READING - UNIT 8 - CLASS 11

UNIT 8 – CELEBRATIONS

Fill in the blanks

Lunar New Year or Tet is Vietnam`s main holiday. It`s the ___________ (grand) and most important occasion in the year which ___________ (fall) sometime between 19 January and 20 February on the Western calendar. Tet marks the ____________ (begin) of spring and for agrarian people, the start of the New Year.

Tet’s preparations and _____________ (celebrate) used to be spread over months, but nowadays the holiday is much shorter. However, a great deal of ____________ (excite) builds up well before Tet. Streets are ____________ (decorate) with colored lights and red banners. Shops are full of ____________ (good). People are busy ___________ (buy) gifts, cleaning and decorating their houses and cooking ____________ (tradition) foods.
Homes are often ___________ (decorate) with plants and flowers at this time. The ___________ (tradition) flowers for Tet are peach flowers in the North and apricot flowers in the South. The kumquat tree with its ripe deep orange fruits is ___________ (popularity) throughout the country. One of Tet`s most special foods is banh chung, which is made from sticky rice, green beans and fatty pork. Mut, which is candied fruit such as __________ (sugar) apples, plums or tomatoes, is also popular.
On the first days of Tet everyone tries to be nice and ____________ (politeness) to each other. People believe that what they do on the first day of the year will influence their ___________ (lucky) during the whole year. Thus, only ____________ (positively) comments should be made. People visit other family members or friends and they exchange New Year`s wishes. Children receive their "lucky money" inside red envelopes. Many people go to the pagoda to pray for a _____________ (happiness) year for themselves and their family. Both children and adults take part in games and various ____________ (formal) of entertainment. Tet is really a time of fun and festivals throughout the country.

Answer the questions below

What are the traditional flowers in the South and North?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Why do people try to be nice and polite to each other on the first day of Tet?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is banh chung?
_______________________________________________________________
Is the kumquat tree popular around the country?
_______________________________________________________________
What are the streets decorated with?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Match

Grand

Excitement

Banner

Decoration

Comment

Envelope

Entertainment

Influence

Festival

Agrarian





THE END