1 Read the texts. Then look at the pictures and discuss the questions in pairs or small groups.
1
Which picture goes with which text? Text 1 _____ Text 2 _____ Text 3 _____
2
What do the pictures show?
3
Which countries do you think the texts might be about?
1
For _____ people all over the world, New Year is the most important time of the year. Many people paint their front doors red in preparation. Dragons and fireworks are also part of celebrating the New Year period, which can last as long as two weeks, starting on the first day of the lunar month and continuing till the moon is at its brightest.
2
New Year (sometimes called Hogmanay ) is a more important occasion in _____ than other parts of the UK. Many of the customs, like ‘first-footing’, have been adopted in other English-speaking countries.
3
Unlike in some other countries, New Year is a public holiday in this North African country ( _____ ); people mark the occasion by holding joint prayers and other rituals in mosques as an expression of gratitude to God. They also visit the homes of their extended families to exchange New Year wishes.
a b c
Figure
Figure
Figure
Note
Reading skill reminder
⌘ What to do with words you don’t _____ know To help you decide what a new word in a text means, ask yourself questions like these: When you find a new word in a text, it is usually best to continue reading at first. For example:
What kind of word is it (noun, verb, etc.)?
Do you know what ‘first-footing’ is in Text 2?
If it’s a noun, is it singular, plural, uncountable?
Can you understand the sentence without
knowing what it means? • If it’s an adjective, does it seem to be positive or negative? • Does it (or part of it) look like a word you already know? If necessary, try and decide more or less what the word means instead of immediately looking in a dictionary. • Are there any other words in the sentence that help to explain it?