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  在本栏目我们回顾历史上本周发生的重要事件,听听下面的短文,做做下面的练习,学习一些相关的英语表达形式。

  本周是06月27日至06月30日历史上发生的事件。
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June 24th is considered Midsummer's day in many countries, although it isn't actually longest day of the year. That day is around the 21st of June in the Northern hemisphere and the name given to the longest day is summer solstice. The word solstice comes from two Latin words meaning sun and to stand still. Midsummer has been an important event and a reason for celebration for thousands of years. Ancient man dreaded the long, dark days of winter and looked forward to the warm, fertile summer months. Stonehenge is the one thing above all others which springs to mind when summer solstice is mentioned in Britain. It is now fairly certain that Stonehenge was constructed in stages between around 3000 BC and 1800 BC. This circle of enormousstanding stones is still there. It was constructed so that at dawn on the summer solstice the rays of the sun break over the sun stone and shine onto the altar. Druids, a pre Roman cult of priests, walked to the altar tp praise the sun as the giver of life. When Christianity came to Europe many pagan festivals were changed to Christian ones. The mid-winter celebration became Christmas, the birth of Christ, and midsummer's day became the feast of John the Baptist.

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