Unit 1 Holidays 　　 Lead-in 　　What's the customary way to spend a special holiday? Discuss them with your partner. You may use the following examples for help. 　　It's customary to...in ...holiday. /To celebrate the...holiday, we usually.... Warm-up Activities 　　I. Read the following words and pay attention to the pronunciation of "ur" . 　　1. [?:] fur blur hurt turn purchase 　　2. [?] assure pastureland insure resurrect 　　II. Read the material below and pay attention to your pronunciation and intonation. How Chinese Spend Their Holidays 　　People have adopted a new concept of rest and entertainment for their holiday. They now have a wide range of options to help them enjoy their week off to the fullest extent, from parties at home to travelling on organized tours. 　　In the past, most Chinese people chose to use their time off to strengthen their relationships by visiting families and friends. This is still a popular way to spend the holiday today. But growing numbers of people are packing their bags and setting off to explore the beautiful scenic spots scattered around the country. 　　Others are choosing to spend their time at the gym, a sign of the growing health consciousness across China. A number of women have flocked to take yoga classes at fitness clubs over the holidays. Some literary folk prefer to spend their holidays recharging their batteries through reading. 　　As well as all the above-mentioned, there are quite a few homebodies who prefer to stay at home and catch up on TV episodes or much needed sleep. Dialogues Dialogue 1 　　Monica: So, Dennis. What are you going to do for Thanksgiving? 　　Dennis: I'm going to have dinner at my parents' house. What about you? Any plans? 　　Monica: Yeah. I'm going to cook dinner with some friends. We're going to make fish soup. 　　Dennis: Hmm. That's unusual. We always have turkey, mashed potatoes and so on. 　　Monica: I know. Every year, my friends and I make something different. 　　Dennis: That sounds like fun. Well, have a happy Thanksgiving. 　　Monica: Thanks. You, too. Dialogue 2 　　Amy: Do you know something about the origin of Valentine's Day？ 　　Sue: Yeah. Valentine's Day is named for Saint Valentine. He was an early Christian Churchman who reportedly helped young lovers. Valentine was executed for his Christian belief on February14th more than 1,700 years ago. To memorize this hero, people took this day to be the Valentine's Day. 　　Amy: How did the lovers celebrate the Valentine's Day at that time？ 　　Sue: Girls wrote their names on pieces of paper and put them in a large container. Boys reached into the container and pulled one out. The girl whose name was written on the paper would become his lover or sweetheart for a year. 　　Amy: Oh, it's so interesting. Dialogue 3 　　Jason: Merry Christmas, Professor Li! 　　Prof. Li: Oh! Hi. Merry Christmas to you, Jason. 　　Jason: There are a lot of people here. 　　Prof. Li: Yeah, every year is just like this. You know, I'm in a hurry. I've got to buy several gifts today. 　　Kate: Hello, Professor Li! Season's greetings!. 　　Prof. Li: Yes, this is the season to be jolly. 　　Kate: Yes, but it's hard to be jolly in a crowded department store like this. 　　Prof. Li: Oh, sorry. I'm afraid I must be going now. You guys have a good holiday. 　　Jason & Kate: The same to you. Dialogue 4 　　A: Happy Easter. How are you going to spend it? Are you ready to go to watch the parade? 　　B: Uh, not yet, I don't know what I should wear at the parade. 　　A: Here, I bought an extra Easter bonnet for you to wear. 　　B: I thought dressing up for Easter was weird for me. 　　A: What's wrong? Don't you like my bunny costume? 　　B: It's very...stupid. Hah! 　　A: Come on, Jim. Where's your Easter spirit? Didn't you celebrate Easter as a kid? 　　B: Actually, yeah. I'd get an Easter basket full of candy and a big chocolate bunny. 　　A: Did the Easter bunny, I mean your folks, hide your basket? 　　B: Uh-huh, always in a different spot - the fireplace, the dryer, and the dishwasher... 　　A: And what about Easter egg hunts? They sound like so much fun. 　　B: They are. Our family has one for the young ones every year. 　　A: That's great. Can I go? 　　B: Sure. After the parade, I am going to go anyway. Easter is like family reunion time for my family. Dialogue 5 　　A: What's the biggest holiday in China? 　　B: Spring Festival. That's the Chinese Lunar New Year, about one month or so later than the western calendar, you know, which is just as important as the Christmas in your country. 　　A: That's fascinating. How do you celebrate it? Are there any special traditional customs? 　　B: Well, as it's the right time for family reunions, everyone seems to stay at home with his families, having the big feast on the Eve, watching CCTV Spring Festival Gala, and setting off firecrackers, etc. 　　A: Amazing! It's really a great holiday. 　　B: Definitely! Especially for children, for they all dress up in their best, and they can get gift money from the adults. 　　A: Well, sounds interesting! Dialogue 6 　　(Elaine and Li Hong are talking about the coming Mid-autumn Festival.) 　　Elaine: Hong, what holidays do you have in China? 　　Li Hong: Well, there are so many. We almost have holidays in each month. Like the Mid-autumn Festival, also called the Moon Festival, is just in this month. 　　Elaine: Yes, I have heard about it a lot these days. I was told that moon cakes are traditional food for that day, because they're little round cakes shaped like a full moon. 　　Li Hong: Exactly! Chinese people enjoy moon cakes during this feast just as they eat rice dumplings for the Dragon Boat Festival. 　　Elaine: Oh, that sounds interesting! 　　Li Hong: Yep! It is believed that the moon is the brightest and roundest at that night, and that's why it is called the Moon Festival. 　　Elaine: Oh, really poetic! I can't wait to enjoy the moonlight! 　　Li Hong: Moreover, there's an interesting legend about this great day. 　　Elaine: Wow, great! Tell me something about it. I can't wait! 　　Li Hong: It is said that there's a great archer named Hou Yi, who shot down nine extra suns that had suddenly appeared in the sky and thus kept the earth from being scorched. For this, he was rewarded with a pill containing the elixir of immortality. His beautiful wife, Chang Er, discovered and swallowed the pill and soared to the moon. That's why when people appreciate the moon at that night, they will look for the beautiful figure there. 　　Elaine: Wow, that's impressing! I enjoy this story very much. Dialogue 7 　　Jerry: Look, Fei! I got a Christmas card from my sister. 　　Fei: It's very beautiful. Why are the words "Happy Holidays" written on the card? Christmas is only one holiday. Shouldn't it be "Happy Holiday", without the "s"? 　　Jerry: We don't just celebrate Christmas during this season. We also celebrate the coming of the New Year. 　　Fei: Oh, I never thought about that before. There's more than one holiday at the end of the year. 　　Jerry: Now that I'm in China, I want to celebrate the holidays in Chinese-style. What do you and your family do for Christmas? 　　Fei: Actually, we don't do much at Christmas. It's not really a big family holiday. Young people in China would rather spend Christmas Eve with their boyfriends or girlfriends. 　　Jerry: So is it something like a date night? 　　Fei: Yes, I guess you could say that. Christmas Eve is special, but we don't usually have any special plans for Christmas Day. Vocabulary mashed potatoes 土豆泥 Chinese Lunar New Year 中国农历新年 fascinating ['f?sineiti?] adj. 迷人的 gala ['gɑ:l?] n. 特别娱乐(the Spring Gala春晚) weird [wi?d] adj. 怪异的 Easter bonnet 复活节女帽 firecracker ['fai?kr?k?(r)] n. 爆竹，鞭炮 traditional [tr?'di??n(?)l] adj. 传统的 poetic [p?u'etik] adj. 诗的，诗意的 legend [led??nd] n. 传说 archer ['ɑ:t??] n. 射手，弓术家 extra ['ekstr?] adj. 额外的 scorch [sk?:t?] v. 使烧焦 reward [ri'w?:d] n. 报酬，赏金 v. 奖赏 elixir [i'liks?] n. 长生不老药，仙丹妙药 soar [s?:, s??] v. 往上飞舞 parade [p?'reid] n. 游行 Useful Expressions A. Holiday greetings * Wishing you all the best and Happy Holidays! * Wishing yours is filled with fun and good cheer! * Wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year. * May the Lord Bless you & your family with LOVE, JOY & PEACE in this Christmas! * Wish your home and heart is filled with the warmth of this holiday season. * From the staff at ABC company, we wish you all the best for the festive season! * Wishing you a New Year that's sparkling with fun, bursting with joy, crackling with laughter. * Hope you get all that you've been wishing for. Happy birthday! * Though I am far away from you on this very special day of your life, my heartfelt wishes and thoughts make the distance insignificant. Happy Birthday dear! * Hope you look back and feel proud of all you have achieved, look ahead at all that you are aiming for! Happy birthday! B. Talking about holiday plan * How are you going to spend the holiday? * How do you celebrate the New Year's Day? * What's special about this festival? * I have some plans of travel for the coming holiday. * We have 10 days off for our annual holiday. * Where did you go for your holiday? * Did you have a nice holiday? * What do you usually have for Christmas dinner? C. Holiday description * Sunday is a holiday. * The summer holidays begin. * They had a five days' holiday. * They had a five-day holiday. * They had a holiday of five days. * She is on holiday in France. * I spent my holiday in the village. Exercises 　　I. Fill in the blanks according to the examples given below. 　　Examples: 　　When's Chinese New Year's Day? It's in January or February. 　　What do people usually do on Chinese New Year's Day? 　　They usually pay a new year call and eat dumplings. 　　1. When's Valentine's Day? It's on _____________ . 　　 What do people usually do _____________ Valentine's Day? 　　 They _____________________. 　　2. When's Easter Day? It's in _____________ . 　　 What do people usually do _____________ Easter Day? 　　 They __________________. 　　3. When's Halloween? It's in_____________ ? 　　 What do people usually do_____________ Halloween? 　　 They __________________. 　　4. When's ___________________? It's in June. 　　 What do you usually do ____________ summer holiday? 　　 We __________________. 　　II. Describe the holidays you've filled in Exercise I to your partner based on the clues below. 　　― The holiday is in/on ... (date/season). / The holiday falls on ... 　　― The holiday originated from... 　　― People usually eat... 　　― People usually do... 　　― My favorite holiday is ... and that's because... 　　III. Pair work：make dialogues based on the following situations. 　　1. Maggie is talking about the origin of Halloween with Li Ming. 　　2. Sherry is talking with her boyfriend Jeffery about how to spend the coming Valentine's Day. 　　3. Tony asks Wang Ting about the traditional festivals in China. 　　IV. Topics for Discussion. 　　1. Talk about an unforgettable experience during a specific festival. 　　2. Talk about the difference between a traditional Chinese festival and a western festival. 　　3. How do you think the Chinese people spend the traditional western festivals? Culture Tips 　　Mother's Day was first suggested in the United States in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe as a day dedicated to peace. A campaign to establish a National Mother's Day was begun in 1907. It was successful. By 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state in recognition of the influence mothers have in the making of better citizens. 　　In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed that the birthday of Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis, the "mother of Mother's Day", would become the National Mother's Day of the United States. From then on, the second Sunday in May would be Mother's Day in memory of the work Mrs. Jarvis had done to bring families together after the Civil war, her work to bring the whole North and South together, her work to honor all the mothers of America throughout history and into the future, but most of all to honor Mrs. Anna Reeves Jarvis as America's National Mother. President Wilson asked the American people to fly the United States flag from public buildings and homes on that day, as a public expression of love and reverence for the mothers of the country. 　　Well, what value does Mother's Day have now? As the Congress said in 1914, it reminds people of the influence mothers have had in the making of better citizens. Jarvis was one such mother. On Mother's Day much attention is given to the important part that each mother plays in giving her children a sense of what is right and what is wrong, what is good behavior and what is bad. If the observances of Mother's Day can even in a small way remind mothers of this, then this day will help both the families and the whole country. Class Activities 　　Easter Games: 　　Easter Egg Decoration: Use real egg shells (before class get some eggs, puncture a hole at both ends and blow out the insides of the egg, then wash out). Use colored pens, glue and glitter, stickers and anything else to decorate the eggs. You can use these eggs in the "Easter Egg Blow" game. 　　Easter Egg Emotions: Use felt-tipped pens to draw faces on the real egg shells in different emotions (happy, sad, angry, sleepy, etc.). 　　Easter Egg Blow: Use a straw to blow the real egg shells across the classroom. The first person across is the winner!