2015年高考英語寫作素材：世界讀書日的由來

　　從世界各地來看，讀書節已成為當代社會的文化景觀，而且是最近20年的新風潮。不過，現代意義上的第一個“讀書節”，最早可追溯到1926年西班牙國王首次設立的“西班牙自由節”，並把偉大作家塞萬提斯的生日10月7日作為這個節日的慶祝日。

　　From all over the world, Reading Festival has become the cultural landscape of contemporary society, and it is a new trend in recent 20 years. However, the first "Reading Festival" in the modern sense, the earliest can be traced back to 1926, the king of Spain for the first time to set up a "Spanish freedom festival", and the great writer Cervantes's birthday in October 7th as a celebration of the holiday.

　　1930年慶祝活動移到4月23日――塞萬提斯的忌日，碰巧這一天也是加泰羅尼亞地區大眾節日“聖喬治節”。傳說中勇士喬治屠龍救公主，並獲得了公主回贈的'禮物――一本書，象徵著知識與力量。每到這一天，加泰羅尼亞的婦女們就給丈夫或男朋友贈送一本書，男人們則會回贈一枝玫瑰花。由此相沿成習，如今每到這一天，書籍減價10%，玫瑰花的價格則陡然上漲。

　　Celebration on 1930 to April 23rd -- the anniversary of the death of Cervantes, to this day is also the Catalonia area public holiday "St. George's day". The legend goes that the knight George slew a dragon and saved a princess, and was granted a gift in return: a book, representing knowledge and power. Every year on this day, Catalonia women will give a book to their husband or boyfriend, the men will give a rose. Thus become a custom through long time usage, and now every day, the book price by 10%, prices rose sharply rise.

　　世界讀書日就來源於此。巧合的是，這天是著名作家塞萬提斯、莎士比亞、維加3位著名文學大師的辭世紀念日，又是美國作家納博科夫、法國作家莫里斯・德魯昂、冰島諾貝爾文學獎得主拉克斯內斯等多位文學家的生日。巧合之外，則是人們對書籍的熱愛和對閱讀重要性的深層認識。主旋律都是一樣的：無論是年老還是年輕，無論是貧窮還是富有，無論是患病還是健康，都能享受閱讀的樂趣，都能尊重和感謝為人類文明作出巨大貢獻的文學、文化、科學思想大師們，都能保護智慧財產權。

　　World Book Day comes from this. Coincidentally, this is the famous writer Cervantes died, Shakespeare Vega, 3 famous literary masters of the day, and Nabokov, French writer USA writer Maurice de Rouen, Iceland Nobel prize winner Laks Ness and many other writers' day. Coincidentally, is that people love of books and a deep understanding of the importance of reading. The main theme is the same: whether old or young, whether rich or poor, whether it is sick or healthy, can enjoy the pleasure of reading, respect and gratitude can make great contributions to human civilization, literature, culture, scientific thinking gurus, can protect the intellectual property rights.