01: When is your birthday? How do you usually celebrate it?

My birthday is July 15th. My mom said that nothing special happened that day, except that the weather was really good.

When I was a child, I enjoyed birthday celebrations a lot. My mum would invite my close friends to our home and prepare a nice dinner with a fancy birthday cake. I got a lot of presents too, and I felt like the centre of the world on that day.

But now, since all my friends are getting busier with their work and so am I, it’s harder to get together and celebrate. Big birthday parties often become a nice little chat over dinner or coffee with only one or two close friends. It feels different, but it’s still a delightful occasion.

I think for most adults, a birthday no longer means presents or celebrations, but rather a new start, new goals, and new prospects, and that’s why it’s always important.

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【短语集锦】

to throw a party 开聚会 / low-key 低调的（事物）

Some people like throwing big parties and others like having low-key celebrations.

to make a big deal out of sth. 过去隆重地看待，小题大做 / no big deal 没什么大不了的 / to treat 看待、对待 / any other day 很普通的一天，其他任何一天

Some people like to make a big deal out of birthdays. I think it’s no big deal. I just treat it as any other day.

milestone 里程碑 / to signify 象征着 /a fresh start 一个新的开始 / a phase of life 人生的一个阶段

A birthday is a milestone. It signifies a fresh start or even a new phase of life.