With all the attention Thanksgiving and Christmas get from travellers, it’s easy to overlook Halloween as a destination holiday. While a few cities provide a ghostly atmosphere all year round, annual festivals, theme park pop-up events and other haunted happenings elsewhere have helped make the holiday a travel mini-season all its own.
New Orleans
Home to year-round cemetery walks, New Orleans is among the cities that naturally harmonize with Halloween. Worth noting every October is the family-friendly Halloween parade, happening this year on Oct. 21, with floats devoted to themes like werewolves and vampires. Float riders throw locally made candies to the crowd. New Orleans hosts plenty of after-event-parties, but the procession itself draws all ages in costume.
Whitby, England
This picturesque town on England’s Yorkshire coast is considered to be the home of Dracula, though in a different way. Bram Stoker spent just a month in Whitby, but those four weeks in July and August 1890 were important in the creation of his most famous book, “Dracula”, which was published in 1897. Whitby celebrated the 125th anniversary of Stoker’s visit in 2015, but this year you can see the skeletal remains of Whitby Abbey illuminated throughout the final week of October.
Salem, Massachusetts
Home to the infamous witch trials of the early 1690s, it should come as no surprise that this town is a hotbed for Halloween activity. One way Salem builds on its spectral past is with the nearly month-long festival of the Dead. Events starting from mid-October this year include psychic readings, mourning-themed tea and on Halloween night, a witches gathering.
Orlando, Florida
The home of Disney World and Universal Studios goes all-out with huge Halloween events. Universal this year will hold its 27th Halloween Horror Night on Oct. 30, a seasonal pop-up featuring haunted houses and “scareactors” employed to frighten visitors. Plus, there are many other activities like trick-or-treating, Disney character encounters, a Halloween ball and fireworks.
35. Which of the following is most recommended for a family going together?
A. New Orleans. B. Whitby, England.
C. Salem, Massachusetts. D. Orlando, Florida.
36. Where do Halloween activities last the longest this year?
A. New Orleans. B. Whitby, England.
C. Salem, Massachusetts. D. Orlando, Florida.
37. What can you do in Orlando, Florida ?
A. Have mourning-themed tea. B. Enjoy dancing.
C. Watch Disney movies. D. See skeletal remains.
【答案】35. A    36. C    37. B
【解析】
这是一篇应用文。文章介绍了在一些城市，万圣节以年度节日、主题公园的快闪活动和其他的一些闹鬼事件为体现形式，形成了一个独立的旅游小假日。
【35题详解】
细节理解题。根据第一个黑色小标题下“Worth noting every October is the family-friendly Halloween parade, happening this year on Oct. 21, with floats devoted to themes like werewolves and vampires.（值得注意的是，每年10月都会举行适合家庭的万圣节游行，今年的万圣节游行将于10月21日举行，花车主题包括狼人和吸血鬼。）”文中的“family-friendly”和题干中的“a family going together”相呼应。故选A项。
【36题详解】
细节理解题。本题问的是“今年哪里的万圣节活动持续的时间最长”。根据第一个小黑标题下的“happening this year on Oct. 21”可知New Orleans的万圣节活动时间是一天。根据第二个小黑标题下的“but this year you can see the skeletal remains of Whitby Abbey illuminated throughout the final week of October.（但今年你可以看到惠特比修道院的遗骸将照亮整个10月的最后一周。）”可知Whitby, England的万圣节活动时间是一周。根据第三个小黑标题下的“One way Salem builds on its spectral past is with the nearly month-long festival of the Dead. （塞勒姆建立在过去幽灵般的历史上的一种方式是伴随近一个月的亡灵节。）”可知Salem, Massachusetts的万圣节活动时间是将近一个月。根据第四个小黑标题下的“Universal this year will hold its 27th Halloween Horror Night on Oct. 30”可知Orlando, Florida的万圣节活动时间是一天。故选C项。
【37题详解】
细节理解题。根据题干中的“Orlando, Florida”可将答案定位在第四个小黑标题下。由最后一句话中的“a Halloween ball and fireworks.（万圣节舞会和烟火。）”可知在这个活动中你可以跳舞。故选B项。