Festivals
around the world
Unit 1
Chinese Festivals
&
Celebrations
Spring Festival
I’m the most important holiday in China. I always come on the eve of the lunar (农历) New Year and go on the fifth day of the first lunar month.
Colorful lanterns and delicious yuanxiao are my favorites. I’ve got two names, both of which express my wish for good fortune, happiness and health.
Lantern Festival
I’m kind of sad not that it is rainy, but that people remember their dead relatives and visit their graves on my birthday.
Tomb-sweeping Day
1st day of May
Guess and say something about the
festival according to the pictures below.
15th day of the eighth lunar month
1st day of October
10th day of September
Foreign Festivals
&
Celebrations
Carnival (狂欢节) February 21-23
Guess and say something about these
festivals according to the pictures below.
Easter
the first Sunday after a full moon on or after March 21
Valentine’s Day
My birthday comes on
February 14.
Lovers send chocolates, roses and cards to each other.
Christmas Day
December 25 is my birthday, when people
go to the parties and churches, give cards
and presents to their friends and relatives.
Halloween (万圣节) November 31st
Thanksgiving Day
the fourth Thursday in November
Fool’s Day
April 1st
Mother’s Day
the second Sunday in May
Festivals are meant to celebrate
important times of year. Work in
groups and list below three more
Chinese festivals that you know.
Unit 1 Reading
Reading Tips
在阅读时，要注意综合运用略读(skimming)与扫读(scanning)这两种方法。
略读(skimming)只看文章标题、下标题以及每个部分或者段落第一行，关注文章中反复出现的关键词。
略读时，要用充足的时间读懂段落的第一句和第二句，因为第一句往往是该段的主题句(topic sentence)，而第二句往往是对前句的延伸(extension)或进一步的解释(explanation)。
通过略读把握文章大意
运用扫读(scanning)迅速浏览从第三句开始的后面部分,搜寻作者对开头两句的支持句(supporting sentences),并同时注意文章中间是否有转折词(transition),因为这些词常常会把文章的思路逆转或加入其它重要的信息。当读到段落的最后一句时,我们又要使用略读,这时必须再次放慢速度(slow down your pace)直到完全消化作者对段落的小结(conclusion),因为该小结有可能与主题句截然相反或引导读者进入下一个段落。
通过扫读寻找特定信息或特定词组
Reading strategy
skimming
scanning
a general
idea
certain
information
titles and headings
the first and last
sentences of paragraphs
the first and last paragraphs
pictures and charts
Scan the text for
key words and phrases, dates, etc.
Do not need to
read the whole
text.
Skimming
to get
general ideas
Reading Comprehension I
1. How many kinds of today’s festivals
are mentioned in the passage?
A. Three. B. Four.
C. Five. D. Six.
2. At festivals people can do all the
following except _______.
A. forget their work for a little while
B. enjoy life
C. travel around the world
D. be proud of their customs
Scanning
to get
detail information
The ancient people needn’t worry
about their food.
2. Halloween is a festival intended to
honour the dead at first.
3. To honor the great poet Qu Yuan,
people celebrate the Dragon Boat
Festival.
4. Mid-Autumn Festival is held to
celebrate the end of summer.
5. Easter celebrates the birth of Jesus.
T or F
Reading Comprehension II
Which of the following are not mentioned
in the passage?
A. Carnival and Columbus Day.
B. Halloween and Spring Festivals.
C. Thanksgiving Festivals and Obon.
D. Valentine’s Day and Fool’s Day.
Reading Comprehension III
Fill in the following chart.
Reading Comprehension IV
Ancient Festivals
Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of ____ _______, planting in ______ and harvest in _______. Today’s festivals have many ______, some ________, some seasonal and some
for special ______ or ______.
events
cold weather
spring
autumn
origins
religious
people
How do Japanese honour their ancestors?
They have a festival called Obon, when people should go to clean graves and light incense to honour their ancestors. They light lamps and play
music.
Festivals of the Dead
Obon in Japan
What do people in Mexico do in memory of the dead?
People eat food in the shape of skulls and cakes with “bones” on them. They offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead on the Day of the Dead.
The Day of the Dead in Mexico
What do people in Western countries do in memory of the dead?
They used to believe in the return of the spirits of dead people. It is now a children’s festival, when they dress as witches and ghosts and go to their neighbours’ homes to ask for sweets.
pumpkin head
Halloween in Western countries
mask
Compare the festivals of the dead in
Mexico, Japan and China. What things
are similar and what things are different?
The Chinese, Japanese and Mexican festivals of the dead all have customs to honour the dead. The Chinese and Japanese go to clean their ancestors’ graves, and the Mexicans offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead. However, there are some differences. The Mexicans eat special food that looks like bones, something the Chinese and Japanese do not do.
Festivals to Honour People
Match the festivals with the proper people.
Columbus
Day
National Festival on October 2
The Dragon Boat
Festival
China
India
USA
Harvest Festivals
People will ________ on Thanksgiving
festivals.
1.
2.
3.
decorate churches and town halls
get together to have meals
win awards for their farm produce
Compared with Thanksgiving festivals in
Western countries, what different activities
do China and Japan have in mid-autumn
festivals?
People admire the moon and in China, enjoy mooncakes.
Spring Festivals
What do people usually do at spring festivals?
At spring festivals, people usually have dances, carnivals and other activities to celebrate
the end of winter and the
coming of spring.
What does Easter celebrate?
Do you know the symbols of Easter?
It celebrates the return of Jesus from the dead and the coming of spring and new life.
Easter eggs and Easter Bunnies.
Do you know the date of Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival?
March 15 - April 15
Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye. ~~~ Helen Keller
不要低垂着头。你要昂起头来，正视这个世界。
hold
He held a knife in his hand.
他手里握着一把刀。
握着
The roof was held up by pillars.
屋顶由柱子支撑着。
托住；支承
She held herself erect.
她把身子挺直。
使保持某种姿态等
The highjackers held two women hostage.
劫机者扣留两名妇女作人质。
拘留，扣留
hold
及物动词 vt.
Jim was able to hold back his anger and avoid a fight.
吉姆忍住了怒气，避免了一场斗殴。
抑制，约束
He holds much property in the town.
他在镇上拥有很多地产。
拥有，握有，持有
The box can hold all my clothes.
这箱子能装下我的全部衣服。
容纳；包含
She holds the same view.
她持有同样的看法。
认为；持有(见解等)
They will hold a meeting to discuss this problem tomorrow.
他们明天将开会讨论这个问题。
举行
I hope this beautiful weather will hold.
我希望这种好天气将持续下去。
持续，保持
He's got a good hold of his subject.
不及物动词 vi.
My decision still holds.
我的决定仍然有效。
有效，适用
掌握；支配(力)
他很好地掌握了自己的学科。
名词 n.
There are all kinds of festivals and ___________ around the world, which are held for different reasons. The _______ ________ were mainly held at three times a year. Some festivals are held to ______ the dead or to satisfy the _________ in case they might return either to help or to ___ _____, while other festivals are held to honor famous people or the gods, such as
celebrations
harm
do
ancestors
honour
festivals
ancient
I. Retell the text by filling the following
blanks.
_______ ____ _______ and Columbus Day.
Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals are happy events because the food is _________ for the winter and the ___________work is over. And the most _________ and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the ______ of spring, such as the ______ New Year, at which people have a very good time.
Some Western countries have very exciting ________. Festivals let us enjoy ____.
agricultural
gathered
Lunar
coming
Dragon Boat Festival
energetic
carnivals
life
We’ve just moved into a bigger house and there’s a lot to do. Let’s _____ it.
(2010福建)
A. keep up with B. do away with
C. get down to D. look forward to
You are old enough to _____ your own living. (2011辽宁)
A. win B. gain
C. take D. earn
II. Multiple choice.
III. Complete the following sentences with
proper words.
1. Don’t send the man any money — it
might be a ________ (诡计).
2. Mexico gained its in___________ from
Spain in l821.
3. Each morning, a group of elderly women
______ (聚集) at the park singing songs.
4. Many of his ideas have g______ popular
support.
5. “I think I’d like something less
e________,” said the old man.
trick
independence
gather
ained
nergetic
6. The timely ________ (arrive) of the
teacher prevented the situation from
becoming worse.
7. It is my ______ (believe) that we will find
a cure for cancer in the next ten years.
8. A wedding is an occasion for c_________.
9. She has been __________ (award) a
scholarship to study at Harvard.
10. We ________(钦佩) him for his
righteousness (正直).
belief
arrival
elebration
awarded
admire
IV. Translation.
At that time _________________ (人们就
会挨饿) if food was difficult to find,
especially during the cold winter months.
2. For the Japanese festival Obon, ______
______________________ (人们要扫墓)
and light incense ____________ (纪念)
their ancestors.
3. At the Spring Festival in China, people eat
dumplings, fish and meat and may ____
___________________ (给孩子们压岁钱).
people would starve
should go to clean graves
people
give
children lucky money
in memory of
4. Several days later, the rich man ________
_______________ (决定去捉弄) Avanty.
5. The girls all ________________________
(打扮好去参加) the New Year’s party.
6. My mother nursed me ________________
__________ (三天三夜).
7. He likes to talk big __________________
_______________ (就仿佛他是一位要人
似的).
to play a trick on
dressed up to take part in
decided
day and night for
three days
important person
as though he was an
8. We ____________________________