Period 2 Listening and Speaking

1.“Throw me something, Mister! Throw me something,Mister!” Thousands of people are waiting for the parade to pass them by and for someone to throw them a cup, some beads, or some candy. Welcome to New Orleans, USA. Welcome to Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is a holiday celebrated in the South of the U.S. The name of the festival, Mardi Gras, is French and means “Fat Tuesday”. Mardi Gras is celebrated on a Tuesday between February 3 and March 9, always 47 days before Easter Sunday. During Mardi Gras, people like to dress up in colorful and unusual costumes, and of course, watch parades in the streets. The official colours of Mardi Gras are purple, green and gold. Mardi Gras is celebrated for two weeks before Fat Tuesday and people from all over the world come to watch the festival.

2.Ramadan is one of the most important festivals for Muslims. The name of the festival comes from the Arabic month in which it is celebrated. Ramadan is celebrated in countries all over the world, especially in Africa and the Middle East. The time for celebrating Ramadan varies each year. People celebrate it in the ninth month of the Arabic lunar calendar. During Ramadan, people must not eat during the day: from when the sun comes up to when the sun goes down, people celebrating Ramadan will not eat or smoke. When the sun has gone down, however, the celebration begins. People often stay up all night eating, singing and dancing.

3. In late spring, many people around the world celebrate Easter. The festival is a celebration of spring and it is also a religious holiday. It is the time for Easter bunnies and egg hunts, and of course for eating lots of delicious foods. Easter is celebrated in late March or early April but the exact dates are different from year to year. People celebrate Easter in different ways: in some countries, the Easter Bunny ---a big rabbit---will visit and children will go on egg hunts, looking for eggs and candy that have been hidden by their parents. In other countries, Easter is a time for children to dress up like witches and go from door to door asking for candy--- much like Halloween in the US. The Easter Bunny and the Easter Egg are popular symbols of the festival.

Santa Claus a short, fat smoker climb down the chimney with a big sack full of toys Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion. Most historians peg the first celebration of Christmas to Rome in 336A.D.

Santa Claus climb down the chimney with a big sack full of presents and fill each of the stockings with Christmas presents set off in his sleigh,pulled by eight magical flying reindeer, bring gifts to all the good boys and girls around the world.

Part 2 1.What’s Laura’s favorite Christmas memory 3.Why couldn’t Laura’s father join his family for Christmas? 4.How did Laura and her mother celebrate Christmas? 5.What happened in March? Her favorite Christmas was last year. Her father couldn’t come home for Christmas. Because Laura’s father was working in another city. They invited Laura’s grandparents and tried to make the best of the situation. Laura’s father came home and arranged a surprise Christmas party. 2.What happened to Laura?

Speaking I think that the new holiday should be_________. On that day,…. The holiday will be celebrated on _____________. People will celebrate by________________. I think this is the best idea because____________.

Peace Day I think that the new holiday should be a Peace Day. On this day, no fighting or conflicts are allowed. People will learn and talk about peace. The holiday will be celebrated on the same day as National Day and people will celebrate by setting all the pigeons free at the same time all over the world. I think this is the best idea, because an atmosphere of peace will fill all parts of the world at the same time and all the people will feel closer and live together peacefully.

Happiness Day I think that the new holiday should be a Happiness Day. On this day, no quarrelling and fighting are allowed. People must only do things that will make others happy. The holiday will be used to learn about happiness. It will be celebrated on November 17 th and people will celebrate by telling happy stories and talking about the happy past. I think this is the best idea, because this will make people become younger and healthier.

Friendship Day I think that the new holiday should be a Friendship Day. On this day, no arguments or fights are allowed. People will learn about friendship. The holiday will be celebrated on the last day of July and people will celebrate by sending presents and best wishes to each other. I think this is the best idea, because this will help people see the value of friendship much more than before.

Nature Day I think that the new holiday should be a Nature Day. On this day, no pollution and destruction of nature is allowed. People will use the holiday to learn and talk about nature. The holiday will be celebrated on March the fifth and people will celebrate it by planting trees and flowers. I think this is the best idea, because it can make our country and the world more and more beautiful.

Discussion 1.Choose one of the three questions and discuss it with your partners. Question 1: Suppose you are the manger of a supermarket, what festival do you like best? Why? Question 2: Suppose you are the manager of a Travel Agency, what festival do you like best? Why? Question 3: Suppose you are the headmaster of a school, what festival do you like best? Why?

If you were a calendar designer, what new festivals can you create? What festival should be about? When will the new festival be celebrated ? How will the new festival be celebrated? 2. Discussion and writing