Unit 15 Foreign Festivals
Exercise 1
Audio Scripts:
1.parcel 2.hopefully 3.own 4.cheap 5.hurry
6.sort 7.clot 8.pear 9.tongue 10.root
11.drawn 12.goal 13.police 14.clue 15.fool
Keys:1.B 2.C 3.A 4.C 5.B
6.B 7.C 8.A 9.B 10.C
11.B 12.A 13.B 14.B 15.B
Exercise 2
Audio Scripts:
1.If winter comes,can spring be far behind?
2.The poor man is not the man without a cent,but the man without a dream.
3.Every life is a boat;the dream is the boat sail.
4.A life without a friend is a life without the sun.
5.Blood is thicker than water.
6.Home is where the heart is.
Keys:1.winter;spring 2.cent;dream 3.dream 4.life;sun
5.Blood;thicker 6.heart
Exercise 3
Audio Scripts:
J:Hello,Florrie.How are you today?
F:Well,not so bad.Oh,my arm.
J:Let me help you.Now,is that better?
F:Yes,thanks.John,will you do something for me?
J:Of course I will.What is it?
F:Will you post this letter?
J:Yes,I’ll post it on my way to work.
F:Thanks,John.Oh,I’d love a glass of orange juice.I can’t open the bottle—you need two hands for that.
J:Let me do that for you,Florrie.Here you are.Shall I make a sandwich,too?
F:No,thanks,love.I had something earlier,so I’m fine for now.
J:And shall I feed Timmy?
F:Oh,yes,he’s hungry.
J:You are hungry,aren’t you,Timmy?Now,can I help you with anything else,Florrie?
F:No,thanks,love.I’m fine for now.
J:OK.I’ll come back this evening around 8 o’clock.
F:Alright,I’ll be here!Don’t forget to post that letter.
J:I won’t,Florrie.See you later.
Keys:3, 4, 6
Exercise 4
Audio Scripts:
Meiling:Jack,I heard there is a festival celebrated with pumpkins.Is it a children’s day?
Jack:Oh,no!It’s not just a children’s day.It’s a day for children,and also for adults,actually.
Everybody enjoys Halloween.Would you like to know something about it?Meiling:Yes,I’d love to.Jack:On that day small kids get dressed up,then walk around with paper bags or baskets knocking on their neighbors’doors.They would say“trick-or-treat”to their neighbors with Jack-O’-Lanterns(pumpkin lanterns)in their hands.Each household puts gifts such as candies,crackers,pencils,etc.in their bags or baskets.Kids are happy and excited to get the candies.
Meiling:I see children dressed in masks and costumes in Halloween pictures.And the masks and costumes look scary.Any story about it?
Jack:One of the oldest Halloween traditions comes from the ancient Celts,who lived in western and central Europe long ago.The Celts celebrated a holiday called Samhain on October 31st.After sunset on that day,people believed that spirits of the dead would rise and walk the earth.The Celts made offerings of food and drink to keep the spirits away.
Meiling:We also have a similar tradition.
Jack:But by the late 1800s after Halloween was introduced to America,fewer people believed in ancient superstitions of ghosts and witches.Halloween became more a holiday for children to receive treats and dress in costume.Adults or parents are also dressed up in strange,colorful,ugly or scary costumes,roam on the street like children or hold a costume party.
Meiling:It’s really interesting.
Jack:Black and orange are two major colors for Halloween.Black stands for nights and orange for pumpkins.
Meiling:I see.
Jack:One more thing you should know is that Halloween is the eve of All Saints’Day.Halloween is on October 31st with a celebration usually starting after sunset.November 1st is All Saints’Day.
Meiling:Cool.Thank you.I’ve got more about Halloween now.
Keys:1.pumpkin 2.children 3.dressed up 4.trick-or-treat
5.Jack-O’-Lanterns 6.masks 7.scary 8.sunset
9.ghosts 10.witches 11.costume party 12.Black
13.orange 14.eve
Exercise 5
Keys:
1.Halloween falls on October 31st.All Saints’Day is on November 1st.
2.Children are dressed up in costumes and masks and say“trick-or-treat”to their neighbors.
3.Adults are also dressed up in costumes and masks and hold costume parties.
4.Yes,there is.
5.Black and orange.Black stands for nights and orange for pumpkins.
6.The U.S.A.,Canada,Britain,Ireland,France,Germany,Belgium,Swiss,Netherlands,Australia,New Zealand.
Exercise 6:Dialogue Listening
Audio Scripts:
S:Hi,Mike.I didn’t catch much about Easter Day in class.Could you tell me more about it?
M:Sure.Easter Day is also called Easter Sunday.It is a religious festival to celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
S:Is it an old holiday?
M:Yes.And it is the second most important festival in many countries.
S:When is the day?
M:Easter Day falls on a different date each year.It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of spring.This is in either March or April.
S:How do people celebrate the festival?
M:People often celebrate the festival by holding a grand parade.Easter painted eggs are dyed with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring.The eggs are usually hidden and children are excited to find them for fun.
S:Is there any special food for the festival,just like the mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival?
M:Easter Day is also a day for family union and traditional foods in the U.S.A.are mutton,ham and pie.
S:I’ve got some now.Thank you.
M:It’s my pleasure.
Keys:1.It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the first day of spring.
2.It is a religious festival to celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection.
3.People often hold a grand parade.Easter eggs are usually hidden and children are excited to find them for fun.
4.Mutton,ham and pie.
Exercise 7
Audio Scripts:
Mrs.Dodd,Sonora Louise Smart Dodd,from Spokane,Washington State,first proposed“Father’s Day”in 1909.Mrs.Dodd,the second child in her family,wanted a special day to honor her father Mr.William Smart,whose wife died while giving birth to their sixth child.Mr.Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State.He worked very hard in the daytime,did housework and made every effort to take care of his children.All his children grew up under his care and they hoped their father could enjoy his old age in peace.To their sorrow,Mr.William Smart passed away in 1909 due to hard work for long years.It was after Mrs.Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent.She hoped there would be a day to honor fathers in the world after she once paid worship in church on Mother’s Day.She put forward her proposal to a priest and it was supported widely by many religious organizations.Mrs.Dodd wrote a letter to the mayor to express her idea and suggested the day for fathers be set on June 5th,which was her father’s birthday.Her idea was adopted by Washington State and the day for fathers was fixed on the third Sunday of June.On June 19th,1910,the first“Father’s Day”was celebrated in Spokane,Mrs.Dodd’s hometown.Many cities throughout the United States also celebrated“Father’s day”around that day.President Lyndon Johnson officially declared the third Sunday of June as“Father’s Day”in 1966 and President Nixon signed a proclamation making it permanent in 1972.
Keys:1.Six children.
2.Mrs.Dodd.
3.After she became an adult.
4.June 19th,1910.
5.Two.