Lesson 4

LEXICAL EXERCISES

I. Check the meaning of unknown words relating to holidays, customs and traditions of the country. Make up sentences with them.

customs and traditions	decorate	invite/invitation
public /private holidays	celebrate	congratulate
day off from work	give/receive presents	party
shops and factories close	greeting cards	festive dinner
family holiday	visit friends and relatives	fun

II. Here you can find two texts, but they have been mixed up. Look at the titles. They will help you to arrange the sentences in the correct order and create two humorous stories.

THE INVITATION/ THE FARMER

1. "Well", said the farmer, scratching his chin, "I'll tell you what we do."

2. "Why do I have to use my elbow and my foot?" asked his friend.

3. A man inviting his friend to his home explained to him where he lived.

4. The man went back to his car with a puzzled look on his face and said to his wife, "I think he must be crazy."

5. "Come to the third floor," he said, "and where you see the letter "E" on the door, push the button with your elbow and when the door opens put your foot against it."

6. "We eat what we can and what we can't eat we can".

7. A curious tourist, after passing a huge field of carrots alongside the road, stopped and asked the farmer what he did with his large crop.

8. "He said they ate what they could and what they couldn't they could."

9. Well," exclaimed the man, "You're not going to come empty-handed, are you?"

III. Match the names of holidays in English speaking countries with the dates they are on and the symbols of these holidays.

holiday	date	symbol
Halloween	25th of December	coloured eggs
Easter	26th of December	sweethearts
Christmas Day	14th of February	pumpkins
Valentine’s Day	March	boxes with presents
Boxing Day	31st of October	stockings for presents

III. There are words denoting holidays of different countries in this word search below. Find them. The words begin with these letters.

They go across and down What countries are they celebrated in?

I________	Ch____	W_____
V_______	H_____	E______
Th______	N_____	K______

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Writing practice

I. Here are things that people say or write at certain holidays. Match a line in A with a line in B

A	B
Merry Christmas!	Thank you very much.
Congratulations!	Cheers!
Pumpkins and candles witches and bats decorations for handles and tall pointy hats	It's nice to have a friend like you. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Because you make me feel so fine, I'll take you for my valentine!
Happy New Year!	Trick or Treat!
Ours love will pass all tests It's too early for the rest! You and me, we both together Will be glad for any weather!	A health to you, A wealth to you, And the best that life can give to you.

II. Choose a holiday and write a greeting card to your friend.

SPEAKING PRACTICE

I. Put sentences describing holidays in the correct order and describe the way you celebrate your favourite holidays.

______People give presents to their relatives and friends.

______They organise a party to celebrate their favourite holiday.

______All the guests go for a walk together.

______They write cards and invite their friends to the holiday.

______They prepare a festive dinner.

______They decorate the house for the holiday.

______Relatives and friends visit the party.

______They enjoy the party. They have fun together.

II. Describe your favourite holiday to your friend using the vocabulary of the section. Use the following questions:

Is it a public or private holiday?

Is it national or international holiday?

When do you celebrate it?

How do you prepare for the holiday?

How do you celebrate it?

Are there any customs and traditions connected with the holiday?

What are they?

Why is it your favourite holiday?