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Top 10 US Holidays: New Year's

23 English
Vocabulary
Cultural Insight
2
2
3
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English
Top 10 US Holidays—New Year's

Celebrating New Year's in the United States brings to mind plenty of drinking and partying.
Law enforcement agencies around the United States have extra officers on patrol on New
Year's Eve because so many people are drinking heavily to welcome in the New Year. Ad
campaigns warn about the dangers of drunk driving, and some organizations offer free cab
rides home to fight against drunk driving.

Amidst all the alcohol, there are celebrations all over the country, the most famous of which
is in Times Square in New York City. People who aren't in Times Square for the celebration
often watch it on television. The highlight of the Times Square celebration is the ball drop
right at the stroke of midnight.

Organizers estimate that a million people watch the ball drop in Times Square each year, and
millions more watch from other places in the United States. It is believed that over a billion
people in all are watching the Times Square celebration from places all over the world.

In addition to the famous ball drop, New Year's Eve in Times Square is also highlighted with
several music performances. Numerous celebrities perform and take part in the New Year's
Eve celebration in Times Square. Ten seconds before midnight, a celebrity leads the
countdown to the new year, and when that countdown reaches zero, the ball drops.
Many Americans kiss precisely at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, so often they
2 make sure they are next to someone they would like to kiss.

Vocabulary

LC: AB_S3L23_060512 © www.EnglishClass101.com - All Rights Reserved 2012-06-05

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English Definition Class

ball a round object, often the focus of noun
a game or sport
zero nothing; none; boundary between noun
positive and negative
kiss touch one's lips to someone else verb, noun
as a gesture of affection
drunk having lost one's judgment or adjective
control over one's behavior after
drinking too much alcohol
enforce to make sure that [a rule or law] verb, noun
actually gets followed
midnight in the middle of the night, twelve noun
o'clock a.m.
times series of events or memories that noun
characterize a particular period in
the life of a person, nation, etc.
celebrity a famous person noun

Vocabulary Sample Sentences

Passing the ball is difficult for players of some sports.
A zero-tolerance policy is often declared for various laws.
3 Kiss is not only a noun, but the name of a very famous American rock band.
Getting drunk is never good for your health.
Enforcement of some laws is nearly impossible.
The shop closes at midnight.
Those were good times.
He dreams of becoming a celebrity.

Cultural Insight
Fun Facts about New Year's Eve

LC: AB_S3L23_060512 © www.EnglishClass101.com - All Rights Reserved 2012-06-05

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The first mass celebration of New Year's Eve in Times Square was in 1904, which was when the first
subway line in the city opened. Also, the new headquarters of The New York Times opened, thus
earning the square its name. The tradition of the New Year's Eve ball drop began in 1907, the year
city officials banned the fireworks displays that had taken center stage in previous years. The only two
years since then that there was no ball drop were 1942 and 1943, when a more solemn observance of
the New Year was punctuated by a moment of silence and the ringing of chimes in honor of troops
during World War II.

LC: AB_S3L23_060512 © www.EnglishClass101.com - All Rights Reserved 2012-06-05

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