1. Introduction to My Hometown

2. We came from different provinces of China
We came from different provinces of China. Different places have their unique sightseeing. For example, Hangzhou is famous for the west lake. On the Su Dike and Bai Dike there are so many delicate bridges, which show the beauty of river towns.

3. Part 1 Warm-up
Section A Dialogues
Directions: Listen to the following dialogues and repeat after the recording. Then role-play them with your partner.

4. Section B Pair work
Directions：discuss the following questions with your partner. Try to answer them with the help of the hints.

5. Q1. What are the tourist attractions in your hometown
Q1. What are the tourist attractions in your hometown? (Suppose you are a tour guide, you have to introduce your hometown to the foreigners)
Hints:
Xiamen is my hometown. Beautiful scenery, pleasant tree-lined beaches, quite a few scenic spots, botanical garden, a natural treasure

6. Q2. Which places should a tourist visit in your hometown?
Hint:
The first place he or she should visit is the West Lake. Be world famous, Su Dike, on the west side, Bai Dike, on the north.

7. Q3. Are there any problems brought about by the tourism boom in your hometown?
Hints:
The most serious problems caused by tourism are related to environmental deterioration. sweet-singing birds. bustle with tourists. but to my relief, have realized the seriousness, make efforts, minimize the damage, encourage ecological tourism

8. Useful words and expressions
塔 pagoda 旅游景点 tourist attraction
度周末的好去处 a weekend getaway
不到长城非好汉 One who has not been to the Great Wall cannot be considered a real man
（秦）兵马俑 terra-cotta warriors
上有天堂，下有苏杭 Up above there is Heaven, down on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou
小桥流水，粉墙黛瓦 small bridges and flowing waters, white walls and dark gray roofs
桂林山水甲天下 East ,west or Guilin scenery is the best
南淡北咸, 东甜西辣 Light southern cuisine, salty northern cuisine, sweet eastern cuisine, and spicy western cuisine
常言道 as the old saying goes

9. Discussion
Are there some differences between the tourist attractions of the north and that of the south, between the east and the west?
Hints: feminine(女性的), tenderness(温和),
serenity(宁静), elegance(雅致,优美),charming(迷人的), visitors from home and abroad (国内外来宾)

10. Discussion
Try to think about the features of the climate in the four seasons in your hometown and decide on the season you like best. You may refer to the points below. Discuss with your partners and then give an oral report

11. Spring: warm, windy, dry/wet, temperature varies greatly…
Summer: hot, close, humid weather, a lot of thunder and lightening…
Autumn: pleasant, agreeable, pure blue sky, fresh air, hardly any wind…
Winter: freezing outdoors, a lot of snow, charming ice sculptures, skating… the heating system indoors…

12. Reference I like winter in my hometown the best. In spring,………………
In summer,……………………
In autumn,………………………..
In winter,…………………………….

13. Part II Making Presentations
Directions: Now let’s move to something more specific. You’ll be shown three pictures. You will have one minute to prepare and one and a half minutes to talk about the picture.

14. Jiaozo/dumping, be made from, dough(生面团), prepare the dough(擀面), make the filling(拌馅), stuff the dumplings (包饺子)

15. Reference In the picture, there is a plate of jiaozi/dumpling.
Dumpling is a kind of traditional Chinese food, especially in the north. They are made from dough with meat or vegetables stuffed inside. On New Year’s Eve, it is a tradition for the people in the north to get together and eat jiaozi. People like it not only because it tastes delicious, but also because people enjoy the warm atmosphere when they sit around a table preparing the dough, making the filling, and stuffing the dumpling

16. Zongzi, bean paste(豆沙), glutinous rice(糯米), be wrapped in, bamboo leaf(竹子叶), be stuffed with, salted egg yoke(咸蛋黄), the Dragon Boat Festival

17. In the picture there are some zongzi on a plate
In the picture there are some zongzi on a plate. Zongzi is one of the traditional foods in China. It consists of glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, stuffed with ham, beans, bean paste, salted egg yokes, nuts and even vegetables. Traditionally, people make and eat zongzi on the Dragon Boat Festival in China to memorize Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese scholar-statesman who served the King of Chu 2000 years ago. But since it tastes so good, it is available all the year round.

18. Hot pot(火锅), chopsticks(筷子), ,mushroom(蘑菇), mutton, shrimp, condiment(佐料), spicy and hot(麻辣), boiled(煮开的)

19. Customs and Traditions in My Hometown

20. Festivals 1.The Spring Festival (January/February)
2.Lantern Festival (lunar January 15th)
3.Women’s Day ( March 8th)
4.Children’s Day (June 1st)
5.April Fool’s Day (April 1st)
6.May Day /the International Labor Day (May 1st)
7.Mother’s Day (the second Sunday in May)
8.Dragon Boat Festival (lunar May 5th)

21. Festivals 9. National Day (October 1st)
10.Teachers’ Day (September 10th)
11.Mid-autumn Festival (lunar August15th)
12.Thanksgiving (the 4thThursday in November)
13.Halloween (October 31st)
14.Easter (one Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th)
15.Christmas (December 25th)
16.New Year’s Day (January 1st)

22. (January/February) The Spring Festival
Chinese people will make dumplings and perform lion and dragon dances.
When the Spring Festival comes, how will Chinese people celebrate it?

23. Chinese New Year’s Eve (The last day of lunar December)
People will have parties
and stay up until midnight
to welcome the New Year.
When New Year’s Eve comes,
how will people celebrate it?

24. When April Fool’s Day comes, how will people celebrate it?
April 1st
When April Fool’s Day comes, how will people celebrate it?
Children and some adults will play tricks on their friends.

25. the International Labor Day / May Day
May 1st
People will enjoy a three-day holiday and go shopping or touring.
When May Day comes, how will people celebrate it?

26. The Second Sunday in May
Happy
Mother’s Day
When Mother’s Day comes, how will people celebrate it?
The Second Sunday in May
People will honor their mothers by giving cards and gifts, and have a family get-together.

27. When Dragon Boat Festival comes, how will people celebrate it?
On this day, people will hold dragon boat races and eat rice dumplings to remember Qu Yuan.
Dragon Boat Festival
The lunar May 5th

28. When Mid-autumn Festival comes, how will people celebrate it?
On this day people will eat mooncakes and enjoy a bright full moon.
Mid-autumn Festival
Lunar August 15th

29. When Teachers’ Day comes, how will students celebrate it?
Students will
send cards or flowers
to their Teachers.
September 10th

30. National Day
October 1st
When National Day comes, how will people celebrate it?
In Beijing, many people
will go to the Tian’anmen
Square to watch the
national flag go up.

31. Halloween
October
31st
What do people usually do before Halloween?
Children and many adults prepare costumes. They buy costumes from the stores or make them at home.
What do children usually do after it gets dark?
Children usually wear their costumes to go trick-or-treating.
What do parents do after the children are in bed?
They also enjoy eating their children’s trick-or-treat candies.

32. What do Children usually do before Christmas?
They usually send many Christmas cards to their friends and decorate a beautiful Christmas tree with colored lights.
On Christmas Eve, what do children usually do before they go to sleep?
They hang their stocking by the fireplace.
After they get gifts from Santa Claus, what do they usually do?
They usually exchange gifts.

33. Pair work
Directions：discuss the following questions with your partner. Try to answer them with the help of the hints.

34. Q1: Would you please introduce to us one of your favorite festivals and some relevant customs and traditions in your hometown?
Hints:
One of my favorite festivals is the Moon Festival, one of the most popular ones for all Chinese people, round shape, symbolize a family reunion, get together, Chinese fairy tales

35. Q2: Nowadays, some western customs and traditions are followed in some cities. What’s the situation in your hometown and what do you think of it?
Hints:
Yeah, the same thing happens in my hometown. Christmas and Valentine’s Day, do like the gift-giving tradition, enjoy the happiness and romance, more and more cross-cultural exchanges, better mutual understanding…

36. Q3: As you know, it’s a traditional custom for Chinese people to bring presents when they pay visits. But some people are against this custom by saying that some of these presents are intended as bribes. What’s your opinion?
Hints:
Paying a visit is natural and normal, impolite, friendly manner, “red envelopes” full of cash, illegal and unfair, destroy the leader’s reputation

37. Changes in My Hometown

38. Question 1: What changes have taken place in your hometown?
Hints: The people of my hometown have got rid of poverty and ignorance.

39. widen and straighten,
with shady trees
on both sides
put up factories and theatres, covered with trees, dotted with flowers

40. on the river, come and go, day and night…

41. Question 2: In your opinion, what is the biggest social problem caused by these changes in your hometown?
Hints: The biggest problem is how to train laid-off workers and help them finds jobs again.

42. out of work, go bankrupt, without necessary knowledge and skills , have to rely on the living allowances issued by the government, lead a hard life

43. in contrast, in possession of knowledge and skills or power, spend money like water

44. an enormous difference in living standards, resolve the problem, result in social unrest…

45. Question 3: Do you have any suggestions on how to improve traffic conditions in big cities?
Hints: In my opinion, there are some feasible ways to improve traffic conditions: first, widen main roads; second, open up more bus lines; third, build subway or light rail systems; finally, abide by the traffic rules

46. Part II Making Presentations
Directions: Now let’s move to something more specific. You’ll be shown three pictures. You will have one minute to prepare and one and a half minutes to talk about the picture.

47. to one’s heart’s content, a pop singer, a free atmosphere, be keen on, sing out of tune, microphone

48. reference
Well, I the picture some young people are enjoying karaoke to their heart. It reminds me of the happy time I spend with my friends last year. In my hometown, young people like to visit KTV at their leisure. When they sing to the accompaniment of music, they really feel relaxed. Nobody will laugh at them even if they sing out of tone. And with the microphones in their hands, they have a nice feeling, as if they were pop singers. In such a free casual atmosphere, people hold communication with each other and develop their friendship. They are keen on this kind of entertainment.

49. ATM= automated teller machine, credit card, pay in cash, large amounts of , easy, safe

50. Reference
In my picture there is an ATM. This machine is very popular now in some big cities. It is convenient. With a credit card in hand, you can go to ATM and fetch money at any time you want. It can save you a lot of time and trouble . Nowadays, many people prefer credit cards to cash to pay for goods ad services. They don’t have to carry large amounts of money with them. It is much easier and safer. ATM and credit cards embody the changes of our society.