Тема 3.2. Праздники общественные и религиозные.

Грамматическая тема: Наречие (степени сравнения).

Study the vocabulary:

movable — переносный, подвижный

rush — спешка

a bauble — игрушка

bustle — суматоха, суета

expectation – ожидание

tinsel – мишура

a holly – остролист

carols – Рождественские песни

Christmas – Рождество

Easter – Пасха

a bun – булочка

signify – выражать, означать

reawakening – пробуждение

bank holidays – банковские праздники

apart from – кроме, независимо от

flock – устремляться

a fair – ярмарка

pitch – устанавливать, ставить

boating activity – лодочные гонки

a pancake – блин

observe – соблюдать, наблюдать

lent – Великий Пост

an opportunity – возможность

commemorate – праздновать (годовщину)

the Gunpowder Plot – «Пороховой заговор»

search – обыскивать, искать

an effigy – изображение, портрет

an explosion – взрыв

a sweetheart – возлюбленный

exchange – обмениваться

1. Study the following expressions and translate them into Russian:

A great air of expectation, coloured lights, Christmas cards, to sing carols, to go for a drive, to give and receive presents, boating activity, large fairs, to give an opportunity, to be widely observed.

2. Match the English expressions with their Russian equivalents.

1. Rush and bustle

2. To decorate trees with tinsel

3. To sing carols

4. Boating activity

5. To signify nature’s reawakening

6. Large fairs

7. To pitch on the open spaces

8. To give an opportunity

9. A ceremonial search

10. Bank holidays

1. Украшать деревья мишурой

2. Большие ярмарки

3. Спешка и суматоха

4. Дать возможность

5. Лодочные гонки

6. Церемониальный обыск

7. Устанавливать на свободных местах

8. Петь Рождественские песни

9. Банковские праздники

10. Означать пробуждение природы

III. Read the text.

Holidays in Britain

There are 6 public holidays in Great Britain, such as: Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday and Spring and Late Summer Bank Holidays. People need not go to work on these days. They are movable (except Christmas and Boxing Day), that is they do not fall on the same day each year.

Christmas. Everything is rush and bustle. There is a great air of expectation. The British decorate trees with tinsel, various baubles and coloured lights. They decorate their houses with holly. Christmas cards are arranged everywhere. In small towns and villages people sing carols.

Boxing Day. People visit friends, go for a drive or for a long walk or just sit around recovering from too much food after Christmas dinner. Everything to eat is cold.

Easter. It is the time when certain old traditions are observed. It is the time for giving and receiving presents traditionally in the form of an Easter egg, hot-cross buns, and spring-time flowers to signify nature’s reawakening.

Bank Holidays. 4 times a year the banks are closed on Monday apart from traditional week-ends. The townsfolk usually flock into the country and to the coast. Bank Holiday is also an occasion for big sport meetings, mainly all kinds of athletics. There are also horse race meetings all over the country and most traditional of all these are large fairs. These fairs are pitched on open spaces of common land. There is also much boating activity on the Thames.

There are also different festivals, anniversaries and simply days which are ordinary working days and on which certain traditions are observed.

Pancake Day is characterized by merry-making and eating of pancakes.

Mothering Day is traditionally observed on the fourth Sunday in Lent. Mothering Sunday was established as a holiday for the girls working away from home to give them an opportunity of going home to see their parents. This is usually in March.

Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in November, the 5^th. It is observed annually before opening of Parliament to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot – the conspiracy to destroy the English Houses of Parliament on November 5, 1605. It is still commemorated by an official ceremonial search before the annual opening of Parliament, the burning of Fawkes’s effigy and the explosion of fireworks.

St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on the 14^th of February. It is the day when boys and girls, sweethearts and lovers, husbands and wives, friends and neighbours, and even the office staff will exchange comment, and the quick modern way to do it is with a Valentine card.

Remembrance Day is observed throughout Britain in commemoration of British soldiers, sailors and airmen who lost their lives during the 2 World Wars. On that day special services are held in the churches.

New Year is not as widely observed as Christmas. Some people ignore it; others celebrate it in one way or another.

In Trafalgar Square there is a big New Year tree, a big crowd, and someone usually falls into the fountain.

January the 1^st, New Year’s Day, is not a public holiday, unfortunately for those who like to celebrate most of the night.

IV. Answer the questions on the text.

1. What holidays in the UK do you know?

2. How is Christmas celebrated?

3. Why do people like to rest on Boxing Day?

4. What kind of holiday is Easter?

5. What do people do on Bank Holiday?

6. What are the other holidays which are ordinary working days?

7. Why was Mothering Sunday established?

8. When is Guy Fawkes Night observed? Why?

9. Is New Year widely observed in Britain?

10. Where is a big New Year tree situated in London?

V. Mark the statements below as “True” or “False”.

1. There are 8 Public holidays in Great Britain.

2. In small town and villages people sing carols on Christmas.

3. Easter is the time for giving and receiving presents, traditionally in the form of an egg.

4. There are horse races all over the country on New Year.

5. On St. Valentine Day people exchange Valentine cards.

6. Mothering Day is traditionally observed on the first Sunday in Lent.

7. Pancake Day is characterized by merry-making and eating of pancakes.

8. The fairs on Bank Holidays are pitched on open spaces of common land.

VI. Complete the sentences according to the text.

1. There are 6 Public holidays in Great Britain such as…

2. The British decorate trees with…

3. It is the time for giving and receiving presents, traditionally in the form of…

4. Bank Holiday is also an occasion for…

5. Pancake Day is characterized by…

6. Mothering Day is traditionally observed on…

7. Guy Fawkes Night is commemorated by…

8. Remembrance Day is observed throughout Britain in commemoration of…

9. In Trafalgar Square there is…

10. January the 1^st, New Year’s Day isn’t a…

VII. Choose the best definition of the words below.

1. Gunpowder is

1. Exploding powder

2. Used for guns

3. Used to light fires

2. “To commemorate” means

1. To feel sad

2. To celebrate an important event

3. To forget something

3. “To plot something” means

1. To draw a picture

2. To plan something in secret

3. To cover in water

4) An effigy is

1. A ghost

2. A special person

3. A model of a person

5) “Annually” means

1. Every year

2. Every day

3. Every month

6) “A firework” means

1. A good fire

2. A very big fire

3. An artistic fire