August

“If the first week of August be unusually warm, the winter will be snowy and long.”八月之樂   -「如果八月的第一個禮拜反常地天氣 溫暖，那麼冬季將會多雪又漫長。」

The dog days of summer remain in full swing in the Northern Hemisphere. As the month progresses, the evenings become cooler in northern regions and mountains. But in the Southern Hemisphere. August means winter's end is fast approaching. Festivals can be found worldwide this month. One of the more outstanding ones is La Tomatina in Spain. If you like tomatoes, then you'll like this one because people throw them at one another!

Is music more to your taste? Then head to the Lollappalocza Festival in Chicago. Although it's primarily a music festival, crafts and comedy get mixed in as well. The world's largest arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland is on, too. Or perhaps you like horses. Then head to Siena, Italy, where a bareback horserace is held. It only lasts about a minute and a half!

"Evening emeralds," August's birthstone, the peridot, was called this by the Romans because of the way the peridot reflected lamplight. "Love at first sight!" August's flower, the gladiolus, held this hidden meaning during the Victorian era.

Grammar Gym:
.......winter send is fast approaching
'fast approaching' - coming quickly or happening soon.
We need to hurry to the station, I see our bus is fast approaching.
James has been very busy with his assignment because the due date is fast approaching.

Vocabulary Tips:
swing -摇动的幅度。
in full swing - is going, will not stop any soon. 正活跃的进行。
*The discussion was in full swing and nobody wanted to stop for lunch.
*The cherry blossom season was in full swing in March Kyoto.
outstanding - stand out, something is special.杰出的，显著的。
*The actor's outstanding performance won him an Oscar.
*George is outstanding at analyzing data.分析资料
outstanding -未完成的。
*We still have some outstanding issues to discuss. 还有一些尚未完成的议题要讨论。。。
primarily -mainly.主要的，根本的，
*The film's failure was primarily due to poor casting.
*The discussion focused primarily on the company's financial status.
primary -重要的。
*The primary goal of our trip is to find new clients.
reflect -反应，反射。  回来之意。
*This fabric reflects sunlight better than those fabrics.
reflect -反应，显现出。
*The conflict reflected the tension between races.
gladiolus -（花名）剑兰花。

Language Tips:
古时，预测天气是农夫，渔夫或水手们很关注的事：水手们多年的经验而有：
"Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning, red skies at night, sailor's delight." （早上天空泛红，水手们提高警觉，天气会有变，。。晚上天空泛红，水手们很高兴，因为知道明天会有好天气。
牛不喜欢迎风吃草，面向着风。久而久之，农夫们知道当：
"A cow's tail to the west makes the weather the best, a cow's tail to the eat makes the weather the least." 牛尾朝西，是好天气，。。牛尾朝东，那就是会起风，不会是个好天气。



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