A
We all love bank holidays. In the UK, we only get eight bank holidays in one year, and at least five of those occur around Christmas time and Easter time! A bank holiday is a British English term. This is an official day that is decided by the government, when banks, shops and offices close for the day even though it’s a weekday—usually a Monday, and a lot of people have a day off work.
Bank holidays are different in Colombia—firstly, they are called “festivos”. There are twenty festivos for the whole country in one year! In Britain, people get more holiday allowances(津贴)than Colombians but fewer bank holidays. There can be even more festivos in Colombia, depending on which region of Colombia you live in. This is because different regions have their own holidays. For example, some regions have a patron saint (守护神), so they have an extra festivo to celebrate that saint.
However, there are some days that are national holidays for historical reasons. There is an Independence Day celebration on July 20 every year. This is just like Bastille Day in France on July 14, or I ndependence Day in the United States on July 4th. Other important festivos in Colombia are: Labour Day on May 1, and Columbus Day on October 12. Columbus Day is a historical bank holiday that almost every county on the continent of America celebrates. This includes Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. It is memorialization of the day when the Italian sailor, Christopher Columbus, first reached land on the continent in the year 1 492. Many people criticize this day and say it is not something to celebrate because of the way Columbus and his team treated the people that were already living there.
21 What is a “bank holiday” according to the text?
A. A celebration for Christmas and Easter. B. An official nationwide vacation.
C. A British traditional religion festival. D. A holiday only for the bank staff.
22. Why do many Americans refuse to celebrate Columbus Day?
A. Because Columbus wasn’t an American at all.
B. Because it wasn’t Columbus who found America first.
C. Because Columbus once treated the locals badly.
D. Because Columbus didn’t live in the continent of America.
23. What is the text mainly about?
A. Bank holidays in Colombia. B. A British English term.
C. Important festivos in America. D. Different bank holidays in the USA
