AFestival for the Dead is held once a year in Japan. This festival is a cheerfuloccasion, for on this day, the dead are said to return to their homes and theyare welcomed by the living. As they are expected to be hungry after their longjourney, food is laid out for them. Specially-made lanterns are hung outsideeach house to help the dead to find their way. All night long, people dance andsing. In the early morning, the food that had been laid out for the dead isthrown into a river or into the sea as it is considered unlucky for anyoneliving to eat it. In towns that are near the sea, the tiny lanterns which hadbeen hung in the streets the night before, are placed into the water when thefestival is over. Thousands of lanterns slowly drift out to sea guiding thedead on their return journey to the other world. This is a moving spectacle,for crowds of people stand on the shore watching the lanterns drifting awayuntil they can be seen no more.
这篇新定义96课有几个问题请教老师：
1）the deadare said to return to their homes 怎么样改写成 It is said that thedead...后面时态如何改写呢？意思是It is saidthat the dead return to their homes...吗？
2）to helpthe dead to find their way - 这里可以用分配性复数ways吗？我感觉应该是ways更好呀！？
3）不懂为何有2处用了过去完成时， the foodthat had been laid out 和 which had been hung in the streets ? 由于过去完成时的用法需要有一个过去的时间作参照，本文中，没过去时间，但为何用了过去完成时呢？
按理也应该用目前完成时呀？！
4）为何into arive 用了不定冠词a,但却用了定冠词the, intothe sea呢？然后又是不需要任何冠词drift out to sea了，为何这里不是the sea呢？ areplaced into the water - 这里为何又用了定冠词the 呢？
1. 假如改用it is said 后面的从句可以用一般目前或目前进行时。假如后面的句子也用以后时，前面也可以用will return.但由于整个故事主体用的是一般目前时，所以这里一般不需要以后时。
2. to find their way. way 不可以用复数，由于to find one's way是习语。（你可以查字典，如the freedictionary, webster's 等，都标记为idiom)
3.这里用过去完成时，是由于前面提到估计这类亡灵会非常饥饿，所以放些食物，迎接他们，然后整夜跳舞，第二天清晨，把这类给亡灵筹备的食物扔掉，这类食物是在前一天置放的，所以用了过去完成时。
4. river 用a, 表示泛指，由于日本的某个区域可能有不一样的河流。 the sea 是定冠词表示大家所熟知的自然现象（薄冰高级语法有此讲解）drift out to sea，这里out to sea是习语，不需要冠词。字典有讲解。 are placed intothe water 这里的water,指前面提到的the sea 所以用the water.