Unit 1 Festivals and Celebrations

celebration hunter starve origin religious ancestor Mexico feast bone n. 庆祝；祝贺 n. 狩猎者；猎人 vi. & vt. ( 使）饿死； 饿得要死 n. 起源；由来；起因 adj. 宗教上的；虔诚的 n. 祖先；祖宗 n. 墨西哥 n. 节日；盛宴 n. 骨；骨头 Words preview

belief trick poet arrival gain independence independent gather agriculture n. 信任；信心；信仰 n. 诡计；恶作剧；窍门 vt. 欺骗；诈骗 n. 诗人 n. 到来；到达；到达者 vt. 获得；得到 n. 独立；自主 adj. 独立的；自主的 vt. & vi. & n. 搜集；聚集 n. 农业；农艺；农学 Words preview

agricultural award rooster admire energetic Easter clothing Christian custom adj. 农业的；农艺的 n. 奖；奖品 vt. 授予；判定 n. 雄禽；公鸡 vt. 赞美；钦佩；羡慕 adj. 充满活力的；积极的 n. （耶稣）复活节 n. 衣服 n. 基督徒；信徒 adj. 基督教的；信基督教的 n. 习惯；风俗 Words preview

in memory of dress up play a trick on look forward to day and night as though have fun with 纪念；追念 盛装；打扮；装饰 搞恶作剧；诈骗；开玩笑 期盼；期待；盼望 日夜；昼夜；整天 好像 玩得开心 Expressions preview

Skimming to get general ideas

Skimming Reading Comprehension I 1.What’s the main idea of the text? A. festivals have many origins. B. Festivals are held to honour the dead and the famous people. C.Festivals are held for happy events. D.Festivals are happy times for people to get together.

2. In ancient times,people would celebrate_______. A. When winter began B. When winter ended C. If food was difficult to find D. During the cold winter months

3. Which of the following is not the festivals to honour the dead? A. The Japanese festival Obon B. The Day of the Dead in Mexico C. The western holiday Halloween D. Japan’s Cherry Blossom Festival

4. Which of the following festival is not mentioned in the text? A. Columbus Day B. Mid-Autumn Festival C. Easter D. Christmas Day

5.What can we infer from the passage? A. People would have feasts,sing and dance at all festivals. B. People celebrate festivals because they don’t want to work. C. By celebrating festivals,people are developing the culture and customs. D. Festivals have only four kinds of origins.

Scanning to get detailed information

1. The ancient people needn’t worry about their food. 2. Halloween is a festival intended to honour the dead. 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 autumn. 5. Easter celebrates the birth of Jesus. scanning Reading Comprehension II

Kinds of Festivals Names of Festivals Countries Festivals of the Dead Festivals to Honour People Harvest Festivals Spring Festivals Fill in the following chart. scanning Reading Comprehension III

FestivalsNames of Festivals Countries Festivals of the Dead Obon Day of the Dead Halloween Japan Mexico some Western countries Festivals to Honour People Dragon Boat Festival Columbus Day festival to honor Gandhi China USA India

Harvest Festivals harvest/ Thanksgiving festivals mid-autumn festivals European and other countries China and Japan Spring Festivals Spring Festival Easter and related holidays Cherry Blossom Festival China some Western countries Japan

Detailed Reading Ancient Festivals Most ancient festivals would celebrate the end of the ____ _______, 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 the 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? They offer food, flowers and gifts to the dead on the Day of the Dead. People eat certain food on that day.

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 neighbour’s 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 ChinaIndiaUSA

Harvest Festivals People will ________ on Thanksgiving festivals 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

Based on the reading passage, what do most festivals seem to have in common? Talk with your partner and fill in the chart below. Three common things Reasons why they are important to people everywhere 1 2 3

Three common things might be from the following: food, music, entertainment, being with family and friends, dance, lights or fires, remembering events or people.

Discussion Discuss in pairs which festivals you think are the most important and which are the most fun. Then fill in the chart below with your ideas.

Type of festiva l Exampl e of festival Reasons for your choice Most important Most fun

Quiz

Retell the text by filling the following blanks. 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 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 Quiz I

______ _____ ______ 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 ____.

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 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 harmdo ancestors honor festivals ancient Answer:

_______ _____ ______ 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 Lunarcoming Dragon Boat Festival energetic carnivals life

Translation Quiz II 1. 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

Reading Tips 在阅读每个段落时，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 (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