VENICE,asmall,watersidecityinnortheastItaly,boilswithhappinessandexcitementonceeveryyear.BetweenFebruary21andMarch4,carnival(狂欢节)hitsthestreets.Formostpeople,carnivalmeanslargepartiesandfeasting(
VENICE,asmall,watersidecityinnortheastItaly,boilswithhappinessandexcitementonceeveryyear.BetweenFebruary21andMarch4,carnival(狂欢节)hitsthestreets.
Formostpeople,carnivalmeanslargepartiesandfeasting(盛宴).ButinVenice,italsomeanstraditionalmasksandclothes.
Thesecostumeswerefirstmeanttohidepersonalidentities.Then,differentsocialclassescouldmixinaseaofhappiness.
Alongthewaterways,peoplegreetedeachotherwith:“GoodmorningMsMask!”
Today,peopleinVenicestilldressupinthestrangestwaysasarmedsoldiers,butchersandfishermen,forexample.
Barsandcafésarefilledwithpartygoerswhocometoshowofftheirbeautifulclothes.Theirdesignsandcreationsaremadebyspecialstudios.Readymadecostumesarenotacceptable.
“Inthemonthsbeforethecarnivalweworkovertimetomeetthedemand,”saidamaskmaker.“Manykilometresofsilkandlace(花边)aremadeintocostumes.Forshopkeepers,carnivalisthebesttimeofyear.”
TheVenicecarnivaldatesbacktotheMiddleAges.Atthattime,thecitywasoneofthewealthiestinEurope.
Thetraditionofcelebratingwithmasksandcostumesisthoughttohavebeenstartedbythe“StockingCompanies”.Theseweregroupsofyoungmenwhoorganizedpartiesandfestivalsandworecolorfulstockingstodistinguish(区分)themselves.
Bythe18thcentury,thecarnivalhadreacheditstop.ItallcametoanendwhenNapoleoncontrolledVenicein1797.Butin1979,localpeoplebroughttheoldtraditionsbacktolife.
NowtheVenicecarnivalattractshugecrowdsfromallovertheworld.Thisyear,about700000peoplearetakingpart.Hotelswerefullybookedmonthsinadvance,andbarsandrestaurantsoverfloweveryday.
Thecitycertainlybenefits—awholeindustryhasbeenbuiltuparoundthecarnival'smasksandclothes.
“TheVenicecarnivalisamagicaltime!It'ssuchagreatexperience,”saidoneFrenchtourist.
48.Whatmightyouinferfromthearticle?
A.PeopleinVenicelikeparties.
B.Venicewasahappycity.
C.ThereusedtobestrongfeelingsofsocialclassinVenice.
D.Venicewasacityofsilkandlace.