4/10
Water pours from buckets, squirts from water guns, and shoots out of garden hoses. You can't run or hide. All around you, people are being covered from head to toe with water. This is not a nightmare, but part of the annual Songkran Festival in Thailand. Celebrated during what used to be the beginning of Thai New Year, this event begins on April 13 and runs through April 15. Songkran, from the Sanskrit word meaning "a move or change," is a time to get rid of old and useless things such as broken furniture or picture frames. If one fails to throw or wash away the broken and dirty things in their life, these items will do nothing but bring bad luck to their owners.
Since an estimated 95 percent of Thais are Buddhist, religion plays a key role in this festival. On the afternoon of the 13th, images of the Buddha in temples all over Thailand are bathed. In some parts of the country, statues are taken from the wats, or Buddhist temples, and paraded through the streets of the city. As they pass through, people throw water on the statues to help in their cleaning.
Nowadays, the Songkran Festival may be for fun, but many people use it as a time to do some spring cleaning. Homes across the country are given a thorough cleaning from top to bottom. Whether someone is just throwing water for fun, to clean the Buddha, or to get rid of the dirt from their homes, the Songkran Festival is a fantastic event to take part in.
1. tempting a. 吸引人的
2. bucket n. 水桶
3. squirt vi. 噴射
4. hose n. 水管
5. nightmare n. 惡夢
6. annual a. 年度的
7. Sanskrit n. 梵文
8. bathe vt. & vi. 浸洗
9. wat n. 泰國或柬甫寨的佛教寺院
10. thorough a. 完全的，徹底的
11. fantastic a. 極棒的
1. get rid of... 擺脫……
2. fail to V 未能……
3. play a key role in... 在……扮演重要角色
4/10
1. pour vi. 傾洩，湧出 & vt. 大量投入
例: The company poured a lot of money into that project.
（公司投資很多錢在那個案子上。）
2. from head to toe 從頭到腳，全身上下
from top to bottom 徹底地
例: I was covered in paint from head to toe.
（我全身上下都沾滿了油漆。）
We seached the house from top to bottom looking for my dad's glasses.
（我們徹底搜尋房屋找老爸的眼鏡。）
3. frame n. 相框 & vt. 陷害（= set up）
例: He claimed that he had been framed by the police.
（他宣稱他是被警察陷害的。）
4. do nothing but + 原形動詞 只做……
例: He did nothing but sleep and eat during the winter break.
（他寒假時成天就是睡和吃。）
5. an estimated + 數字 + 複數名詞 估計有……
注意:
在 "an estimated + 數字 + 複數名詞" 的用法中，an estimated 視為副詞，修飾其後的形容詞（數字），而非用來修飾複數名詞。此處的數字指95 percent，而複數名詞為Thais。
例: An estimated one hundred people died in the train crash.
（估計有100人死於那場火車意外。）
6. on the afternoon of the 13th 在13號下午
注意:
『早上、下午與晚上』的介詞要用 in。但是與日期和星期幾並用時，則介詞改用 on。
例: My father always goes hiking on Sunday mornings.
（我爸爸總會在星期天早上去健行。）
7. parade vt. 使示眾 & n. 遊行
例: The captured soldiers were paraded through the streets.
（被俘的士兵被遊街示眾。）
4/10
水從水桶潑出來，從水槍射出來，從花園的水管噴出來。你跑不了也躲不了。你身邊的人全都淋成落湯雞。這不是夢魘，而是泰國一年一度的潑水節（Songkran Festival）。在從前，這個節日是泰國新年的序幕，從四月十三日一直到四月十五日。Songkran 這個字來自於梵文的『變動或改變』，這段期間要丟掉陳舊和用不著的東西，像是壞掉的家具或相框。假如有人沒有丟掉或沖掉生活中破舊污穢的東西，就會為物品的主人帶來厄運。
據估 95 ℅的泰國人是佛教徒，因此宗教在這個慶典上扮演了很重要的角色。在十三號下午，全泰國的佛像都要被浸洗。在這個國家的某些地方，佛教寺院裡的神像會被請出來，在城市的街道上遊行。當這些佛像經過時，人們對著佛像潑水，為其淨身。
現今的潑水節可能是為了好玩，但是也有許多人把它當作春季大掃除。全國的房舍都在此時徹底打掃一番。不論潑水是為了好玩、清洗神像，或是打掃家裡，參加潑水節都是一個很棒的活動。
from 常春藤解析英語雜誌
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