【主题词】
major cold
Major cold, the 24th solar term, begins this year on Jan 20 and ends on Feb 4. The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Major Cold is the last solar term in winter and also the last solar term in the annual lunar calendar. In thisperiod, snow, rain and icy cold weather exert a big influence on people's lives.
大寒是第二十四个节气，今年从1月20日至2月4日。传统上，中国的阴历日历将一年划分为24个节气。大寒是冬天的最后一个节气，同时也是一年中的最后一个节气。这段时间，飘雪、雨水和寒冷天气会深深地影响到人们的生活。
【词汇学习】
prelude n.序幕, 前奏
The German invasion of Poland was a prelude to World War II.
德国入侵波兰是第二次世界大战的序幕。
enlightenment n.启迪;启蒙
A public can only arrive at enlightenment slowly.
大众只能缓慢地达到启蒙。
sacrifice n./v.献祭
The ancient Greeks sacrificed lambs or calves before engaging in battle.
古希腊人参战前都要献祭羔羊或牛犊。
【关于大寒的一些事情】
La Ba Festival(腊八节)
An important day during Major Cold is the La Ba Festival, when people usually eat La Ba porridge, a porridge with eight kinds of mixed grains and corn. The festival is celebrated on the eighth day of the 12th month (la yue) and is one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture. It is also a prelude to the Chinese Lunar New Year. This year the La Ba Festival falls on Jan 27.
大寒期间最重要的一个节日就是腊八节了。在这一天，人们通常会吃腊八粥。这是一种由八种混合的谷物所熬制成的粥。腊八节是每年12月的第八天，为中国传统文化中最重要的节日之一。腊八节也是中国春节的前奏。今年的腊八节是1月27日。
The festival was originally a day of thanks for a good harvest and sacrifice to ancestors. It also marks the day on which Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, reached enlightenment and became immortal.
腊八节最初是为了庆祝丰收，祭司先祖。同时它也标志着佛教创始人—释迦摩尼的成道之日。
Eating fried spring roll(吃春卷)
In Anqing of Anhui province, people traditionally eat fried spring rolls during Major
Cold. They use a round, cooked, thin pancake to wrap stuffing(馅料) in a thin roll. Then it is fried in a pan with oil until it turns yellow and floats to the top. The stuffing inside the spring roll contains meat or vegetables and the flavor can be salty or sweet.
大寒期间，安徽省的安庆市的人们通常会吃春卷。他们会用圆的烤薄饼包上馅料卷成瘦长的卷，然后放到油锅中炸至金黄色，漂浮在油面之上。春卷里的馅料通常有肉或蔬菜，口味也有咸、甜之分。
Doing winter sports(冬季运动)
There is a saying that goes, "Dripping water freezes during Minor and Major Cold." In various regions of China, Major Cold is the perfect time for winter sports such as skiing, ice skating and sledding(滑雪橇).
有这样一句谚语：”小寒大寒，滴水成冰。”在中国的许多地方，大寒时的天气最适合冬季运动，比如滑雪、滑冰和滑雪橇。