Gisela: It's your first New Year's Eve in Germany and such a beautiful clear night.
吉塞拉：這是你第一次在德國過除夕，看夜色多麼美麗清朗。
Mary: It really is and it's almost midnight, so I suppose the church bells will start ringing at any moment.
瑪麗：不錯。現在快到子夜了，教堂的鐘聲隨時都會響起來。
Gisela: Yes, there they go. Happy New Year, Mary!
吉塞拉：是啊，聽，響起來了。瑪麗，祝你聖誕快樂！
Mary: Happy New Year to you too!...My goodness, what's that noise? Oh! look, look!
瑪麗：彼此彼此……老天，那是甚麼聲音？啊，看，看！
Gisela: Oh, that's the New Year fireworks. I should have told you. We always have fireworks at New Year in Germany.
吉塞拉：那是新年煙火。我早該告訴你，在德國，我們新年循例會放煙火。
Mary: What wonderful colors. And the noise! It's certainly a great way to welcome in the New Year.
瑪麗：那色彩，那聲音，多麼動人！這樣迎接新年，真是妙極了。
吉塞拉告訴瑪麗：We always have fireworks at New Year in Germany.瑪麗說：It's certainly a great way to welcome in the New Year.
「迎接新年」英文除了說to welcome (in) the New Year，還可說to see in the New Year、to let in the New Year，例如：(1) I was so tired last night that I did not stay up to see the New Year in（我昨夜倦得沒有延遲睡覺迎接新年）。(2) I am going to attend a party to let in the New Year（我會參加派對迎接新年）。
新年放煙火，在世界各地已經成為常規。「煙火」叫firework，多用複數形式；「放煙火」是to let off / set off / shoot off / discharge fireworks，例如：(1) Fireworks were shot off, lighting up the night sky（煙火盛放，照亮了夜空）。(2) A big display of fireworks / firework display to mark the beginning of a new year has become the norm in many countries（新年伊始大放煙火，在多個國家已成慣例）。Norm即「準則」或「規範」。
新年的第一天，西方人會制定新年大計，即所謂New Year's resolution。Resolution是「決定」，但新一年戒菸、節食之類雄圖一般都實行不過一兩個月甚至一兩天，例如：(1) His New Year's resolution to give up smoking was broken in no time. I saw him happily smoking yesterday（他轉眼就違背了自己的新年戒菸決定。我昨天又看見他快快活活的吸菸）。(2) What are your New Year's resolutions? / What are your resolutions for the new year?（你有甚麼新年大計？）
明天課文
This is my first Burns Night Supper
這是我第一次出席彭斯晚宴
古德明撰文
