1. Listening

2. Mardi Gras In Orleans, USA

3. Parading in the streets

4. 油腻星期二 纽奥良也疯狂 对美国南方路易西安那州纽奥良的 居民而言,2 月 24 日, 是一年一度的 Mardi Gras Day 。曾为法国殖民地的纽奥良, 至今仍深深带有法国文化的色彩, 而 Mardi Gras Day 正是其中一个重点。

5. 在法文里头,Mardi Gras 其实是「油腻 的星期二」 (Fat Tuesday), 它是大斋期 开始的前一天, 也就是狂欢节的最后一 天。每年到了复活节的前 47 天, 纽奥良 当地居民就会大肆庆祝, 并用紫色、绿 色和金色这 3 种传统色彩装扮整个嘉年 华 ; 其中, 金色代表权力、绿色代表信仰、 紫色代表正义。

6. Listening text “ 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

7. 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

8. March 9, always 47 days before Easter Sunday. During Mardi Gras, people like to dress up in colourful 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

9. celebrated for two weeks before Fat Thuesday and people from all over the world come to watch the festival.

10. Ramadan

12. 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, Listening text

13. 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 calender. During Ramadan, people must not eat during the day: from when the sun comes up

14. 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.

15. Easter bunny Easter

16. Easter children Easter eggs

17. 复活节 : 复活节是基督教纪念耶统复活的一 个宗教节日。每年春分过去, 第一次月 圆后的第一个星期日就是复活。早年 在基督教会中对复活节的日期曾经有 过争议, 引起一时混乱, 直到公元 325 年, 教士会议才决定整个教会统一在一天 庆祝复活节。

18. 复活节有不少传统的庆祝活动, 蛋就 是复活节最典型的象征。古时人们常 把蛋视为多子多孙和复活的象征。因 为它孕育着新的生命。后来基督教徒 又赋予蛋以新的涵义, 认为它是耶稣墓 的象征, 未来的生命就是从其中挣脱而 出世。复活节人们常把蛋染成红色,

19. 代表耶稣受难时流的鲜血, 同时也象 征复活后的快乐。还有一种古老的 习俗, 是把煮熟的彩蛋送给街头的孩 子们做游戏。他们把彩蛋从山坡上 该下 : 谁的蛋最后破, 谁就获得胜利。 全部彩蛋都归他所有。美国白宫每 年也玩这种游戏, 只不过是把蛋放在 草坪上滚动而已。

20. Listening text 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

21. 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

22. 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.

23. Talking Describing one of your favourite festivals. Possible descriptions: 1.Spring festival is one of my favourite festivals. It is celebrated in January or February. People celebrate it

24. by dressing up and visiting relatives. The two main popular symbols of it are eating Jiaozi and putting Chunlian on both sides of the gate. 2. I think that Pure Brightness Day is one of my favourite festivals. On that day people visit the tombs in

25. memory of the dead and go out in the open air to enjoy the green fields. We young Chinese visit the revolutionary martyrs on Pure Brightness Day or the days before it every year, to express our respects to them.

26. Listening on P77

27. Part 1 Listening points: What to do Mike like Shawn like Shawn’s memory

28. Listening text It was two days before the Christmas holiday. Our teacher asked us write about the best Christmas we had ever had. Before we started writing, we discussed the topic in groups.

29. MIKE: The best thing about Christmas is the gifts! I always write a long wish list. This year I want a new basketball, a pair of shoes, a CD, a guitar, a …

30. SHAWN: Oh, come on Mike, that’s not what Christmas is about. It’s true we like to get and give gifts, but don’t you like to get together with your family?

31. MIKE: Oh, yeah, I love the dinner. We always have lots of great food: turkey and chocolate pie. Oh, and…

32. LAURA: Mike! That’s enough. I think what SHAWN means is that Christmas is a time to be together with your family and friends. Now, SHAWN, what’s your favourite Christmas memory?

33. SHAWN: My favourite Christmas was when I was eight years ole. My grandparents came two days before Christmas Day and we went skating on the lake together. On Christmas Eve, we had a picnic in the snow by the lake. It was great!

34. Part 2 1. Why couldn’t Laura’s father join his family for Christmas? Laura’s father was working in another city. 1. Why couldn’t Laura’s father join his family for Christmas? Laura’s father was working in another city.

35. 2. How did Laura and her mother celebrate Christmas? The invited Laura’s grandparents and tried to make the best of the situation. 3. What happened in March? Laura’s father came home and arranged a surprise Christmas party. 2. How did Laura and her mother celebrate Christmas? The invited Laura’s grandparents and tried to make the best of the situation. 3. What happened in March? Laura’s father came home and arranged a surprise Christmas party.

36. SHAWN: What about you, LAURA? What’s your favourite Christmas memory? LAURA: My favourite Christmas was last year. My dad I were very sad, because he had Listening text

37. called and told us that he wouldn’t be able to come home for Christmas. We tried to make the best of it. Mum and I invited our grandparents and we had dinner together. In the evening, we called dad and talked for a long time. I could hear that dad was very sad, too, though he tried to sound happy.

38. SHAWN: That doesn’t sound like a good Christmas at all. Why do you say that it’s your favourite Christmas? LAURA: Well, because of what happened later. My dad returned in March. I was in school the day he arrived,

39. and mum hadn’t told me that he was coming. When I got home from school, our house was decorated with Christmas lights and even some snow. I ran into the house and there was a big Christmas tree in the living room. Mum and Dad were waiting for me and we had a great Christmas party

40. that evening. That was the best Christmas every — even if it wasn’t really Christmas at all. MIKE: Now I understand what you mean when you say that Christmas is not just about getting gifts.

41. Homework 1. Listen to the materials again after class so that you can get very familiar with them. 2. Please preview the reading.