Unit1 Festivals around the world
Reading
Warming up
Do you know these festivals?
When do they take place? lunar calendar
Spring Festival
January 1
Lantern Festival
January 15
Dragon Boat Festival
May 5
Mid-autumn Day
August 15
Easter
around March 22---April 25
Thanksgiving Day
the last Thursday of November
Halloween
October 31
Christmas Day
December 25
Pre-reading
1. What festivals or celebrations do you have in your city or town? What part of a festival do you like best- the activities, the music, the sights, the food or the people who visit?
2. Look at the pictures and title of the passage below. What kind of information you think will be introduced in the passage.
How many types of festivals are mentioned in the passage?
1. Ancient festivals
2. Festivals of the Dead
3. Festivals to Honor the People
4. Harvest Festivals
5. Spring Festivals
Scanning
What festivals are mentioned in each paragraph?
P1.
celebrate the end of the cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn; celebrate when hunters catch animals.
Skimming
P 2. Festivals of the Dead
Japan -----Obon
Mexico------Day of the Dead
America------Halloween
P 3. Festivals to Honour People
Dragon Boat Festival
Columbus Day
(India)October 2
Obon（盂兰盆） in Japan
Halloween (万圣节)
Dragon Boat Festival
Columbus Day
P 4. Harvest Festivals
Harvest and Thanksgiving Festival
Mid-Autumn festival
P 5.
Spring festival
Carnival
Easter
Cheery Blossom Festival
Harvest Festivals

长句难句：
（supplementary reference materials）
一·补充注释
1 . At that time people would starve if food was difficult to find，especially during the clod winter months .在那个时代，如果食物难以找到，特别是在寒冷的冬月，人们就会挨饿。
2. …or satisfy the ancestors , who could return either to help or to do harm.
……或使祖先得到满足，因为祖先们有可能回到世上（给人们）提供帮助，也可能带来危害。
harm (n.): damage, injury 损害； 伤害
do harm to sb (习俗) = harm sb 伤害某人
come to harm: I’ll go with her to make sure she comes to no harm. 我要和她一同去以免她受到伤害。
do more harm than good: have an effect which is more damaging than helpful 弊大于利
Halloween also had its origin in old beliefs about the return of the spirits of dead people. 万圣节也源自人们古老的信念，认为亡者的灵魂会返回人间。
origin (n.) : the place or situation in which something begins to exist 起源；由来，可用做可数名词或不可数名词，通常用作复数形式
The tradition has its origins in the Middle Ages . 这个传统发源于中世纪。
belief (n.): an idea that you believe to be true, especially one that forms part of a system of ideas 信任；信心；信仰。注意： belief 通常用作不可数名词，当作可数名词时，词义略不同于用作不可数名词时
religious beliefs 宗教信仰
Several members hold very strong political beliefs. 有些成员有着强烈的政治理念。
It is now a children’s festival, when they can dress up and go to their neighbours’ homes to ask for sweets. 万圣节如今成了孩子们的节目，这天他们可以乔装打扮上邻居家要糖吃。
Comprehending
1. Read the passage and then fill in the following chart.
Obon
Japan
Day of the Dead
Halloween
Mexico
Some Western countries
festival to honour Gandhi
India
Dragon Boat Festival
Columbus Day
China
USA
Harvest/ Thanksgiving festivals;
European and other countries;
mid-autumn festivals
China and Japan
Cherry Blossom Festival
Japan
Spring Festival
Easter and related holidays
China
some Western countries
Intensive reading
True or False
1. The ancient people needn’t worry about their food.
2. Halloween used to be a festival intended to honor the dead.
F
T
3. Qu Yuan was a great poet who people honor a lot in China.
4. Mid-autumn Festival is held to celebrate the end of autumn.
5. Easter celebrates the birth of Jesus.
T
F
F
Explanation
1. Festival are meant to celebrate important times of year.
mean 的用法
1). mean doing sth.
mean doing sth. 的意思是“意味着（必须要做某事或导致种结果）”, 其主语通常是指事物的词。
2). mean to do sth.
mean to do sth. 的意思是“打算或企图做某事”，其主语通常是表示人的名词或代词，其过去完成式表示“本来打算做某事”。
3). mean sb. to do sth.
mean sb. to do sth. 的意思是“打算让某人做某事”，也可以用于被动结构。
4). mean 后接名词、副词或从句
　 mean 后接名词或副词，意为“表示；打算；存心”等意思；后接that 从句，意为“表示……”。
5). be meant for
该短语的意思是“打算给予；打算作……用”。
In some parts of London, missing a bus means _____ for another hour.
A. waiting B. to wait
C. wait D. to be waiting
句意为：在伦敦的一些地方，错过一班公共汽车意味着再等一个小时。
A
想一想
3. Festivals and celebrations of all kinds have been held everywhere.
of all kinds 各种各样的
【归纳】
① That kind of question is very difficult to answer.
= Questions of that kind are difficult to answer.
那类问题是很难解答的。
Practice
① Books of this kind ____ (sell) well in the bookstore.
② This kind of books ____ (sell) well in the bookstore.
①句中谓语动词的单复数由“books”确定。②句中的谓语动词由“kind”确定。
（用动词的适当形式填空）
sell
sells
11. as though
as though和as if没有什么区别。as if用得普遍些, 却可引导方式状语从句和表语从句, 其从句谓语常用虚拟语气。
(1) 引导方式状语从句
She acted as though nothing had happened．
她装得好像什么事也没发生过似的。
当从句主语和主句主语一致,从句谓语中又含有动词to be时, 可以把主语和to be一起省去。
He looked about as though (he was) in search of something．
他四处张望, 好像寻找什么。
(2) 引导表语从句
It looks as if it’s going to rain．
看样子天要下雨了。
as though和as if从句用虚拟语气,还是用陈述语气。完全根据具体情况而定。如果从句表示的意思与事实完全相反,或者纯粹是一种假设, 通常用虚拟语气。
The child talks as if she were an adult.
那孩子说话的样子好像她是个大人。