The Hawaiian people did not celebrate Christmas before the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. It was, however, the protestant missionaries(传教士)from New England who first arrived in 1820 that first introduced Christmas to the Hawaiian people.
The missionaries reduced the Hawaiian language to written form, enabling the Hawaiian people to read and write in their own language. Many words for which there were no clear Hawaiian language equivalents(对应词)were translated phonetically.
Let’s look at some key phrases that you may hear in Hawaii during the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday season.
•Mele Kalikimaka—Merry Christmas. The words “Mele Kalikimaka” are a phonetic translation. When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands, the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing “Merry Christmas” and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues.
•Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou—Happy New Year. The western Christmas and New Year fell during this same time of the year when the Hawaiians traditionally honored the earth for giving them plenty to eat. This period of resting and feasting was called Makahiki (mah-kah-HEE-kee). It lasted for 4 months, and no wars or conflicts were allowed during this time. Because makahiki also means “year”, the Hawaiian phrase for “Happy New Year” became “Hau’ oli(happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)”.
•Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou—Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
•Mahalo Nui Loa—Thank you very much. When you receive a nice gift or are treated to a special meal or beautiful song, you’ll want to express your appreciation for the kindness.
【改编】Who made the greatest contribution to Hawaiian language according to the passage?

A．Captain Cook	B．The missionaries
C．Westerners	D．The Hawaiian people

The underlined word “phonetically” in Paragraph 2 probably means“   ”.

A．by sound	B．by meaning
C．by appearance	D．by form

Makahiki is a traditional time for the Hawaiian people to   .

A．celebrate the New Year	B．show thanks to God
C．show thanks to the earth	D．go for holidays

What is the text mainly about?

A．How the Hawaiian people celebrate their holidays.

B．The development of the Hawaiian language.

C．How Christmas was brought to the Hawaiian people.

D．Some phrases used in Hawaii during festivals.