雅思口语话题解析： A Public Event

　　Describe an enjoyable public event that you went to

　　You should say:

　　what the event was

　　when you went there

　　who you went there with

　　and explain why you enjoyed this event.

　　I visited New York City with my family in 2009 and joined the city’s annual HalloweenParade down the 6th Avenue. It was quite a spectacle. People got all gussied up for the spookiest of the holidays. In fact, there were two ways one can enjoy the event, either as a participant or as an onlooker. If you dressed up in a costume, you can participate in the parade and march down the route. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any costume, I could only watch. As an onlooker, I stood among the packed crowd behind the policebarricades. Some eager fellow on-lookers climbed up trees for a better view. A few even jumped over the barricades when the police turned round. Creepy ghouls and giantpuppets were marching down the street and everyone was cheering. It was so fun and we enjoyed a great deal. Looking back, among all other public events that I went to, this one left the deepest impression. I think the reasons are two folds. One, we did not have this kind of festivity here in China. It felt so strange to a Chinese guy to watch people dressed as corpses and monsters and even toilets and at the same time enjoy themselves. To the more conservative Chinese minds, the party seemed to be the greatest “cultural shock”. Second, I was amazed by the creative designs of the costume. I also felt the worry-free fun and happiness from the people all around me. I will never forget the New Yorkers’ creativity and the “in the moment” attitude. Maybe this is why New York City is so great.

　　1. annual (adj.): happening once a year 一年一度的

　　2. parade (n.): a line of people moving along so that other people can watch them 游行

　　3. spectacle (n.): a very impressive show or scene 景象、壮观

　　It was quite a spectacle. (or: It was quite an event) 场面很是壮观啊！

　　4. get gussied up: 精心打扮

　　5. spooky (adj.): strange or frightening in a way that makes you think of ghosts. 幽灵般

　　6. onlooker (n.): 观众

　　7. packed (adj.): extremely full of people. 拥挤的

　　8. barricade (n.)：路障

　　9. creepy ghoul：令人毛骨悚然的鬼怪

　　10. puppet (n.): 木偶、人偶、玩偶

　　11. festivity (n.): 庆祝

　　12. corpse (n.): the dead body of a person. 尸体

　　13. conservative (adj.): 保守的

　　14. worry-free fun (n.): 无忧无虑的快乐

　　15. “in the moment” attitude: 及时行乐的态度