In the 5th century lived a man named Patrick who was kidnapped from Britain at the age of 16, part of the Roman Empire at the time, and brought to Ireland as a slave. He escaped, but later returned and brought Christianity to the people of Ireland. After his death, stories about his life became more and more ingrained in Irish culture. For example, one story talks about how he used the three-leaved clover, a plant that is associated with Irish culture to this day, to explain the Christian concept of the three aspects of God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) to the Irish people.
西元五世紀，有一位名叫Patrick的人，在16歲那年從當時為羅馬帝國領土的英格蘭被綁架到愛爾蘭當奴隸。他逃跑了，但之後又回到愛爾蘭並將天主教傳給愛爾蘭人。他過世後，他的人生故事也深入愛爾蘭文化。譬如，有則故事講到他利用三葉草，也就是到現在還與愛爾蘭文化息息相關的一種植物，為愛爾蘭人民解釋天主教的三位一體(聖父、聖子、聖靈)的教義。

Starting in the ninth or tenth century, the Irish began to celebrate the death of Saint Patrick on March 17 of every year. Because many Irish have settled in North America in the last 300 years, St. Patrick’s Day festivities have also caught on in a big way in both Canada and the US. These festivities include music, feasts, and street parades.
自九或十世紀開始，愛爾蘭人開始在每年的3月17日這天舉辦聖派翠克的逝世紀念日。因為過去三百年來有許多愛爾蘭人定居在北美，聖派翠克的節慶也在加拿大及美國兩處大規模地流行。這些慶祝活動包括有音樂與食物饗宴，及街頭遊行。

But the one thing that people most commonly think of when it comes to St. Patrick’s Day is the wearing of green clothing. Green is the color associated with St. Patrick and Ireland itself. If you forget to wear at least one (or preferably more) green item on St. Patrick’s Day, you might invite criticism from your friends, classmates, or coworkers. Another popular activity on St. Patrick’s Day is to drink beer with one’s friends, and many pubs, overflowing with people on March 17, even dye their beer green for that one day.
但有一件只要到聖派翠克節大家大多會想到的是 穿戴綠色的衣物。綠色這顏色與聖派翠克與愛爾蘭自身文化有關。假如這一天你忘記至少穿戴一件(多件更好)綠色的衣物飾品，你可能會遭到朋友、同學或同事的批評。聖派翠克節另一項受人歡迎的活動就是和朋友一起喝啤酒，3月17日這天許多酒吧擠得水洩不通，他們甚至為了這一天將啤酒染成綠色。

1. kidnap (v) to take someone captive, usually for a ransom  綁架
The criminal kidnapped the rich man’s son and demanded a million dollar ransom for his return. 
罪犯綁架富人的兒子，並要求一百萬美元的贖金才放人。

2. slave (n) a person owned by another person and forced to work  奴隸
It was common for rich people to own slaves in the Roman Empire.
在羅馬帝國有錢人擁有奴隸是很普遍的。

3. ingrain (v) establish  使根深蒂固，使深深地印在腦中
If children are taught to be polite at a young age, this behavior will become ingrained in their minds.
假如孩子年紀還小時就被教導要有禮貌，這個行為將會深深地印在他們的腦海中。

4. aspect (n) a part or feature  外觀，樣子；方面，觀點；(文)體；部分
Having a positive attitude can improve many aspects of one’s life.
正面的態度可以改善生活中許多層面。

5. festivities (n) (usually plural, countable) activities associated with a festival  慶典，慶祝活動
The school’s Halloween festivities will begin at 9 AM.   
學校的萬聖節慶祝活動將在早上九點開始。

6. overflow (v) spill over because too full  氾濫，溢出；充滿，洋溢
Jenny filled her glass with beer too quickly, causing it to overflow.
Jenny倒啤酒倒得太快，結果溢出來了。

7. dye (v) to permanently color something, such as hair, liquid, or fabric  染色
Misty is thinking of dyeing her hair green.
Misty想把頭髮染成綠色。