1、Unit 3 Festivals and customs Extended reading Lead-in 1 Step What is your favourite traditional Chinese festival? Look at the picture on page 40 and answer. Which festival is the picture about? How do you know that? Title prediction Step 2 Global reading Step Read the article and choose the best ans
2、wer. How is the article organized? A. In order of time. B. With the change in the place. C. With the development of feeling. D. All the above. D 3 Read the article again and fill in the table. Time On the way back home During the dinner _ dinner Close to _ Place On the _ _ the house In the house Out
3、side the house Feeling _ Happy Worried and _ _ train Excited In After hopeful midnight Proud Summary writing Step 3 Write a summary of the feature article with the help of the table. Summary writing Step 4 Luo Yan, his wife and his son Bofeng came back from their home in the city to see Luo Yans par
4、ents. 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 the house for the festival. On the Chinese New Years Eve they had a big dinner together happily and then everyone stay
5、ed 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 firecrackers. It was a time to celebr
6、ate their togetherness and look forward to the future with hope. Further reading Step 5 Characteristics Characteristics of a feature articleof a feature article It is just past five oclock on the Chinese New Years Eve, and the dinner table _ already _ white china plates and bowls, full of all sorts
7、of dishes: chicken, duck, pork, fish and vegetables. Luo Yan, 29, _ the cover of a large bowl to _ in the rich smell of the soup his wife and mother _. Luo Yans son, Bofeng, happily _ the chicken his grandfather _for him. is covered with lifts breathe have prepared takes a bite of has selected What
8、do you think of the description of the scene? What tense does the author use? Why? The scene is vividly described, with a lot of details. The author uses the present tense to show what is happening in Luo Yans family to make readers feel as if they were on the scene. On the Chinese New Years Eve thr
9、oughout China, the same thing happens in other families. Vivid descriptions to help readers picture the scene in their minds Six-year-old Bofeng has not seen his grandparents for almost a year, and he is full of _ and _. Indeed, the whole family could not be _ to be together. Despite the cold weathe
10、r, their _ faces fill the air with warmth while _ laughter rings throughout the house. joy excitement happier happy merry How does the family feel? Can you find more sentences which show the feeling of the family? They feel happy and excited. Yans son, Bofeng, happily takes a bite of the chicken his
11、 grandfather has selected for him. (para. 1, lines 46) During the five-hour trip, they chatted excitedly with each other, their minds full of thoughts about their sweet home. (para. 3, lines 1516) On their arrival, they find Luos parents eagerly waiting for them. (para. 4, line 17) Rich feelings to
12、make readers involved in the story and sense how the characters feel As midnight approaches, Luo Yan takes his parents, wife and son outside to set off firecrackers. The whole village is lit up with colourful fireworks. All over the country, people are celebrating their _, celebrating their familys
13、_, and celebrating their nations _. good fortune togetherness strength What does the last sentence of the feature article imply? It implies that Chinese people are living a happy life and feel proud of their great country. It also suggests that every familys happiness contributes to the countrys gre
14、atness and the countrys strength guarantees every familys happiness. Deep meanings to show the theme and give readers a sense of identity Critical thinking Step 1.What Spring Festival traditions do you observe? What are their meanings? 6 I go back to my hometown, visit my extended family and get red
15、 packets! The Chinese New Year is a time of family reunion. The annual 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 sy
16、mbolize good luck and fortune. 2. Why do the Chinese people attach so much importance to reunion during the Spring Festival? The answer to 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 ha
17、s a great influence on the Chinese people, and three generations living under the same roof is good proof of a thriving family. Even if family 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 experi
18、ences and achievements while away from home, feeling content that they can bring glory to the family. Family reunions are also good occasions 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 o
19、ffering 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. 3. Luo Yan says, “Home is where all family members are together.” Do you agree? Why or why not? 4. With th
20、e development of society, many extended families have been replaced with nuclear families. What problems might this cause? Write a short passage to the English newspaper of your school with the title “The Spring Festival in my home”, including the following points: What does the Spring Festival mean to your family? How do your family usually celebrate the Spring Festival
