1. The New Year is a time for celebrations for almost everyone around the world. In Britain, people go to pubs and nightclubs to dance the old year away, and to welcome in the new one at midnight.翻译
新年对世界各地的几乎每个人来说都是一个庆祝的时间。在英国，人们到酒吧、夜总会跳舞以告别旧的一年，并在午夜欢迎新的一年。
2. In recent years, street parties have become more popular. People gather in squares, main streets or on the river banks to listen to bands playing and to see wonderful fireworks displays.翻译
近几年来，街道聚会变得越来越流行。人们聚集在广场、主要街道或河岸边来听乐队演奏、看精彩的烟花。
3. In Scotland New Year’s Eve is called “Hogmanay”. If you’re invited to a Scottish home on Hogmanay, it’s important to know what to bring with you: a lump of coal, some shortbread and some whisky.翻译
在苏格兰，新年前夕被称为“除夕”。如果除夕夜你应邀到苏格兰人家里去，知道带什么很重要：一块煤、一些脆饼和一些威士忌。
4. But what do these gifts mean? Well, the coal represents warmth. It means you’re wishing the people you visit will have enough heat in the coming year. The shortbread represents food, so you’re hoping that the people will have enough to eat in the New Year. And the whisky? Well, that’s easy. Some Scots call whisky “the water of life”, so when you hand over your bottle to your hosts, it means you want them to have enough to drink over the next 12 months.翻译
但是这些礼物是什么意思呢？煤炭意味着温暖。这意味着你希望你拜访的人明年有足够的能源。脆饼代表食物，你希望新的一年人们将有足够的食物吃。而威士忌呢？这很容易。一些苏格兰人称威士忌为“生命之水”，因此，当你把瓶子交给主人时，这意味着你希望他们在未来12个月有足够的水。
5. And you might think your duties as a guest end there. But there’s one more key task you still have to perform if you can. The f irst person to knock on a neighbour’s door is supposed to be a tall, dark, handsome man. If you are, you’ll bring good luck to the household. But what if that’s not you? Well, don’t ring the bell just yet. To make sure you don’t bring bad luck to your friends, wait a while and the right person is bound to turn up soon!翻译
而且你想作为一个客人你已经完成了你所需要做的事。但还有一个更重要的任务你必须去完成，如果你可以的话。第一个敲邻居门的应该是一个高大、皮肤黝黑、英俊的人。如果你是，你会给这个家庭带来好运。但是，如果你不是呢？那就别敲门。为了确保不给你的朋友带来坏运气，等一会儿合适的人肯定会很快出现！