Question

This Monday，the nation will start to celebrate Presidents’ Day，just seven days before George Washington’s birthday．Everyone agrees that day is a holiday，but is it just to celebrate George Washington’s Birthday? What about Abraham Lincoln? Some government offices call it Presidents’ Day．Others say the holiday is officially Washington’s Birthday．Confused yet?

George Washington was elected the country’s first President on April 30，1789．Soon after，Americans began publicly celebrating his birthday．Presidential historians say the actual date of George Washington’s birth is February 11，1732．But a change in the calendar system 20 years later shifted all dates，making Washington’s birthday February 22，which is now well accepted．In 1879．Congress made Washington’s birthday an official federal holiday．It was the first federal holiday to celebrate an individual’s birthday．In 1968，Congress passed the Monday Holidays Act，which moved the holiday to the third Monday in February．The new law did not change the holiday’s name．It was still called Washington’s Birthday，even though some lawmakers wanted to call it Presidents’ Day to include Abraham Lincoln，whose actual birthday is February 12．

Many people argue that the holiday should celebrate all past Presidents．They feel Lincoln should be honored for his role in preserving the nation during the Civil War and helping to free slaves．Others feel the holiday should only honor Washington．the country’s first President．They say shifting the focus away from Washington would mean future generations of kids would not know about the Father of Our Country．

Laws have been introduced in Congress over the years to require use of the term “George Washington’s Birthday．”but none of those laws have been passed．Meanwhile，many state governments and school districts now use the term “Presidents’ Day．”Many stoles also use it to promote holiday sales．

Should the holiday honor Washington，Washington and Lincoln，or all past Presidents? Write to emailbag@timeforkids．com and tell us what you think．

1.The President’s Day was originally designed to honor______．

A．George Washington B．Abraham Lincoln

C．all presidents D．the Civil War

2.What can we infer from the passage?

A．Washington’s Birthday is the same as Lincoln’s．

B．The change in the calendar system was not wise．

C．The new act changed the holiday’s name．

D．This Monday is the third one of this February．

3.What’s the main argument about this holiday?

A．When to celebrate the holiday．

B．How to celebrate the holiday．

C．Which president to honor．

D．Where to celebrate the holiday．

4.What’s the best title for this passage?

A．Why people celebrate President Day.

B．The history and debate behind Presidents’ Day

C．To celebrate Presidents’ Day or not

D．Colorful activities on Presidents’ Day

Answer 1