1、 A precious family dinner 1. To grasp the content of the article and write a summary; 2. To know more about the customs of the Chinese New Year; 3. To understand the deep meaning of the family dinner on the Chinese New Years Eve. Where are these people heading? Why are they in such a hurry? They are
2、 heading back to their hometowns which are far away from the cities where they live. They are in such a hurry because they are eager to be reunited with their family members. Read the passage quickly and find out the answers to the following questions: 1. What does the passage talk about? 2. How oft
3、en do Luos family reunite? 3. What is the change in Luos journey back home? 4. What does this change imply? 1. What does the passage talk about? It is about Luo Yans happy family dinner on the Chinese New Years Eve. 2. How often do Luos family reunite? Maybe once a year. 3. What is the change in Luo
4、s journey back home? It used to be a long and tiring journey a few years ago, but it takes only 5 hours to reach his hometown now owing to the high-speed train. 4. What does this change imply? It implies the fast development of modern transportation in China. It also highlights the great development
5、 and changes happening in our country. It implies how powerful our country is. Read the passage again and focus on the activities Chinese families do and get to know more about the meaning of the Spring Festival to Chinese people. Find out the answers to the following questions: 1. What Spring Festi
6、val traditions did Luos family observe? They decorated their house with paper- cuttings on the windows, Spring Festival couplets on the door and New Year paintings on the wall. They had fish at dinner. They watched the Spring Festival Gala while eating snacks, chatting with each other and making dum
7、plings. They also set off firecrackers. 2. Why do the Chinese people decorate the house on such an occasion? The Chinese people do so in order to represent joy, luck and happiness to hope everything will be promising in the coming new year. 3. What is the special meaning of these traditions on such
8、an occasion? Its a chance for family members to spend time together and enjoy each others company, especially for those who are away from home and cannot see their family members often. By observing these traditions, they want to make up for the time they have lost and express their deep love to eac
9、h other. 4. In Luos eyes, home is where all family members are together. Can you make up such sentences to describe what home means to you? Home is where _. Home is a place _. my heart lies I can have a rest physically and mentally 5. Read the last paragraph and find out what is the true meaning of
10、celebrating the Spring Festival. All over the country, we are celebrating our good fortune, celebrating our familys togetherness, and celebrating our nations strength. Do you think the adjective “precious” is appropriately used? And why? This is a precious family dinner because it is the dinner the
11、family has had together after being separated for a long time. The dinner also represents the strength of the familys bond as shown by their enjoyment of being together for this moment and also their longing to be together in the future. Focus on the title: A precious family dinner Write a summary o
12、f the feature article. Use the chart below to help you. Feeling Time Place On the way back home During the dinner After dinner Close to midnight On the train In the house Outsid e the house Excited Happy Worried and hopeful Possible answer Luo Yan, his wife and his son Bofeng came back from their ho
13、me in the city to see Luo Yans parents. On the train, they chatted with each other, full of excitement. When they finally arrived, Luo Yans parents were glad to see them. They had put up beautiful decorations around house for the festival. On the Chinese New Years Eve they had a big dinner together
14、happily and then everyone stayed inside and watched the Spring Festival Gala. They felt comfortable in the warmth, but Luo Yan was also a little worried and hoped he could take his parents to live with him in the city in the future. Close to midnight, the whole family went outside to set off firecra
15、ckers. It was a time to celebrate their togetherness and look forward to the future with hope. What Spring Festival traditions do you observe? What are their meanings? I go back to my hometown, visit my extended family and get red packets! The Chinese New Year is a time of family reunion. The annual
16、 reunion dinner with members of my extended family is the biggest event of the festival. We eat Spring Festival cakes, or niangao, which symbolize increasing prosperity in each coming year. Red packets received from the elderly symbolize good luck and fortune. Discuss how the Chinese people, especia
17、lly the young, celebrate the Spring Festival nowadays. Nowadays, the Chinese people, especially the young, are fond of having the family dinner in a restaurant and enjoying a film together with their family members. Sometimes, they spend a few days travelling with their family members around the cou
18、ntry, or abroad. Sending online messages of greetings by social software is the most common way to give their wishes. And they are fond of “grabbing electronic red packets” on their smartphones. Why do the Chinese people attach so much importance to reunion during the Spring Festival? The answer to
19、this question is deeply rooted in the traditional Chinese culture, which is characterized by a sense of family, or a sense of belonging. The concept of family has a great influence on the Chinese people, and three generations living under the same roof is good proof of a thriving family. Even if fam
20、ily members live apart, they must get back home at the Spring Festival and bring new year greetings to the family elders. They tell the family about their experiences and achievements while away from home, feeling content that they can bring glory to the family. Family reunions are also good occasio
21、ns when children learn about their cultural inheritance, who will pass it down to their own children after they grow up. Traditionally, there are ceremonies of offering sacrifices to ancestors and people exchange new year greetings with their relatives and friends. Brought up in this harmonious atmosphere, children will naturally follow this tradition. 1. Are there any differences between the way you celebrate Spring Festival now and the way in the past? Talk it with your parents. 2. What do you think of these changes? Write an essay on the changes and your attitudes towards these changes.
