Celebrate the 250th birthday of one of the world’s great composers
路德維希，生日快樂！ 歡慶「樂聖」貝多芬兩百五十歲誕辰
Most people enjoy a birthday celebration on one particular day. But one exceptional person's birthday is being celebrated for an entire year! Who might that be? Da-Da-Da-DUM... Beethoven! His birthday festivities began on Dec. 16, 2019, and they will continue until Dec. 17, 2020. Why? Because Ludwig van Beethoven was baptized on Dec. 17, 1770; his actual birthday is unknown.
Where can you celebrate the life of this musical genius? One place is the city of Bonn, Germany, the composer's birthplace. Each year the city holds the Bonn Beethovenfest, where famous international artists play his music.
An International Choir Festival is also planned for this fall. Choirs will attend workshops and perform together as well as join a choir flash mob. Concerts are also scheduled in Dresden, Prague and Vienna. In Dresden, a talented pianist plans to perform all of Beethoven's piano concertos. And from Vienna, where Beethoven spent most of his life, a cruise down the Danube River has been organized. The trip features concerts at landmarks along the way and a special concert onboard the ship.
Info Cloud
milestone birthdays 生日里程碑
Hello, and welcome to Info Cloud friends. Today I want to talk about getting older.
Do we have to talk about age again? That’s an embarrassing topic for me.
Don't worry. I thought we could discuss milestone birthdays and the traditions that accompany them.
Well, in that case, let's get to it. Let's start with sweet sixteen. This refers to the parties some girls have when they turn 16 years old. Can you talk about turning 18, Anne Marie?
Sure. In the USA, when you turn 18, you're considered an adult. At this age, you're allowed to vote, get married, voluntarily join the military or open your own bank account.
How about 21? That’s a milestone birthday too, isn't it? Well, that's the legal age you're allowed to drink alcohol in the US.
If you are over the hill, it means you're older than 40. Since that is about half the average lifespan, people sometimes say that once you're over the hill, you're finished with the first half of your life.
Before we go, I want to introduce a phrase about getting older -- aging gracefully. That means we accept that we are getting older and embrace it.
No matter how old you are, aging gracefully is something we all can do.
大部分的人每年都會過生日，但有些生日是有特別的意義的，像是16歲生日在美國代表小孩慢慢長大成熟，18歲生日代表你可以投票、合法結婚、加入軍隊，或是自己到銀行開戶，美國人統稱這一些特別的生日為 milestone birthdays 生日里程碑，或是有里程碑意義的生日。當然還有21歲，在美國代表可以喝酒了，這也是一個 milestone birthday。另外，當你用 over the hill 越過山丘 來形容一個人，那就代表他已經超過40歲了。當一個人的年齡越來越大，你可以用 aging gracefully 來形容這個人。aging gracefully 的意思就是非常優雅地增長年齡。
Language Lab
particular adj. 特定的
used to indicate that one specific person or thing is being referred to and no others
- Is there a particular place that you would like me to take these packages to?
你有沒有要我把這些包裹送到哪個指定的地方呢?
- Robert just bought some flowers for a particular person.
Robert 剛剛為某個特別的人買了一些花。
particular adj. 挑剔、非常講究的
having very definite opinions about what is good or acceptable
- When it comes to grilling steak, Jerry is very particular.
Jerry 對烤牛排可是非常講究的。
- It’s very hard to eat out with Lana because she is always so particular.
要跟Lana出去吃飯很麻煩，因為她是非常挑剔的。
festivity n. 歡慶
/ˈfɛˈstɪvəti/
celebration and enjoyment
festivities [plural] : enjoyable activities at the time of a holiday or other special occasion : festive activities 節慶當中的慶祝活動或是活動內容
festival n. 節慶
a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something
- The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon; do you have any special plans?
中秋節快到了，你有沒有什麼特別的計畫?
- The students put up a few balloons around the classroom to create a feeling of festivity.
學生們用幾個氣球來布置教室，製造一點歡慶的氣氛。
- Martha was so busy planning the festivities that she wasn’t able to enjoy the festival itself.
Martha 忙著籌備慶祝活動的細節，而無法享受節慶的歡樂。
- During the holiday weekend, thousands of visitors participated in the festivities.
佳節的周末時，好幾千名遊客來參加節慶活動。
workshop n. 工作坊、廠房(機械產業、手工方面的工作環境)
a place where things are made or repaired
- There are many machines in the workshop, so please be careful when you enter.
廠房裡有很多機器，進去時請注意安全。
- Paul uses his garage as a small workshop and keeps all his tools there.
Paul 把他的車庫當成一個小型工作室，他所有的工具都收在那裏。
workshop n. 專題討論會、研討會
a class or series of classes in which a small group of people learn the methods and skills used in doing something
- For those interested in taking pictures, there will be a photography workshop this weekend.
這個周末會舉辦一場攝影研討會，給對拍照有興趣的人參加。
- The students’ acting skills improved after they attended the drama workshop.
學生們參加了戲劇培訓會後，演技有進步。
landmark n. 地標
an object or structure on land that is easy to see and recognize
- The Statue of Liberty in New Work City is a famous landmark you must go see.
自由女神像在紐約是一個必看的著名地標。
- The Taj Mahal is a well-known landmark in India.
泰姬瑪哈陵是印度有名的地標。
landmark n. 一個發展過程中的重要點; 一件事情有重大意義
a very important event or achievement
- Neil Armstrong walking on the moon was a landmark in modern history.
阿姆斯壯踏上月球是現代歷史重要的里程碑。
- The king made the landmark decision to free all the slaves in his kingdom.
國王做了重大的決定，要釋放他王國裡所有的奴隸。
