6.
阅读理解
Each year, the women of Olney, England, and
Liberal, Kansas, have an unusual "pancake racing".
This tradition
is said to have started on Shrove Tuesday, 1445, in Olney. Shrove Tuesday is the day before the
Christian season of Lent begins.
It is said that in 1445, an Olney woman was
making pancakes. She suddenly heard the church (教堂) bells ring, signaling the beginning of the Shrove
Tuesday service. Realizing that she was going to be late for church, she raced out the
door still wearing her apron (围裙) and headscarf and holding her frying pan (锅) with a pancake in it. Olney women continue this tradition more than
500 years later.
In 1950, a person of Liberal wanted his town
to join in Olney Pancake Race. He made some phone calls to Olney to set up a
friendly competition, and the people of Olney accepted the challenge.
The rules are simple. Racers must wear the traditional headscarf
and apron. They have to flip (抛) the pancake in the air so that it flips and lands
back in the pan on the other side. After the race, there are Shrove Tuesday
church services. Then Liberal and Olney connect through a video call to compare race
times and announce a winner.
In both towns, the races have grown into
larger festivals. Olney's festival is an all-day event starting with a big pancake
breakfast. Liberal's festival lasts four days and includes a parade, a great show,
and eating competitions.
Although the women's race is still the main
event, both towns now hold races for boys and girls of all ages. Emma Evans, 14, was the winner of her age
group's race in Liberal last year. She wore an apron that her grandma made for
her and used a pan passed down to her from her older brother. Her family cheered her on from the sidelines.
"It's a family tradition, "Emma says."
And there are
only two places in the world that compete against each other in a race like
this, so it feels special."