1. Activities about Holidays and Festivals （节假日活动）

2. Step 1. Let’s write from memory. (默写)
一月——January 二月——February
三月——March 四月——April
五月——May 六月——June
七月——July 八月——August
九月——September 十月——October
十一月——November 十二月——December
月份——month 季节——season
春———spring 夏———summer
秋———autumn / fall 冬———winter

3. Step 1. Let’s write from memory. (默写)
节日——festival 假日——holiday/vacation
春节是中国最重要的节日，它通常在一月份或者二月份。
——The Spring Festival is the most important festival
in China, and it is often in January or February.
除夕夜，人们会聚在一起吃大餐。
——On New Year’s Eve, people can get together to
have a big dinner.
中秋节是中国的传统节日。
——The Mid-autumn Day is a traditional festival
in China

4. Chinese festivals (中国节日):
the Spring Festival春节 Lantern Festival元宵节 Dragon Boat Festival 端午节 Qingming Festival清明节 the Mid-autumn Day中秋节 Double Ninth Festival重阳节
Western festivals (西方节日):
Christmas Day圣诞节 Valentine’s Day情人节 Easter Day复活节 April Fool’s Day愚人节 Halloween万圣节 Thanksgiving Day感恩节
Public holidays (公共假日):
New Year’s Day元旦 Women’s Day妇女节
Teachers’ Day教师节 Mother’s Day母亲节
Father’s Day父亲节 Children’s Day儿童节
National Day国庆节 Labor Day / May Day劳动节

5. Step 2. Let’s do reading comprehension. (阅读理解)
Christmas Eve means a warm get-together with friends, a candlelight dinner, or perhaps a celebration at a pub（酒馆）for students. But, for Cai Yingjie, the night has a different meaning: helping beggars（乞丐）and the homeless（people without homes）.
Cai, who is a student in journalism at Tsinghua, could be found at Beijing’s Wudaokou Light Railway Station that special evening. When she saw an old beggar, she took the cold, rough hands of the woman with her warm, clean hands, and gave the woman some warm bread and helped her put on a pair of new gloves（手套）.
The woman was surprised for a few seconds, then burst into tears, saying “for the first time I feel respected（尊重）”.

6. Cai said, “A beggar’s life is very hard. That’s why I want to help them.”
Cai was one of 14 Tsinghua students spending Christmas Eve among the poor. They walked in the cold wind along the streets from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, visiting 15 beggars in Beijing’s Haidian District.
They brought bread and gloves with them, and stopped to greet beggars and offer them some of the warm food. Each beggar greeted them with a look of surprise.
“I know the activity can’t help much, but it’s meant to show our respect and care for beggars and the homeless who have been neglected for so long,” said Sun, head of the group. “And Christmas is a good time for that.”

7. ( ) 1．What does Christmas Eve mean to the 14 Tsinghua students?
A. Taking 15 beggars to Tsinghua. 
B. Selling bread and gloves to the beggars.
C. Showing care to the beggars and the homeless.
D. Getting together with friends.
( ) 2．What does the beggar mean by saying “for the first time I feel respected”?
A. The beggar has been waiting for Cai for long.
B. The beggar hasn’t been shown care for so long.
C. The beggar has been respecting Cai for a long time.
D. This is the first time the beggar has seen Tsinghua students.

8. ( ) 3．What did each beggar feel when they received greetings?
A. Sad B. Amazed. 
C. Frightened.      D. Proud.
( ) 4．The word “neglected” in the last passage means _______.
A. protected     B. found
C. taken care of        D. given no enough care

9. Step 3. Let’s choose the right answer. (完形填空)
It is common in English to ask people about their holidays. In the West, many 1 go away on holiday during the summer months, and so it is very usual to 2 about this. If the holiday has not yet taken place, then their holiday 3 need be talked about. And if it is already 4 , then where they went, whether they 5 it and so on can be discussed. Similar questions are asked 6 some public holidays. Foreigners living and working in China often have opportunities 7 travel, either at weekends 8 during their holidays, so such kind of questions lead to fruitful discussions. They may be 9 to know if they have chosen the 10 places, especially those a little less famous ones.

10. ( ) 1．A. factories B. families C. schools D. farms
( ) 2．A. ask B. see C. know D. write
( ) 3．A. plans B. decisions C. places D. time
( ) 4．A. finished B. over C. closed D. started
( ) 5．A. liked B. followed C. finished D. found
( ) 6．A. to B. before C. with D. by
( ) 7．A. to B. about C. with D. for
( ) 8．A. and B. so 　　C. or D. nor
( ) 9．A. glad B. interested 　　
C. worried D. lucky
( ) 10．A. right B. different C. helpful D. terrible

11. Step 4. Let’s fill in the blanks. (看图填空)
The next day was th,
Christmas Day. Mary a big
Christmas in the living room.
It smelt so nice in the house. And she
circled many colorful lights on the tree
and put up a at the top of it.
Before she went to sleep, she put a at the end of her bed. During the night, she of Father Christmas. Father Christmas landed on top of her house and climbed the chimney（烟囱）. Then he filled Mary’s stocking all kinds of gifts she got up the next morning, she found her stocking was really full of her favorite toys.
happy she was !
December
put
tree
star
stocking
dreamed
down
with
when
How

12. Step 4. Let’s fill in the blanks. (看图填空)
It was Mother’s Day, John
was so busy with his work 1
he couldn’t go back home. When
he passed a flower shop in the
evening, he thought of an ，
“I’ll send Mum some roses.” John was picking his flowers, a young man went inside. “How many roses can I get only five dollars?” the young man asked. The shop assistant was trying to tell him that the rest of the roses was forty dollars a dozen(一打).
that
idea
while
for

13. kind because hearing both out send
Maybe he would be happy with carnations (康乃馨), another of flowers that was much cheaper. “No, I have to have roses,” the young man said. “My mum was badly ill last year and I didn’t have much time with her. Now I want to get this special present for her, it has to be roses roses are her favorite.”
After these words, John said he would pay the rest of the money for the young man. The shop assistant was moved (被感动) by of them. So the shop assistant said, “Well, lovely young man, thirty dollars a dozen, only for you.” Taking the roses, the young man almost jumped into the air and ran of the shop. John was also very happy because he helped the young man. Then John paid for his dozen of roses and told the shop assistant to them to his mother.
kind
because
hearing
both
out
send