岁末辞旧迎新，米国群众除了向亲友互祝Happy New Year和购物之外，还有那些有意思的事情呢？朋友，你听说过安利，啊不是，New Year Resolution和the Ball Drop吗？
The Ball Drop 新年降球
The ball drop在美国各地都有，但最有名的还是纽约时代广场的跨年活动之一，即watching the ball drop in Times Square观看时代广场的水晶球降落。这项活动始于1907年跨年，由《纽约时报》的老板Adolph Ochs组织，现在由Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment公司承办。
时代广场球Times Square Ball坐落于纽约时代广场的屋顶，是时代广场除夕庆典的重要组成部分，通常被称为the ball drop（这个貌似还没有官方名称）。和倒计时Countdown一起，在纽约所在时区的东部时间午夜11:59:00开始，由特邀嘉宾按下按钮，球沿着特别设计的旗杆，在60秒内缓缓下降141英尺（43米），并在12点整降落到底，倒计时随之结束。标志着新年的开始。近年来，庆祝活动之前有现场音乐表演等等众多活动和现场直逼，相比之前坐在家里看电视，聚集在广场上集体跨年成为年轻人的流行。
从网上找了视频，大家可以看看2016年跨年倒计时和新年降球的模样。Times Square ball dropcelebrates NewYear's 2016http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTQzMjAzNjEzNg==.html?from=y1.2-1-86.4.1-1.1-1-2-0-0%26source%3Dautoclick
New Year Resolution 新年决心
可能有人和我一样，是从新概念3中知道“新年决心”这个词。在这一课中，作者描述可以说很扎心了：The New Year is a time for resolutions.
Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and
'don'ts'. The same old favorites recur year in year out with monotonous
regularity. 新年是下决心的时候，至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份“应做什么”和“不应做什么”的令人生畏的单子。相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。
Resolution 是一个名词，查查搭配词典，意思是坚定地决定做或不做某事，常用firm、good修饰或者与make 或keep搭配。因此New Year Resolution可以理解成为下定决心在未来一年要完成的计划清单，通常在一年年初完成。
4 firm decision to do/not to do sth
ADJ. firm, good | New Year/New Year's
VERB+ RESOLUTION make I made a NewYear resolution to give up smoking. | keep
那么人们一般都会制定哪些计划呢？总结起来，大约包括注重健康、财务自由、自我提升和享受生活是四大主题，看来不论国籍和生活环境，世界人民都很一致呀：
Improve physical well-being: eat healthy food, loseweight, exercise more, eat better, drink less alcohol, quit smoking, stopbiting nails, get rid of old bad habits
Improve mental well-being: think positive, laugh moreoften, enjoy life
Improve finances: get out of debt, save money, makesmall investments
Improve career: perform better at current job, get abetter job, establish own business
改善身体健康：吃健康食物，减肥，多运动，多吃，少喝酒，戒烟，停止咬指甲，摆脱旧的不良习惯
提高心理健康：积极思考，多笑，享受生活
改善财务状况：摆脱债务，省钱，做小额投资
改善职业：在现有工作中表现更好，找到更好的工作，创业
Improve education: improve grades, get a bettereducation, learn something new (such as a foreign language or music), studyoften, read more books, improve talents
Improve self: become more organized, reduce stress, beless grumpy, manage time, be more independent, perhaps watch less television,play fewer sitting-down video games
Take a trip
Volunteer to help others, practice life skills, usecivic virtue, give to charity, volunteer to work part-time in a charityorganization
改善教育：提高成绩，获得更好的教育，学习新的东西（如外语或音乐），经常学习，阅读更多的书籍，变更有才
改善自我：变得更有组织，减少压力，减少脾气，管理时间，更独立，也许看电视更少，玩更少的坐下视频游戏
旅行
自愿帮助他人，实践生活技能，践行公民美德，捐助慈善机构，在慈善组织帮忙
Get along better with people, improve social skills,enhance social intelligence
Make new friends
Spend quality time with family members
Settle down, get engaged/get married, have kids
Pray more, be more spiritual
Be more involved in sports or different activities
Spend less time on social media (such as Facebook,Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr etc.)
与人相处融洽，提高社交能力，增强社交能力
结交新朋友
与家人共度美好时光
安顿下来，订婚/结婚，有孩子
多多祷告，多注重精神
更多地参与运动或参与不同的活动
在社交媒体（如Facebook，Instagram，Twitter，Tumblr等）上花更少的时间。
然而，在拖延症成为流行疾病的当今，新年决心的完成情况如何呢？2007年，一项有3000人参与的研究显示，有88％制定了新年决心的人未能完成（failing their New Years' Resolutions）。最常见原因是为自己设定了不切实际的目标（35％），而33％的人没有跟踪他们的进步，还有23％的人忘记了，约10%参与者声称他们提出了太多的决议。
看来今年下决心的时候，还是悠着点来，免得立的FLAG在年底被狠狠打脸……
附：Resolution
1 formal decision taken after a vote
ADJ. draft |formal | joint ajoint US-British resolution |unanimous | ordinary | emergency, special | compromise | affirmative, negative (both law) Anaffirmative resolution of both Houses of Parliament is needed. | Security
Council, UN, etc.
VERB+ RESOLUTION draft| propose, put forward, table | vote on | adopt, agree, approve, carry, pass Theresolution was carried unanimously. |
block, reject
RESOLUTION+ VERB beaimed at sth, call for sth Theresolution called for the resumption of negotiations. | declaresth, proclaim sth aresolution declaring independence |approve sth, authorize sth Theassembly adopted a resolution approving the scheme. | condemn sth a resolution
condemning the invasion
PREP. under (a/the)~ weaponsbanned under Resolution 687 |~ on TheGeneral Assembly rejected the resolution on the subject of arms control. > Specialpage at MEETING
2 settling a dispute
ADJ. early, quick,rapid | final, ultimate | peaceful Hopesof a peaceful resolution to the conflict were fading. |satisfactory, successful | conflict, dispute methods
of conflict resolution
VERB+ RESOLUTION require| press for Thegovernment is pressing for an early resolution of the hostage crisis. | achieve,
reach
PREP. ~ to the
likelihood of achieving a satisfactory resolution to the problem
3 being firm and determined
ADJ. great
VERB+ RESOLUTION have| show Sheshowed great resolution in her dealings with management. | lack
4 firm decision to do/not to do sth
ADJ. firm, good |
New Year/New Year's
VERB+ RESOLUTION make I made a NewYear resolution to give up smoking. |
keep
5 power to give a clear image
ADJ. high high-resolution graphics | low | maximum | screen | pixel a monitor capable of a 1,024 by 768 pixel resolution