3 From the sentences below choose the statements which best summarize the article in the previous activity.
A Nobody can take part in Carnival.
B Carnival is a very popular event uniting different people all over the world.
C When you go to New Orleans you’re sure to see the Carnival.
D (The) Wearing (of) a costume is the most important attribute for the Carnival.
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4 Read the following sentences and decide if they are true (t) or false (f).
Carnival was originally a Roman Catholic tradition, which took place in the days before Lent, the period of 80 days before Easter.
Now the parades are almost endless.
But whilst Carnival parades cannot be seen throughout the country, the custom has never really caught on in the same way as it has in the capital.
Now it is a popular festival, uniting whole communities in dancing and other festivities, for days or even weeks on end.
The tradition was not taken to New Orleans from Europe by a group of students who had been studying in Paris.
The modern Carnevale is still theatrical, with many people wearing a costume, and of course a mask.
5 You are going to read a magazine article about the most popular religious holiday in Muslim world — Nowruz. For questions 1-7, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D.
NOWRUZ AND ITS TRADITIONS
One of the widespread holidays celebrated in Asia is Nowruz. In Persian this word means “new year” or “new day”. According to the historical books, Nowruz was “born” when the Achaemenian dynasty lived in Iran. Abulkasim Firdavsy informed us that the hero Iranian epos, king Jamshid announced Nowruz as holiday. Nowruz is celebrated on the first month of the Muslims’ year – 21 of March. In old times all arrested people were made free this day. Especially the first and the sixth days of the Nowruz were celebrated very well. People gave sugar to each other. It is told that king Jamshid was the first who took sugar from sugar cane. There is a fable about this event written by Abu Raikhon Beruni in his book “Eternals Monuments of Contemporary”: “In the Nowruz day in the country of the king Jamshid appeared a plant which was unknown till those days. That plant was sugar cane. King Jamshid saw that one of those plants was dropping and he tasted. It was taste! Then king ordered to make sugar from that liquid. Sugar was 14 ready in the fifth day and people gave it to each other”. Sweets are the symbol of the fortune and life in Central Asia. So in our weddings sweets are considered one of the main things. In the wedding day parents of the both sides present to each other many different candies, sweets in order to wish bride and bridegroom sweet life and many children. Especially we like wedding while it is going the holiday Nowruz around the country. Of course, everybody is interested in the reason of this custom. It is because, as we told above, the meaning of the word Nowruz is “new year” and our people believe in that the new life begun from the New Year lasts forever and fortunately. In those times children gathered and sang Nowruz song in front of doors of each house and the host congratulated them on holiday and gave presents.
Now in these days our people decorate parks with different flowers and go walk together with their friends and family to pass time happily and wishing to each other good luck they make plans for the coming year. One of the main distinguishing features of this holiday is that it has own food. It is famous around the world with the name “sumalak”. Experienced women prepare this food and to become ready it needs 10-12 hours. During these hours girls and boys organize different games, dance. Everybody wishes own dream and throws a stone to the food. This is just one of the dishes cooked in Nowruz. There are also another cooks such as herbal somsa, manti, chuchvara and others, which are made of (as it comes from its name) different herbs and flour. The names of these dishes are not translated, because they are national. The ingredients of them are almost the same, but there is difference in their appearance. As we know spring is the season when organism of the human begins “new” life, so it needs many nutrients to be rebuilt. Herbs are those, which our organism needs. So it is useful eating such food. By the way there was also celebration “Guja osh”. Osh is food made from rice. It was prepared on the Nowruz eve in the big field. After preparation everybody went there with own spoon and plate. The oldest person wished all to become the coming year lucky and much harvest. Then he opened boiler and food was eaten. In that day all old things were broken. Now this celebration exists only in some regions of our country such as Tashkent, Bukhara and Samarkand.
(taken from: www. chiff.com/home – life/holiday/traditions)
1 According to the article Nowruz is celebrated in
A winter. B autumn. C spring. D summer.
2 Nowruz is celebrated about a
A week. B month. C fortnight. D year.
3 What does “it” in line 14 refer to?
A celebration. B friendship. C water. D food.
4 Sweets are the symbol of … in Central Asia.
A pleasure. B life. C longevity. D festival.
5 Nowruz has its own
A customs. B meals. C drinks. D music.
6 How do Nowruz dishes look like?
A similar. B beautifully. C differently. D celebratory.
7 According to the author of the article the most respected people during this holiday are
A poor people. B old people. C all believers. D all Muslims.
LISTENING
6 Look at the six statements below. You will hear three people talking about St. Valentine’s Day. Decide if you think each statement is correct or incorrect.
Speaker 1 never sends Valentine cards.
Speaker 1 knows the man who sent her the bunch of flowers very well.
Speaker 2 got a Valentine card from his wife.
Speaker 2 cooks meals on St. Valentine’s Day.
Speaker 3 didn’t send many Valentine cards when he was young.
6 Speaker 3 and his wife didn’t plan to get married on St. Valentine’s Day.
7 You are going to hear a description of the Dragon Boat Festival. Some information in the notes below is missing. Listen to the recording and complete the sentences with one word only.
__________ is the place where the Dragon Boat Festival is held.
The Dragon Boat Festival takes place at the end of __________.
Qu Xuan was a politician and __________.
To save the poet’s soul local people threw __________ dumplings into the river.
Boats at the Festival remind __________ by shape.
At the Festival, __________ eat rice cakes.
Vocabulary AND Grammar
8 Choose the most suitable word underlined in each sentence.
1 On Guy Fawkes' Night itself there are bonfire/fire parties throughout the country.
2 The festival of music, street theatre, fireworks and dances attract a lot of spectaculars/spectators.
3 The carnival has become an essential/essence element of the celebration.
4 I always participate/participant in this musical parade.
5 Singing folk songs and fireworks are also important elements in the
festive/festivities.
6 From simple beginnings, it had developed into a huge multicultural/manycultural arts festival.
7 Over two million people would like to attend/visit this carnival.
8 I think this festival is closely tied/connected with ancient idols of the country.
9 A lot of musicians/music has taken part in this celebration.
10 The symbolic bonfire light represents the triumph of virtue and religion over harm/evil.