“618”是什么节？
What is the 618 shopping festival?
Name: ________________ Date: ________
在中国，一年里有两个“购物节”最热闹。一个是十一月的“双十一”，另一个就是六月十八日的“618”。
618是怎么来的？一九九八年六月十八日，一家叫“京东”的公司开始做生意。后来，京东每年都在自己的生日这一天打折，东西比平时便宜很多。
买东西的人越来越多。别的网上商店看到了，也开始在六月打折。现在，618已经不只是京东一家的节日了，差不多所有的网上商店都会参加。
618和双十一有什么不一样？双十一的时候，天气快冷了，很多人买冬天的衣服。618在夏天，很多人买空调、手机和电脑。
不过，很多人也说：打折的时候，最容易买自己不需要的东西。你会在打折的时候买很多东西吗？
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 开始 | kāishǐ | to begin; to start; beginning |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday |
| 网上 | wǎngshàng | online; on the internet |
| 后来 | hòulái | afterwards; later |
| 平时 | píngshí | usually; ordinarily |
| 别的 | biéde | other; else |
| 节日 | jiérì | festival; holiday |
| 参加 | cānjiā | to take part in; to attend; to join |
| 冬天 | dōngtiān | winter |
| 夏天 | xiàtiān | summer |
| 空调 | kōngtiáo | air conditioner; air conditioning |
| 需要 | xūyào | to need; need; needs |
English (for the teacher)
In China, two “shopping festivals” are the busiest of the year. One is “Double 11” in November; the other is “618”, on the eighteenth of June.
Where did 618 come from? On 18 June 1998, a company called JD started doing business. Later, JD held a sale every year on its birthday, with things much cheaper than usual.
More and more people came to buy. Other online shops saw this and started holding June sales too. Now 618 isn’t just JD’s festival any more: almost every online shop joins in.
How is 618 different from Double 11? At Double 11 the weather is turning cold, and many people buy winter clothes. 618 is in summer, and many people buy air conditioners, phones and computers.
But many people also say that a sale is when it’s easiest to buy things you don’t need. Do you buy lots of things in the sales?