Question

When a cake is brought to the table at a birthday party, it is usually decorated with candles. It is said that the tradition of lighting birthday candles was invented by the ancient Greeks; it has taken on different meanings through the years. Today, one of the most popular birthday traditions is to blow out the candles all at once to make a secret wish come true.

In order to please Artemis, the goddess of the moon, the ancient Greeks arranged something special for birthdays. A moon-shaped cake was baked and decorated with lit candles. They thought the smoke from the candles would carry an offering(祭品) up into the sky, where they believed Artemis lived.

The tradition of lighting birthday candles continued in Europe, where candles were sometimes kept burning all day on a person’s birthday, partly as celebration and partly to keep away evil spirits. It was believed that the blowing out of candles represented one’s prayers(祈祷) to the gods. Some cultures believe it is a bad luck to blow out the candles until after the evening meal is eaten.

Traditionally, one candle represents a year of the person’s age. Some families prefer to add an extra candle for good luck. But that practice is improper when a very young child is celebrating a third birthday. Generally, older people’s birthdays are celebrated by placing just a few candles to represent, such as an eight for 80th birthday.

Today’s birthday candles are made in different shapes, like animals or flowers. One or two candles in the shape of numbers are sometimes used instead of lots of candles; for example, a four-shaped and a zero-shaped candle would represent 40.

1.Why did the ancient Greeks arrange something special for birthdays?

A. To make their dreams come true.

B. To celebrate a person’s birthday.

C. To protect themselves from evil spirits.

D. To please the goddess of the moon.

2.What is the tradition of lighting candles for birthdays like in Europe?

A. The candles were always kept burning all day on a person’s birthday.

B. The blowing out of candles represented one’s prayers to the god.

C. Some cultures believe it is right to blow out the candles before the evening meal.

D. The Europeans sometimes keep burning the candles all day just as a celebration.

3.What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

A. In some families, people would add an extra candle without any special meaning.

B. It is common to see a cake with four candles on a three-year-old child’s birthday.

C. Traditionally, people can use an eight-shaped and a zero-shaped candle to represent 80.

D. Usually one candle is placed on a cake for each year of the person’s age.

Answer 1