参加户外聚会;还有的人选择去酒吧和自己的同伴喝上几杯。在伦敦一些大城市,每年都会举行大型的烟花爆竹展。 There’s one thing that all New Year’s Eve parties have in common: the countdown to midnight. When the clock strikes twelve, revellers give a loud cheer, pop champagne corks and give each other a kiss. 无论在哪一种新年聚会上,人们都会在新年钟声敲响的时候倒记时。当新年钟声响起的时候,参加聚会的人都大声欢呼,打开香槟酒互相庆祝,并互相问候。 They then link arms and sing a song called Auld Lang’s Syne, by a Scottish poet called Robert Burns. Not many people can remember all the lyrics, but the tune is well known, so lots of people just hum along. 然后,人们拉成一串同唱《友谊地久天长》。并不是所有的人都记得歌词,但是人们对这首歌曲的旋律很熟悉,所以很多人只是跟着哼唱。 The parties then continue into the early hours of the morning with lots of dancing and drinking. Because of this, for a lot of people New Year’s Day starts with a hangover. Other people might spend the day visiting relatives or friends they haven’t managed to catch up with for a while. Whatever happens, New Year’s Day tends to be very relaxed. 人们在新年聚会上载歌载舞,狂欢一直会持续到深夜。所以,很多人都是以醉醺醺的状态迎接新年的第一天。一些人会在新年第一天去走访久未见面的亲朋好友。但是无论做什么,新年第一天都是很轻松的一天。 In Britain, it’s popular to make a promise to yourself about something you are going to do, or want to stop doing, in the New Year. This is called a New Year’s resolution. Typical resolutions include giving up smoking and joining a gym to get fit. However, the promise is often broken quite quickly and people are back into their bad habits within weeks or days. 在英国,人们都会在新年到来的时候承诺在新的一年里做什么或者停止做什么。这就是所谓的“新年决心”。这些特殊的“新年决心”包括戒烟和到健身房健身。但是,人们往往在做出承诺后几星期甚至几天内就恢复原来的坏习惯。 New Year’s Day is the last bank holiday of the festive season, which means most people have to go to work the next day: bright and fresh and ready for the new year ahead! 新年是节日季节里最后一个公共假日,很多人在新年的第二天就要去上班。人们将以崭新的面貌迎接新年的到来。