英語：高一 Unit 14 Festival知識例析
"what do you come for?"
there was an old woman who lived all by herself, and she was very lonely. sitting in the kitchen one night, she said, "oh, i wish i had some company."
no sooner had she spoken than down the chimney tumbled two feet from which the flesh had rotted. the old womans eyes bulged with terror.
then two legs dropped to the hearth and attached themselves to the feet.
then a body tumbled down, then two arms, and a mans head.
as the old woman watched, the parts came together into a great, tall man. the man danced around and around the room. faster and faster he went. then he stopped, and he looked into her eyes.
"what do you come for? she asked in a small voice that shivered and shook.
"what do i come for?" he said. "i come for you!"
the narrator shouts and jumps at the person near him!
ramadan齋月
ramadan or ramadan is the ninth month in the islamic year. siyam or saum is the fourth of the five pillars of islam and involves fasting during ramadan.
timing
the islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and months begin when the first crescent of a new moon is sighted. while many muslim sects insist on the physical sighting of the moon, there is no such requirement in the quran, and some muslims allow that the start of the month can be determined by astronomical calculations. because the islamic calendar has no correction for the fact that the lunar year is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year, ramadan migrates throughout the seasons.
observance
siyam or saum is the name for the fourth pillar of islam and places a number of restrictions on the activities of muslims during ramadan.
who observes ramadan?
there are a number of groups of people who do not need to observe ramadan, though they may if they wish:
children before the onset of puberty
soldiers on the battlefield
travellers in the desert
weak or elderly people
pregnant women, if they feel it might endanger their child
menstruating women
non-muslims, in particular people of the book such as jews and christians
sick people, travellers, and menstruating women are expected to make up any days they miss during another period of the same year.
what is prohibited?
the prohibitions only extend during daylight hours. traditionally this begins in the morning from the moment a white thread can be distinguished from a black thread. the night consequently is a time of pleasure and indulgence.
the following things are forbidden during daylight hours:
eating and drinking. there is a dispute as to whether the swallowing of saliva is forbidden.