Americans plan parties for many reasons.
美国人举行派对缘由诸多。
As in other cultures, many Americans attend parties for weddings and religious and national holidays.
同其他的文化一样，很多美国人也会在婚礼上，宗教节日和法定假日里举办派对，
But some parties are especially American.
但也有一些派对很美国化。
For example, a group of neighbors may gather on their street to eat food,play music and visit with one another.
例如，邻里之间可能会聚在街道上，一起吃东西，玩音乐并相互问候闲聊，
This is called a block party.
这就是所谓的街头派对。

A woman might invite a group of women to a party called a baby shower for a friend who is about to give birth.
而女性则可能会邀上一帮同性朋友来参加她为准备当妈妈的好友举办的送礼派对，
Guests bring presents for the new baby.
客人们都会给即将诞生的宝宝带来祝福的礼物。
Americans also attend tailgate parties.
美国人也参加车尾野餐会。
A tailgate is the back end of a truck or other vehicle that opens down.
后挡板是指卡车或其他车后端那块可以打开翻下来的尾板。
Tailgating parties are a big part of sports culture in the United States.
车尾聚餐会可是美国体育文化的一个重要组成部分。
Friends bring food and drinks to a sports event.
朋友们把食物和饮品带到赛场，
They eat together in the parking area of the sports stadium.
然后在体育馆的停车区里围着后挡板一起分享。
They gather around the tailgate to eat hotdogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill. There is a good chance that these tailgaters will also be drinking beer.
他们会吃些烤过的热狗和汉堡，通常也会喝些啤酒。
Birthday parties are also very popular.
生日派对也十分盛行。
Many parents organize a party for their child around a theme.
很多父母为其孩子组织主题派对。
We asked a spokesman for a party supplier called the Oriental Trading Company what the most popular parties are right now.
我们向一家名为新华行公司的派对用品供应商了解时下最流行什么样的派对。
She says rock star parties are very popular for young girls and boys.
根据该公司的代言人透露，摇滚明星派对非常受年轻女孩男孩的欢迎，
And she says Luau parties with Hawaiian decorations and clothing are very popular with adults.
而配有夏威夷装饰品和服饰的夏威夷派对则非常受成年人欢迎。
Birthday parties usually include gifts and a birthday cake with candles.
通常，生日派对上会有礼物，生日蛋糕和生日蜡烛。
In many parts of the United States,cupcakes have become a popular replacement for cakes.
在美国很多地方，大家喜欢用杯形蛋糕代替生日蛋糕。
Cupcakes are individual sized cakes topped with a layer of sweet icing.
杯形蛋糕是按照一人分量制作的小蛋糕，上面还有一层糖霜。
Birthday parties can be low cost or very costly.
举办生日派对丰俭由人。
Some parents take their children's birthday parties very seriously,even when the child is too young to fully understand the celebration.
一些父母会郑重其事地为孩子们办生日派对，即使孩子还很小，尚未完全理解庆生的意义。
One group of parents started a Web site called Birthdays without Pressure.They decided that some parents were under too much social pressure to plan costly parties for their children.
鉴于一些父母在社会压力的重负之下，无法为孩子举办豪华的派对，一对父母创建了一个名为“生日无压力”的网站。
The group sees this movement as an example of America's culture of "too much stuff."
这对父母把这场运动视为体现“简约主义”这一美国文化的范例。
The group's Web site gives suggestions on how to keep birthday celebrations simple, meaningful and fun without spending a lot of money.
该网站对怎样举办简单而有意义，有趣且花钱少的生日派对提供了很多建议，
Their advice may be all the more helpful during this period of economic recession.
而这些建议在这个经济不景气的时期显得特别有用。