Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each question you hear.1. A) It is a day for family reunion. B) It is a day for expressing thanks to the native Indians. C) It is a native Indians' festival. D) The celebration lasts three days. 2. A) Grandparents. B) Uncles and aunts. C) People from neighboring towns. D) People in the neighborhood. 3. A) One. B) Two. C) Three. D) Four. 4. A) Sweet potatoes. B) Roast duck. C) Cranberries. D) Pumpkin pies.
5. A) Thanksgiving—an occasion for family union. B) Thanksgiving—an occasion for expressing thanks for good luck.
C) A couple who spend Thanksgiving with people other than their family members.
D) The foods and activities on Thanksgiving.
Word Tips
cranberry: 酸果蔓 (a small red sour-tasting berry) pumpkin pie: 南瓜饼 Listen to the passage again and answer the question. How has the Wilsons' Thanksgiving party grown? _______________ Ⅳ. Speaking Out
Describing Holidays and Festivals in Different Countries; Describing Details; Asking for Clarification
MODEL 1 Eat, drink and be merry on Christmas.
Listen to the dialog. If you have difficulty understanding the words missing from the blanks, you may refer to the boxes of useful expressions.
Nora: My mother bought an enormous twenty-five pound turkey for Chritmas dinner. I'm so excited!
Susan: ______ on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night. Nora: Our traditional Christmas dinner is a turkey, so gigantic that ______.
Susan: Chris swears ______ of tofu and salad.
Nora: ______. ______! Wait till he sees what his mother cooks: roast turkey with stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, peas and plum pudding for dessert! Susan: ______ and open them on Christmas morning.
Nora: We open one Christmas Eve, more Christmas morning, and the rest the next day.
Susan: Wow! ______!
Nora: We start by decorating the tree on Christmas Eve, putting ornaments, lights and artificial snow flakes on it.
Susan: Do you hang stockings by the fireplace and have a star on top of the tree?
Nora: Yes. And we have another activity. We also \not expecting to get\
Susan: ______. What do you mean by that?
Nora: It's secret giving. we sneak up to the door of somebody we want to give a gift to, ring the doorbell, and run.
Susan: So, you're not expecting anything; you're just being generous. That's a kind-hearted gesture. Nora: _______? Word Tips gigantic: 巨大的 (extremely big)
leftovers: 剩余物； 剩菜(food remaining uneaten after a meal) tofu: 豆腐 (bean curd)
gravy: 肉汁，肉汤 (a sauce made from the juice that comes from meat as it cooks, mixed with flour and water)
mash: 捣碎 (crush into a soft substance) plum: 李子
dessert: 餐后甜点 (a usually sweet course or dish, as of fruit or ice cream served at the end of a meal)
heap: 堆积 (put a lot of things on top of each other in an untidy way) prolong: 延长；拉长 (deliberately make something such as a feeling or activity last longer)
ornament: 装饰物 (decoration that is added to something)
Listen to the dialog again, repeat it sentence by sentence, and then role-play it in pairs.
Now Your Turn
Create a dialog with your partner according to the instructions, referring to the useful expressions in the boxes if necessary. Family reunion A (tells about Christmas): Yes B (tells about the Spring Festival): Yes Dinner A (tells about Christmas): Turkey, etc. Eating leftovers for days. Some people hope for good health. B (tells about the Spring Festival): Fish, which means \ The same The same
Gifts
A (tells about Christmas): Under the Christmas tree or in the stockings B (tells about the Spring Festival): Money for children Special events
A (tells about Christmas): Christmas carols, parties, etc. B (tells about the Spring Festival): Firecrackers, fireworks, dragon and lion dances
Useful Expressions We have goose and ham for Christmas dinner... We eat goose and ham at the Christmas dinner. Goose and ham are served at our Christmas dinner. ...we eat leftovers for days.
We eat what is left over from the dinner for days to come. We're still eating turkey several days after Christmas dinner. ...he'll refuse a huge dinner and stick to a healthy meal... He won't eat a big dinner. Rather he'll keep to a light meal. He'll eat a light meal instead of a heavy dinner. No way. He's kidding! Impossible. He's joking. Nonsense. He's just joking.
We heap up our presents under the tree... We put our gifts under the tree. We leave our gifts under the tree. Your family prolongs the celebration for three days! You family celebrates for three days! Your family makes it a three-day celebration! That's a peculiar expression. That's a strange expression. That's an unusual phrase.
Isn't that what the true spirit of Christmas is supposed to be? Isn't that (just) the true spirit of Christmas? That is really the spirit of Christmas. MODEL 2 The Pilgrims' spirit of Thanksgiving lives on.
Listen to the dialog. If you have difficulty understanding the words missing from the blanks, you may refer to the boxes of useful expressions. Chris: Will Nora be spending Thanksgiving with us this year?
Susan: No, she's going home to ______ and brother. She hasn't seen her family in over a year.
Chris: I know how she feels. Thanksgiving is such a big family holiday in the States.
Susan: It began as a celebration by the Pilgrims. ______ in the new land in 1621.
Chris: But wasn't that harsh winter followed by an abundant harvest?
Susan: Yeah, ______: they had beaten the odds and were still alive. It was a time to relax and \
Chris: You know, most cultures seem to have some sort of celebration like this—______?
Susan: Yeah, they do. I believe the round moon cakes also _______.
Chris: Well, today Thanksgiving in the States has developed into a major holiday.
Susan: True, it's a very emotional time. Families often travel great distances ______. Jamie's
mother will have a turkey and a ham, corn-on-the-cob, yams, peas and carrots, and to top it off, pumpkin pie.
Chris: ______, and I think I'm going to gain ten pounds this year.
Susan: But you have the rest of the year to lose those unwanted pounds. And losing weight will give you something to be thankful for next Thanksgiving. Word Tips symbolize: 象征 (be a symbol of) corn-on-the-cob: (煮食的)老玉米；玉米棒子 yam: 山药；洋芋 Language and Culture Tips
beat the odds succeed in spite of risks or chances of failure
count your blessings think about the things in your life which you can be grateful for, e.g. your health, a happy family, etc. top it all off complete it successfully
Listen to the dialog again, repeat it sentence by sentence, and then role-play it in pairs.
Now Your Turn
Create a dialog with your partner according to the instructions, referring to the useful expressions in the boxes if necessary. Family reunion A (tells about Thanksgiving): Yes B (tells about the Mid-Autumn Festival): Yes Origin
A (tells about Thanksgiving): The Pilgrims
B (tells about the Mid-Autumn Festival): Lady Chang'er flew to the moon, and her husband longed for her to return on a day of full moon. Celebration of harvest A (tells about Thanksgiving): Yes B (tells about the Mid-Autumn Festival): Yes Food
A (tells about Thanksgiving): Turkey, ham, etc. B (tells about the Mid-Autumn Festival): Moon cakes, etc. An important festival A (tells about Thanksgiving): Yes B (tells about the Mid-Autumn Festival): Yes