Mid-Autumn Festival

thanksgiving

Tet Nguyen Dan

Valentine’s Day

Unit 8:

BEFORE READINGWHILE READINGAFTER READING

Look at these pictures and guess

1. What time of the year is it?

2. What are the people in the picture doing?

3. What else do you see in the picture?

Vocabulary

- Comment (n) /'kɔment/ (about/on sth)

Sth that you say or write which gives an opinion on or explains sb/sth

Eg: Do you have any comments to make about the cause of the disaster?

- Dress up (v) /dres ʌp/:

To put on formal clothes, usually for a special occasion

Eg: They dressed up to go to the theatre.

- Grand (a) /grænd/: Impressive and and large or importantEg: The wedding was a grand occasion.

- Influence (v) /'influəns/:

Have an effect on sb/sth

Eg: Television has a strong influence on people.

- Represent (v) /,repri'zent/:

act or speak officially on behalf of sb

Eg: The dove represents peace.

- Shrine (n) /∫rain/:

Place where people come to worship

Task 1: complete the sentences with the appropriate words from the list

grand

dressed up

longevity

parade

shrine

pray

lucky

represent

got together

influence

1. She goes to the ……………… of Le Van Duyet once a year.

2. The yellow lines on the map………………. roads.

3. Let us ………………. for piece.

4. There was a ……………… in the street yesterday.

5. I’ll be ……………… if I get any of my money back.

6. These ancient Chinese claimed that garlic promoted …………………..

7. Television has a strong ………………. on people.

8. They live in a ………… house in the centre of Hue.

9. The whole family …………………. for Christmas.

10.They ……………….. to go to the theatre.

1. Tet is always on the 20th February on the Western calendar.

2. According to the text, for people anywhere in the world the beginning of spring is the start of a new year.

3. Tet used to be longer than it is nowadays.

Task 2: Decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F)

T F

4. According to the text, “lucky money” is given to everyone at Tet.

5. Kumquat trees are popular both in the North and in the South of Vietnam.

6. People try to be nice and polite to each other because they want to have good luck on New Year’s Day.

T F

Task 2: answer the following questions1. When did Tet holiday in Vietnam?- It’s is sometime between 19th January

and 20th February on the Western calendar.

2. How long did Tet preparations and

celebrations last in the past?- It used to be spread over months.

3. What do streets look like before Tet?

- They are decorated with coloured lights and red banners.

4. What do people often do to prepare for Tet?

- They buy gifts, clean and decorate their houses and cook traditional foods.

5. What is banh chung made from?

- It is made from sticky rice, green beans and fatty pork.

6. What is mut?

- It’s candied fruit such as sugared apples, plums or tomatoes.

7. What are some popular activities at Tet?

- They visit other family members or friends and exchange New Year’s wishes.

- They go to pagoda to pray for a happy year for themselves and their family.

- Both children and adults take part in games and various forms of entertainment.

Tell each other about your last Tet holiday, focusing on the following main points.

• How you prepared for Tet• How you decorated your house• Who you visited• What special foods you ate• What activities you enjoyed doing most

during Tet