Lunar New Year in Washington, D.C.(1)

A celebration of traditions
Gongs and drums, dragon dances and kung fu demonstrations. You could imagine you were somewhere in Asia celebrating the Lunar Year. But this is Washington, D.C., the United States capital.
A Chinese New Year's parade and festival take place here every year. People must work and go to school, so this holiday could be neglected. But in D.C., a large number of Chinese keep the holiday traditions alive.
The parade in Chinatown is the most memorable part. Different groups from the Chinese community participate in a variety of activities - martial arts, ribbon dances, traditional drums and tai chi. Hundreds of tourists flock to view this parade. Lanterns and red envelopes are given away.
The mall is also impressive during this time. For two weeks, the mall lobby is decorated with spring-festival couplets and red lanterns. Different kinds of entertainment go on every day - Chinese and Cantonese music performances, acrobatics, Chinese calligraphy, and traditional dances. All are the essence of Chinese culture. Parents take their children shopping and let them enjoy this exhibition of a great culture.

Info Cloud
capital n.
1.首都、首府
* Washington, D.C. is the capital of United States.
2.(某種工業、活動等集中的)重要都市
* Paris is the fashion capital of the world.
巴黎是時尚之都
capitol n.美國國會大廈

Language Lab
demonstration n.實地示範、證明
demonstrate v.示範
* Mary's cooking demonstration on TV helped the sales of our frying pen rise by 15%.
Mary在電視上的烹飪示範，幫助我們的炒菜鍋銷售量提升15%.
* The mechanic demonstrated how to replace the tires.
技師示範如何更換輪胎
neglect v.忽略、忽視；疏於照顧
* Jason put all his time into his work and neglected his family.
Jason把所有的時間都投入工作中，而忽略了家人。
* The boy was neglected by his parents and didn't even go to school.
這個小孩被父母疏於照顧，甚至沒有去上學。
essence n.本質、精髓
* The essence of the doctor's theory is that learning should be inspired from within. 這位博士的理論精髓是學習的動力必須來自內在
* The essence of this novel is the greed of human beings.
這本小說最想要闡述的人類的貪婪
exhibition n.展覽、展示
exhibit v.展覽  n.展示品
* The exhibition of Monet's paintings will start next month.
莫內的畫展下個月就會開始
* Exhibit No.1 is a vase from the Ming Dynasty.
一號展示品是明朝的花瓶