1、Unit Unit 1 1 Festivals and celebrationsFestivals and celebrationsReading and ThinkingDiscover the reasons for festivals and celebrationsWhy do we celebrate festivals? Warming up1. What festivals do you know in China ? 1.The Spring Festival 春节春节 (January 1 of the lunar year) 2.The Lantern Festival 元
2、宵节元宵节 (January 15 of the lunar year)3. The Tomb-Sweeping Day 清明节清明节 (April 4/5) 4. May Day 五一劳动节五一劳动节 (May 1)5. Childrens Day 儿童节儿童节 (June 1)6. The Dragon Boat Festival 端午节端午节 (May 5/15 of the lunar year) 7. Army Day 建军节建军节 (August 1)8. Teachers Day 教师节教师节 (September 10)9. The Mid-Autumn Festival 中秋
3、节中秋节 (August 15 of the lunar year) 10. National Day 国庆节国庆节 (October 1)11. The Double Ninth Festival 重阳节重阳节 (September 9 of the lunar year) 12. New Years Day 元旦元旦(January 1) 2. What festivals do you know in western countries Christmas Day (December 25) Valentines Day 情人节情人节 (February 14) April Fools
4、Day 愚人节愚人节 (April 1) Easter 复活节复活节 (a Sunday in March/April) Mothers Day 母亲节母亲节 (the second Sunday of May) Fathers Day 父亲节父亲节 (the third Sunday of June) Halloween (万圣节万圣节) (October 31) Thanksgiving Day 感恩节感恩节 (the 4th Thursday in November)1. Before you read, discuss these questions in groups.1. What
5、 festivals do you celebrate with your family each year?Each year, in addition to National day and New Years Day, I celebrate most of the Chinese traditional festivals with my family, such as the Spring Festival and the Mid-autumn Festival. Pre-reading2. Why do you think people celebrate different fe
6、stivals?To get together, relax, have fun and enjoy lifeTo celebrate harvestTo honor famous or important figures In memory/honor of our ancestors To celebrate an event or a time of the year.To show our gratitude To follow and pass on the custioms/ traditionsTo encourage people to spend more moneyWhy
7、do we celebrate festivals? reason/purpose people Chinese and foreigners3. Look at the pictures and title of the passage. Predict what the passage is about and what typle of writing it is.3. Look at the pictures and title of the passage. Predict what the passage is about and what type of writing it i
8、s.The passage is about the reasons for festivals and celebrations.It is a mix of exposition(说明文说明文) and argumentation (议论议论文文). (论说文论说文)4. If you were the author, what and how would you write about them ? vWhat to write about some festivals What kind of festival it isWhere & when people celebrat
9、e them What they celebrate Why & how people celebrate themWhat the value/significance is“5W” vHow to write about some festivals (blTopic sentence (giving main idea)lGiving specific informationlSupporting details (giving examples)lOr giving/listing opinions2. Read the text and find out the answer
10、 to the question in the title. (P4, E2)To promote the spirit of sharing joy, gratitude, love or peace.To follow the changing customs and pass on the cultures and traditions. For commercial purposes.Because it is an important part of society.Scanning3. Underline the topic sentence of each paragraph t
11、hat gives the main idea. (P5, E3)Tips: Tips: Features of a topic sentence:lIt is used to explain the topic of the whole It is used to explain the topic of the whole text.text.lIt gives the main idea of the pasage or It gives the main idea of the pasage or paragraph.paragraph.lIt is the first sentenc
12、e or the last sentence It is the first sentence or the last sentence or led by the words or led by the words “but”“but” or or “however”“however”. .SkimminglTopic sentence (Para. 1):However, no matter how different they may seem, all over the world, the spirit of sharing joy, gratitude, love, or peac
13、e is common in all festivals.lMain idea:We celebrate festivals to promote the common spirit of sharing joy, gratitude, love or peace.Why do we celebrate festivals? centre around 围绕围绕lFunction: to generally introduce festivals and the topic: a common reason for festivalslStructure: _(hold) all around
14、 the world, festivals are a worldwide _ phenomenon, not only with a wide _ of _, such as the _, _, famous _, and important _, and with different _ and unique _, but also with the common _ of sharing _, _, _ or _.Heldculturalrangeoriginsseasonsreligionsfigureseventscustomscharmsspiritjoygratitudelove
15、peacelTopic sentence (Para. 2):Of all the traditional festivals, the harvest festival can be found in almost every culture. lMain idea:Almost every culture celebrates the harvest festival to show joy and gratitude.Function: To give examples to explain the topic aboveWhy do we celebrate festivals? lS
16、tructure:lTopic sentence (giving main idea)lGiving specific informationWhen:Why:_lSupporting details(where & how)In ancient Egypt: it_a parade and a great feast with music, dancing and sportsIn European countries: people _ churches _ flowers and fruit, and _ _ _ over a meal.In China: families ga
17、ther _ the _ moon and _ delicious _. giving examplesto show their gratitude for .after all the crops have been gathered infeatureddecoratewithget togeher to celebrateto admireshiningenjoymooncakesdifferent places and customs, but common spirit: sharing joy and gratitudelTopic sentence (Para. 3):Cust
18、oms play a significant role in festivals, but sometimes they can change over time.lMain idea:We celebrate festivals to follow the changing customs and pass on the cultures and traditions. lFunction: To give a second reason for festivalsWhy do we celebrate festivals? lStructure:lTopic sentence (givin
19、g main idea)lGiving specific informationWhy:How:_lSupporting details(where & how)One example is the _ Chinese Spring Festival custiom of lighting firecrackers _ away the evil spirtis and _ the new year. Nowadays, many big cities have _ _ this custiom in order _ air pollution. _ example is Hallow
20、een, _ slowly became an exciting festival for children, _ _ _ its _ origins. giving examplessome fade away and others be established with the development of the society and typicalto drivecelebrategiven upto avoidAnotherwhichspite ofin religiouslTopic sentence (Para. 4):Festivals are becoming more a
21、nd more commercial with businesses taking advantage of the celebrations. lMain idea:People celebrate festivals for commercial purposes.lFunction: To give a third reason for festivalsWhy do we celebrate festivals? lStructure:lTopic sentence (giving main idea)lGiving specific informationWhy:_; How:_lL
22、isting opinions _ some _ festivals should not _ _, _ believe the increase _ spending is good for _ economy and public happiness. Online shopping websites and social media apps have made it much easier for the public to spend more on gifts for their loved ones. with businesses taking advantage of. Al
23、thoughbelievebe commercializedothersthein Whats the writers attitude towards the commercialisation of festivals?Objective & neutral(中立的中立的)lTopic sentence (Para. 5):Festivals are an important part of society. lMain idea:We celebrate festivals because they are an important part of society.lFuncti
24、on: To give a fourth reason for festivals and stress the importance of festivalsWhy do we celebrate festivals? lStructure:lTopic sentence (giving main idea)lGiving specific informationHow or why (important):They _ peoples _, _, _ and _ towards life.They are _ that allow us _, and_ life, and _ _ our
25、work for a little while.They _ us understand _ we came from, _ we are, and _ to appreciate. reflectwishesoccasionsfaithsbeliefsattitudes to relaxenjoyforget abouthelpwherewhowhat=stop thinking aboutlConclude the text and repeat the topicAnd if you study festivals carefully, you may _ _ to find that
26、different _ actually have a lot _ _ after all.be surprisedculturesin commonIntroductionIntroduction & reason 1& reason 1ExampleReason 3Reason 4 & conclusionStructureReason 21. What role do customs and traditions play in festivals? Customs and traditions are very important part of festiva
27、ls and they are also the reasons for celebrating festivals, because people follow customs and sometimes even establish new traditions to celebrate the festivals.Post-reading2. Why did the writer mention the commercialization of festivals? How is it influencing peoples way of celebrating festivals?Be
28、cause the commercialization of festivals is a worldwide phenomenon of the 21st century, which can influence peoples willingness or decisions to spend more money on festivals, and can be considered as an encouragement to celebrate festivals.3.What are some other reasons for celebrating festivals?They
29、 can include peoples religious beliefs/faiths, personal interests, or hobbies, etc.5. Complete the following passage using suitable words from the text. Be sure to use the correct forms. Todays festivals have a wide _ of origins, including the seasons of the year, famous _, important events and reli
30、gions. The _ festival is one of the most popular festivals and is celebrated in even every cultures. Customs play a _ role in festivals, but they can change over time. For example, some Chinese rangefiguresharvestsignificantcities no longer allow firecrackers during the Spring Festival, as they can
31、increase air pollution. These days, festivals are becoming more _, with people spending more money on gifts. Festivals _ peoples wishes, beliefs, faiths and attitudes towards life. They are _to spend time with family and to relax and enjoy mercialreflectoccasionsHomework1. Go over the text after class
